Decade in Review: Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When it comes to music geeks, you don’t have to look much further then the trio from Yo La Tengo – James McNew, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley. What started out as a husband and wife project in the early 80s is now considered one of indie musics more sought after acts. It’s amazing to think how long these guys have been around. When you think of bands like Rolling Stones or Aerosmith, you don’t often think about their new albums or songs. You go after their original music because that is where most of their inspiration lies. Today, they’re burnt out and are barely capable of writing a good rock song even if their life depended on it. Yo La Tengo on the other hand have fans clinging to every new album, song and note that they produce – myself included.
I remember the first time I listened to “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out”. I was driving up to what would be my new home for the next 6 years and counting, Boston, and I remember wondering why I hadn’t listened to or heard about these guys before. This alone made me curious to wonder what else was out there that I have been missing for oh so many years. The song, “Last Days of Disco”, means a lot to me. I put it on my first mix tape for my soon to be wife, Amanda.
2009 Album: Popular Songs
Got me hooked: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Bonus Download: “Periodically Double or Triple” from Popular Songs (MP3 courtesy of Matador Records, their label).
Decade in Review: Sigur Ros
Sigur Ros
Sigur Ros is a giant ball of emotion. They are every movie, every event and every memory in your life that has had an emotional impact on you wrapped up into musical notes. I’m a grown man and don’t cry very often. Not because I’m a “MAN” but because I have better control then others – unlike my father. But I will admit it right now that when I saw the documentary Heima (means Home in Icelandic), I shed a few tears. Not sad but happy, joyous and celebratory tears. From the pounding beats to the whale like melodies that lead singer, Jonsi, is able to produce, this band is truly a phenomenon that we are lucky to have the opportunity to experience live. For those of you who have yet to see Sigur Ros in person, I call on you to not let this opportunity pass you by. You have to let yourself succumb to the intense aura that both this band and their country emit just once in your life and I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
We were lucky enough to visit the mysterious land they hail from, Iceland, this past year. Lucky for me I’m marrying someone with many friends sprinkled throughout the world. Amanda’s friend Kristjan, his lovely girlfriend and baby daughter were a warm welcome to a country that has warm welcome written all over it. From the bar, ironically called Boston, to the natural spring called Blue Lagoon, it was truly a trip to remember and one that has convinced us of multiple return visits.
2009 Album: No album
Lead singer, Jonsi, released a solo album called “go” this year. Learn more about the album and get a free download at his website.
Got me hooked: ( ) – Untitled
“Untitled 4″ – (Download & Stream)
Decade in Review: Hot Chip
Hot Chip
What’s fascinating about Hot Chip is how much their style evolves from album to album yet some how they manage to keep the unique Hot Chip sound in tact. What is the sound you ask? It’s the sound of electrical pulses hitting you from every dimension – 1st, 2nd, 3rd and even the 4th – which forces your body to react. Some react positively while others gasp at the electronic cross over attempt. I for one was never a big electronic music fan. I’ve always been a sucker for the classic four-piece rock band – lead guitar, bass, drummer and either rhythm guitar or keyboard player. But Hot Chip has managed to combine the best of both worlds. They usually don’t use a drummer in the studio, leaving the masterful beat making up to Felix but every now and then they’ll recruit a friend to hit the skins at their live shows such as Pat Mahoney (also plays for DFA’s LCD Soundsystem project) during their 2007 fall tour.
One of my more memorable moments as a music blogger was when I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Goddard when they played at the Paradise Rock Club in 2008 in support of their last album, Made in the Dark.
I’ll never forget the first show at Great Scott in 2006 on a random Monday night. I had only heard about them from a Philly friend who described their sound as being super chill. Chill was the last thing on their minds this night. The Warning, the follow up to Coming on Strong, had yet to be released in the states but it was a clear departure from their laid back style on Coming on Strong. This first ever stop in Boston had the band testing out their new songs and when we walked out of that show we had sweat stained clothes and big grins on our faces. I, or rather we, became instant fans and have been ever since.
Members:
Joe Goddard – vocals, synthesizer, percussion
Alexis Taylor – vocals, synthesizer, guitar, percussion, piano
Felix Martin – drum machines, synthesizer
Al Doyle – guitar, synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals
Owen Clark –guitar, bass, synthesizer
2009 Album: No album
They have an album coming out in 2010 called One Life Stand. Listen to the first single, “Take It In”.
Got me hooked: The Warning
Bonus Video: This is from the show in April 2008 where we interviewed Joe Goddard before hand. Amazing show. This is “Crap Kraft Dinner” off of Coming on Strong. The song builds and builds to a climax that always gets the house rocking. It’s common to hear them throw in the Fleetwood Mac song, “Everywhere”, at the beginning during their shows, which they do here.
