You say "neato," take your libido and stroll to the church in your new tuxedo

# 13 - Stone Cold Rhymin' - Young MC

Forbes and I had this discussion many moons ago: "Stone Cold Rhymin'" is a great, not good, hip hop album. When I was in 7th grade it was unthinkable that Young MC would lose his status as a rap superstar, to say nothing of eventually appearing on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club." Damn.

"I Come Off" sets the tone of 'Stone Cold,' which is not quite as hard as LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" but just as braggadocious. This first track could serve as the Cliff's Notes to a 1980s Trivia game, referencing Eddie Murphy, Freddy Krueger, and my two favorite lines:

I don't mean to brag or boast to try to tell you I'm great/but I can rock the microphone like Dorothy Hamil can skate/Yeah, I can say a funky rhyme like Greg Luganis can dive/Don't have to be "Saturday Night" for Young MC to get "Live".

"Yo I come off/Just like the clothes of a hooka/And I can fly like Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka."

This is followed up by "Principal's Office" and the eternal "Bust A Move." (I won a karaoke contest my freshman year in college by nailing "Bust A Move." It did not, however, afford me any additional opportunities to bust a move.)

Marvin Young from Hollis, Queens, might only be remembered for one wedding reception staple, but I still listen to this album front to back.

Hidden gem: "Know How" which brilliantly samples the Theme from "Shaft"

here we come Mr. airplane

#9 Sung Tongs

Animal Collective (FatCat, 2004)

I was waiting on this one like a cat for... . After Spirit (#18), a live show that hurt, Campfire Songs, and Here Comes the Indian all within 5 months time, what was one more? I couldn't get enough. Deacon told me at that show to be ready for a seamless brand of folk/pop unlike any other. I had no idea! Here we have just Avey and Panda again and by now they can do no wrong. Warning: this is the copycat album of the decade (in other words, will be attempted to be remade over and over and over)...'we can do this 'freakfolk' thing too', 'and/or make a weird, scary (says Efrim), or organic cover that will make people believe... .'

A late spring release that was indeed the freshest breeze to grace these ears maybe ever. Soon after it came out we went to San Diego for 3 weeks and it went with us up and down the coast. A few weeks later we were in the mountains of Pennsylvania staying with family, and it road up, down, and around the mountain for 3 more weeks as the june bugs glistened. Not that it's only a summer album, but it for sure boasts of romps of the natural sort. Avey and Panda's harmonies are rough and angelic at the same time while their tireless strumming reminds me of our family bonfires where nothing can go wrong. What makes this album huge though is that while the freedom and creativity blossom between the two in their respective parts, the mixing desk and found sounds are utilized as instruments themselves and add a depth and playfulness that surprises me at every listen.

If we ranked top 1st tracks of our favorite albums, "Leaf House" would be in the running. Full on bellowing with 'meows' at the end. Two longer repetitive strumming numbers ("The Softest Voice", "Visiting Friends") evoke memories of Campfire Songs and are evidence that these guys aren't out to just please those seeking immediate gratification. But built around those are sometimes very short/fun songs that again run the gamut with the vocal cords. "Winter's Love" starts as a mono Beach Boys outtake and then goes aggressively off into a strumming pattern that I can't help but imitate every time I pick up the acoustic. "Kids on Holiday" is my favorite song on the album and is a story about kids hanging out in the airport waiting to board while noticing/making fun of all kinds of people. Oh, and there is a message contained in "College" that some of us may or may not want to here. This album plays...

Shake it

I can't remember when it began exactly. Somewhere around 13, the radio dial began to slide over to that rap/urban/r&b station. Ever since, I've had this strong stream of heavy beats, booty shakin' and mysogynistic lyrics that has found its way into my music collection. So, imagine my delight when I began to experience the more intelligent side of rap with the likes of Mr. Lif, Danger Doom, Aesop Rock, and my favorite at this point in time - Sage Francis.
So here's one of his albums - A Healthy Distrust - to grace my list.
Fav song: Sun vs. Moon w/ all it's offensive lyrics - (In a really bizarre way, it reminds me of Carmen's song - The Champion) I tried to type out some lyrics, but realized that it's really hard to convey the rhythm and timing that makes this sort of music good - so go listen to it.
Crumble is also a nice one for those of us who are feeling a little faded as our 30's are looming ahead. One special lyric "the childhood scar is back on my chin again / that old jump over my own leg dance move has to end"
(BTW, go to an independent rap show - people dance and it's fun as hell.)

Mesmerizing

I've got a lot of writing to do, so here goes.
Next album on my list: End of Amnesia by M. Ward
Lots of people have done this guitar, piano, vocals thing, but none so well as this guy. Whenever his stuff comes on, I always pause and stare out the window. That croaky, sexy voice is delicious. This is one of the few albums in our house that I actually feel was my choice. Living with Big Cougar, its sometimes hard to feel like I have any choice in that music realm. We wake up in the morning, the music goes on. My ipod hasn't been changed in a while, he reloads it. You guys know. So, we saw M. Ward at (I think) a Bright Eyes show. (Yeah, Lionel's not the only one with a dirty secret.) I usually can't judge music on a first listen, but I was immediately fascinated by how his songs transport you to another time. I mentioned it to B.C. and he dutifully found the album and gave it to me as a gift. So, ok, maybe he did buy it, but it was at my request.
Favorite song: Carolina "Used to feel like California with baby eyes so blue/ Now I feel like Carolina, I split myself in two/ Now I'm walking backwards from Chicago through Washington / Oh but that ain't enough, no, you want me to run " Oh, his latest Post-War is amazingly good.

The story is old, i know, but it goes on

i don't like the beatles. well. not in the way most people do. most of my 'liking' them is involved in the fact that the music is etched into my head. i can spot the chorus of 'love me, do' driving past other cars on i95 at "i'm late for work again" speed. until i was about nine years old, oldies were just about all my mother would listen to in the car. i really had no idea other music existed. everyday to or from school, or running errands with her (i thought it was running Aarons, i must admit), our listening selection included roy orbison, the beach boys, the beatles, elvis, chuck berry, etc.

that being said. my number 12 record was a surprise. back in the days before lots of internet shopping or iTunes, there was mail order. just like every other record this band had released in the previous years, i pre-ordered it. and waited. the release was pushed back twice; originally slated for a february release, and then april-ish, i had sent the record label my hard-earned money in late december, 2000.

it wasnt the first time tooth and nail records had pushed back a release months at a time, but i worried this time was different. the bands friend/producer for their last three albums had just passed away, and i thought maybe the bands singer/songwriter was crumbling under the pressure to top their last two immensely popular records, all by himself.

when the record arrived to my college mail box, and i skipped class to listen to it, i knew i was dead wrong. it seems as though they had enlisted the help of another old-school christian rock icon to produce this. moreover, the songs show no signs of a man in pain. they were not remains taped together. heck, they werent even mopey. these songs were epic. inspiring. hopeful, even. i can--without even looking at the bands back catalogue--think of at least 5 songs about quitting music all together. on this album, one song admits, grudgingly, to coming further than the singer thought they would go (track 1), and being excited to hit the road (track 3), singing "I already know what we're going to play."

i dont like the beatles. not in the way most people do. but after listening to this record, i can see why they like the fab four. but i dont think "ripoff" when i let my ears listen (instead of dissecting and analyzing). i see influence on aspirations to something bigger, rather than nicking a hook or a lick. its like the undead spirits of brian wilson, george martin and (pre-crazy, post-genius) phil spector had inhabited the studio during this session and refused to leave, their ghosts shaping these simple songs into this bands "pet sounds." hell, the fact that the album was mixed in mono only seals the deal. the bands' previous signature, the wall-of-feedback sound, still makes its presence known. it just occupies different sonic space. one has to listen past the strings, pianos, thoughtful lyrics, perfect harmonies, horns, tympani, cross-rhythms and amazing arrangement should one WANT to do that.

if anyone reading this hasnt guessed already...if you dont already know this record, email me. i will burn you a copy. and getting back to the producer and heartache; although there is an obvious "thank you" to the late, great, gene eugene andrusco in track 6, 'things like this help me' (Come out and pick a night|A night when you lose your life|Because I look around|I'll stay up late when you fix all the sounds), i think that starflyer 59's masterpiece "leave here a stranger" makes a damned fine epitaph and living rememberance for an old, lost dog.

#12

STARFLYER 59-leave here a stranger
RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2001
LABEL: tooth & nail records

=========================

wit, humor and biting lyrics meld with pure pop hooks to create some of the smartest, catchiest rock i have ever heard.

everyone who loves the band, loves this record. and with good reason.

everyone who loves this record has their own take on it; it comes attached to a story of love, heartache, discovery, or some combination of the three. so i wont bore you with mine.

this album, along with everything this group ever touched, is brilliant. listen to it, cherish it, and attach your own story of love, heartache, discovery, or some combination of the three.

just dont bore anyone with it, alright?

#11

THE SMITHS-the queen is dead
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 1986
LABEL: Rough Trade

American Ladies and Norwegian Gents

#16 - Riot On An Empty Street, Kings of Convenience

I waited forever for this album. Every time I was in a record store I checked the "K" section hoping to be pleasantly surprised. I hadn't heard anything about them recording another one but I was desperate for it. They couldn't just be a one album band. That wasn't enough. (This was technically their third, but the first one contains many of the same songs as "Quiet Is The New Loud.") Then I heard it was coming out and waited for months. I was so afraid that they would have changed and I wouldn't like it. As soon as I heard the first notes of "Homesick", I knew everything was going to be okay.