Hip2besquare 2009: Decade in Review
While I began my exploration without the help of the Internet, there’s no question that without it my music collection would not be where it is today. Modern day radio or MTV are over commercialized and it would have been almost impossible to learn about these great artists without the open possibilities of the Internet. It started with Fluxblog, Stereogum, Pitchfork and Scenestars (no longer in existence). This list of course has grown exponentially since then.
To start off my year end list like so many of my fellow bloggers have done, I will highlight my top inspirational artists of the past 10 years.
There are about twenty bands / artists on this list. They’ll be posted during the remainder of the year and at the very end I’ll share the rest of the albums that I picked up this year that are worth mentioning.
Note: To purchase albums, scroll over the album title and an Amazon window will pop up. In some cases Hip2besquare gets a small referral fee if you purchase the album.
Wilco
When I first heard Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I was convinced that this album would easily be remembered as one of the great masterpieces of classic American rock / pop music. In reality, what I was listening to was one of the greatest bands and artists, Jeff Tweedy, of our time. It took me a little while to get into some of their older material such as Being There (2 LP 180g vinyl with bonus CD)
2009 Album: Wilco (The Album)
Got me hooked: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Flaming Lips
“Oh Yoshimi, They don’t believe me, but you won’t let those robots eat me.” Screaming this line from the top of my lungs down Green St. in Burlington Vermont my Junior year is definitely a fond memory of this past decade in music. When someone put Flaming Lips in my hand for the first time since I had heard the She Don’t Use Jelly song from back in the 90’s, I thought it was a joke. While their behavior may come off as not being serious, and they would probably be the first to make claim to such non-serious behavior, their ability to write conceptual albums and masterful psychedelic rock music is nothing but serious. And for those who thought Flaming Lips were getting out of the coneptual album business and were happy being the wacky live show dudes, their latest, Embryonic, should help deter those thoughts.
2009 Album: Embryonic
Got me hooked: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Stephen Malkmus
Some may find it strange that I’m putting Malkmus and not Pavement on this list. To be honest, there are moments of Pavement that I really enjoy but just about all moments on the Malkmus albums that I own are enjoyed with every listen. When I first heard Pig Lib, the guitar and vocals produced by Stephen practically fried my brain. I didn’t know what to think or rather how to comprehend what was going on. There are so many twists and turns in his song writing that for the casual music listener there is a clear “enter at your own risk” stamped to his style. He has a rather unattractive singing voice which causes some to claim Pavement as well as Stephen overrated. But they said the same thing about David Byrne and the Talking Heads in the 70’s and 80’s so you do the math. If you’re like me and a sucker for guitar mastery, look know further then Malkmus.
No 2009 album
Got me hooked: Pig Lib
Bonus Download: “Cold Son” from the album Face the Truth
Phoenix
If it wasn’t for the great directing of Sophia Coppola and the performance by Bill Murray in Lost in Translation I may not have been so drawn to this movie and all that went with it, including the music. After listening to the soundtrack once, It only took a few seconds before Too Young’s pulsating guitar riff and intoxicating chorus section were forever supplanted into the fabric of my musical bones. While I’ve been a fan since 2005, it was only recently at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston that I got to see them live. And they may just make the ranks as one of my all time favorite live performers. They just keep getting better in my opinion.
2009 Album:Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Got me hooked: United
Bonus video:
Andrew Bird
I can remember the exact moment when I took a break from work and perused the usual blogs to see if I could find any new gems. The one most frequent visit was to Fluxblog and it was here that I heard the song “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” by Andrew Bird that blew me away. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. From his ability to whistle any melody imaginable to his ability to intertwine lyrics through his bouncy rhythms, Andrew is a true virtuoso. The lyrics, the meanings of which would make Dr. Seuss proud, dive deep from the consciousness of a down home Midwestern farm boy. Ladies and gentleman, I give you my maestro of the first decade of the 21st century.
2009 album: Noble Beast
Got me hooked: Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Bonus Video:
Tom Waits
This obsession started when my college buddy, Fred Torphy, who’s got his own band now out in San Francisco (Big Light), introduced me to Tom’s 1973 classic, Closing Time. Since then, I’ve been in awe of his ability to continuously pump out songs with lyrics that could easily put him up in the top ranks of one of the greatest poets of our generation. My favorite material comes from Tom’s older albums where it sounds like he has inhaled five cigarettes and a couple shots of whiskey before singing into the box instead of today where it’s more like a full pack and an entire bottle of whiskey are on the menu before taking his cue. But his three disc monster released in 2006, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
2009 Album: Glitter and Doom Live
Got me hooked: Closing Time
Bill Frisell
To express how much Bill means to me in words is not easy. Much like the difficulty of putting a category to his music – part jazz, country, Americana and old timey music. It all started back in the early 90’s when he released the album Have a Little Faith
2009 Album: Disfarmer
A beast of an album with 26 tracks, this is classic Frisell at his best. The album is honoring the late Mike Disfarmer, a famous photographer who was born in 1884 and died in 1959. Chances are you’ve seen one of his black and white photos of the late 19th to early 20th century America. Learn more about the Disfarmer Project at www.disfarmer.org
Got me hooked: Nashville
To Be Continued…
The power of music can harvest crops
If you’re a fan of Edward Sharp and The Magnetic Zeros, you know that they’re very spiritual group and are well aware of how to harness good karma. During their CD release party this year they raised money to help start a farm in Uganda. The group they specifically were helping was the Gulu Widows Group of Uganda and just recently the farm that was built from this money had it’s first harvest.