This one is more diverse than the first, containing a few upbeat numbers like, "Love is No Big Truth" and "I'd Rather Dance With You." Each song tells a story and the stories tell something different with each new listen. The voices of Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe blend together to create a warm blanket of sound. It was definitely worth the wait.






#15 - Holiday in Rhode Island, The Softies

Captain Ultra introduced us to this one day as we were perusing Radiofree. I had never heard of The Softies before and upon the first listen, I felt their name perfectly personified their sound. The voices of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia complement each other beautifully. There is nothing too fancy about them, just sweet, sensitive, hushed harmony. The guitar provides another layer, but remains subdued, allowing everything to continue in a lovely whisper. It evokes a sense of peace and each listen is a holiday in itself.

#14 DANIELSON - tridanielson! alpha AND omega

Speaking of Freak Folk, Danielson once was my favorite band of all time, I think. I'm not a 'uge (that was a Trump impression, in case you missed it) fan of the Brother Danielson stuff, but I love me some:

Danielson Famile and
Danielship

both of which were in RARE form on these two albums. These were about 9 years ahead of their time. Polyphonic Spree can kiss Dan Smith's bottom whiskers. It's hard to believe sufjan was actually once playing BACKUP to the famile.

Oh, if you're not familiar with the genius of the fam, check out:

Tell another joke on the ol' choppin' block:

"smooth death" is in my top 15 songs ever written.

#15 - MIDLAKE vs JOANNA NEWSOM

Okay, so tied for numero seis y dies for me is Midlake's The Trials of VanOcupanther and Joanna Newsom's Milk Eyed Mender.


-----vs.-----


I've been in love with both of these albums since my ears first had the pleasure of listening to them. Although, I did first hear newsom's voice as annoying and somewhat "put on" so she could be classified with other "freak folk" artists..I immediately was blown away by her pop sensibilities and lavish lryical stylings.

And Midlake is hands-down one of the best bands of all time.

Look at how excited hamtaro is:

Sam's town

Can I just pop in here for a second to say that I'm about to wear out the new Killers the way I wore out the last one? I love it, though I have a feeling that this time next month it'll make me as sick as the last one did after three months of constant rotation. Much like Bloc Party or Franz Ferdinand.

And can I just say that the new Joanna Newsom is the most radio-friendly pop album I've heard in FOR-E-VER? Siike.

Beware the bottled thoughts of angry young men...

#13 - Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (Jeff Buckley) 1998

We are quickly approaching hallowed ground here with this pick. While there's just too much to say about this album, it can be summed up in one word: mood. Sketches is a raw, moody trip inside the mind of a man I consider to be a genius. What is even more amazing is that this colorful collection of fantastical stream-of-consciences ("gold sharks glittering"; "bubble gum, coming down just like a big red coal"; "you're a woman, I'm a calf. You're a window, I'm a knife. We come together making chance in the starlight") is that it was recorded on a four track while holed up in an apartment in the last years of Jeff's young life. We may never know what Jeff Buckley intended out of these tracks as they were graciously released (double-disc) after his tragic drowning in 1997, but we can certainly feel what he was trying to make us experience. You may fill in your own descriptors here, but consider this album like one big mood ring as you listen:

The Sky Is A Landfill (dread)
Everybody Here Wants You (sex)
Opened Once (innocent vulnerability)
Nightmares By The Sea (evil)
Yard Of Blond Girls (lust)
Witches'Rave (curiosity)
New Year's Prayer (escape)
Morning Theft (loss, misunderstanding, and redemption)
Vancouver (jealousy)
You & I (solitude and emptiness)
Haven't You Heard (anger)
Satisfied Mind (peace)

Some of these songs will remain some of my favorites of all time (Nightmares, The Sky Is A Landfill, Vancouver), and I will always consider Morning Theft to be one of the most gentle and beautiful love songs I've ever heard. Buckley does things with tempo and style on this album that are not seen anywhere else, most likely because he had his whole life (and mind) to himself. Sketches shows just how talented Jeff Buckley was, and taps, if just for a moment, his deepest imagination.

Hey there mighty brontosaurus, don't you have a message for us

#14 - Synchronicity (The Police) 1983

How good is this album? Well, most reviews will tell you that the worst song is considered Walking In Your Footsteps, and that otherwise the album is a near-perfect epitome of The Police's famed denouement. Fortunately, I happen to love Walking, and have cherished this album for several years.
Be honest: even though Every Breath You Take is the most overplayed song ever, you still listen to the entire track before changing stations, don't you? While King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger are the other party favorites here, don't overlooked the future-of-Sting-like track Tea In The Sahara, a peaceful lounger that actually closes out the original LP version of this album. This album is amazingly complex, yet the true genious lies in the way the band intricately crafts their sound around Sting's vocals (love the start of Synchronicity 2). Not surprisingly after a 2nd or 3rd listen, this album was more popular that Thriller at the time. Give it a spin this week...

I will no longer do the Devil's wishes/ Something I read on a dollar bill...

#16: Spoon - Kill the Moonlight

I'm too tired to write something about this album that it deserves. It's really good. Alternately cocky and hopeless. Awesome percussion and a great album for headphones. Oh, and any album that gives a lyrical shout-out to the Chicago Manual of Style is alright by me.
Free sample below.

Standout tracks: Paper Tiger, The Way We Get By, Back to the Life

#16 THE BEATLES - SPLHCB

This is another repeat and repeat listen for me. How is it possible that I was in love with this the same time I was in love with Pearl Jam? Now, I'd have to say Revolver is better in some ways and the White Album is better in some ways...but this is a staple of my formative years, so I'll stick with it.

Emerging from a steady cloud of smoke......

#18, Jim Croce, I Got a Name

I like the way that Jim Croce is able to put everyday stories and feelings into words. He could be describe as a mouthpiece for the common man. When you pick up a Jim Croce album you know you are going to get a large cloud of smoke around his head and some untrimmed facial hair. After that you it is reasonable to assume that he will be either shirtless, holding a guitar, or wearing a cowboy hat. The track that first drew me to this album was "I'll have to say I love you in a Song," a finger-picking song about the exciting, but awkward first time of expressing your love to that special someone. Other tunes of note Working at the Car Wash Blues and I Got a Name. My favorite tune is Lover's Cross. It's about a guy who comes to the realization that he loves himself more than he loves his girl. It hit me hard the first time I listened to it (and still does), because it brings out the contrast between our natural inclinations and Jesus' selfless sacrifice for us on the cross. Check it out if you get a chance.

#10 Abbey Road - The Beatles (Apple, 1969)


My Dad had about 5 Beatles albums and of course I heard them a lot growing up being played on his record player. This one is stuck somewhere inside me. I don't know how much he put it on, but when he gave me his record collection in 1996 and I put it on on my mom's player it was like I had just heard it yesterday even though it had to have been a minimum of 7 years since I had last experienced it. Most of us know all about it, so I'll just speak as to why it's my #10.

To start an album so laid back and bluesy is sick. "Come Together" has so much great tom work (Ringo had finally changed his heads for the whole recording sessions) and the outro. with the soloing is so lazy good. The album is just full of space and room for some of my favorite guitar work ever. The tones, the attacks, the solos are just mind bending. The first side has some classics and then ends with another one of my favorites "She's So Heavy" with it's 7min. of jazz and then repetitive blowout and moog fuzz.

But side 2 is where it's at for me. After "Here Comes the Sun" and the full-on harmony/wall of vocals that is "Because" they pieced together unfinished songs and put some of their best 2min. vocal and guitar work ever into the 7 song suite from "You Never Give Me Your Money" - "The End". From "You Never..." -'oh that magic feeling/nowhere to go' and then their harmonies= other worldly. On the outro. '1234567, all good children go to heaven', the first tambourine hit is how I wish I could get my recorded tam to sound. Silence....crickets....and the most sexy guitar begins the "Sun King" with its Spanish and made up vocals. Ringo's tom work and John's dirty vocals get me off my ass and bring "Polythene Pam" into a dance freak out number with the soloing and tams. Then splash, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" with arguably my favorite guitar tone ever scratching the skies while Paul's bass gets muddier and muddier. Its just a fun side that stands the test of time for me. I can finally listen to the whole thing without being solely reminded of childhood.

my bad...

In my excitement to wax on about "Aquemini" I skipped

# 16 - "Drunkard's Prayer" - Over the Rhine

I owe my six-year love affair OTR to Brandon Forbes, who drug me out of my ghetto apartment in early '01 (much love to Duke Manor) to head to Cat's Cradle for my first, but not my last, Over the Rhine show.

I'm certain that married couples hear an album about piecing a marriage back togehter far differently than a single guy, but it's no less a significant testimony to the power of fidelity (and good wine) that can speak to anyone. The simple arrangments from Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler's living room SOUND like a personal recollection of troubled days from the not-so-distant-past to say nothing of the actual words one hears on Drunkard's Prayer.

The aptly titled album is not an adolescent, rainy day kind of listen, but more so a stroll by present haunts with your loved one to consider what you nearly lost.

A few months ago I saw OTR in Nashvegas (with Hem), and I'm convinced Karin Berguist can own any venue in the world just by taking the mic. It's a stage presence you don't see in too many artists. Of course, I'm terribly biased and claim her as my favorite female vocalist of all time, so do with that what you will.

The line "My memory will not fail me now" has been highlighted by several journalists, but it is truly the prayer that drives this album.