To thank Edward and his magnetic zeros, the women joined together to sing the chorus of the ever so popular song, “Home”. Very uplifting scene and I’m sure the karma police are watching closely.
“home” in gulu from Voice Project on Vimeo.
Watch the original by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros
If you don’t have their 2009 debut, Up From Below, you should. It’s one of my favorites of 2009 and should be in your music library. Here are some places you can buy it online and of course, pick it up at your independent record store on the way home from work today.
Instrumental music from Asthmatic Kitty Records
Asthmatic Kitty Records has some pretty cool stuff going on with their catalog series that includes a number of popular artists playing instrumental music based on certain themes (Insomnia, Tropical Savagery, Memory). Their hope is that this music will eventually play as background music for when you’re doing dishes, commuting, cooking, sleeping (or trying to sleep), and one that caught my eye, playing high stakes poker. Our poker club has a tourney coming up so it’s perfect timing.
Here are some samples from some of the catalogs available and if you dig, click on the volume to purchase the full album.
“Alpha to Theta” (by Lowell Brams feat. Sufjan Stevens)
From: Music for Insomnia: Vol 4
“Amazonian Pacific” (by Roberto Lange)
From: Music for Memory: Vol 5
“Conquerers” (by Yuuki Matthews)
From: Music for Tropical Savagery: Vol 6
And one of my favorites is this soul shakedown from volume 2, Music for Measurements. This is the one that you play right as you’re staring your opponent down in a high stakes poker game, with sweat from your brow, you give him a wink and throw in all your chips with a smirk and a grin. “Bring it on”, he says.
“Law 2″ (by Law of the Least Effort)
From: Music for Measurements: Vol 2.
But in all seriousness, give this Volume 2 more of listen over at Law of the Least Effort’s myspace page and check out these jams.
Fun gift idea for your indie friend or family member
The Yellow Bird Project is a group committed to joining the music and art world with charity groups to help keep altruism alive and well in our societies.
A number of bands and artists have contributed designs recently for t-shirts that you can purchase and the proceeds from each purchase will go towards the artists charity of choice.
This is a great gift idea for your indie friends. Or, if you have a family member that would wear out their Grizzly Bear designed t-shirt in a matter of months and continue to wear the tattered t-shirt till the last thread.
My favorite design so far is the Bon Iver “wave” inspired design. Purchase this design and others at www.yellowbirdproject.com
Phish video guerrillas get sophisticated
I’ve been searching around YouTube recently for videos of Phish because you can’t really get a feel for this band unless you see them live.
It’s hard to argue against the fact that Phish fans are some of the most loyal fans in all of music. Heck, even Travis McCoy from the pop group Gym Class Heroes went to a show this tour and said on his Twitter account, “Most devoted fans I’ve ever seen…My hat is off to these guys yo.” Not that this means too much coming from a pop dude like this but nonetheless, however annoying you may find them, they’re going to stick by their band through thick and thin.
And with loyalty comes dedication to capturing the moments every Phish fan craves and looks forward to talking about with friends and family members even if their friends would rather they keep their enthusiastic stories to themselves. In the past, this dedication was usually in the form of taped recordings. Phish allows a certain amount of tapers to record each show and in return these tapers trade and share their recordings with the community. In fact, many professional marketers see this as one of the most powerful techniques in marketing – to give your information away for free. David Meerman Scott writes in his book, World Wide Rave, “do you market like Led Zeppelin or the Grateful Dead.” Of course he’s referring to the same type of freedom the Dead gave their fans in recording that Phish gives to theirs. This creates what they call a “long tail” effect. For example, even thought Phish went without playing a single live show or releasing any album for almost 5 years, they still had kids in high school that followed and listened to all their live music that was floating around the internet and from being past down from big brother or sister.
But video is slowly but surely taking on a more prominent role in the Phish world. Many are bringing in cameras that are capable of recording high quality shots. I’m guessing many have the HD Flip cameras. They then post to YouTube to share to the world.
An even more hardcore sharing technique is live streaming of the shows through ones iPhone or other mobile device. Sites like Ustream can have upwards to 2 even 3,000 viewers at once during a live show. And often times these streams are choppy and have poor sound quality yet the fans will continue listening so as to feel like they’re a part of the experiencing taking place at that very moment. One of the more popular channels is the Hood Stream channel.
For me, these clear and crisp videos are remarkable and I look forward to sifting through to find some great jams. Here are some of these amazing video guerrillas at work.
Phish @ Madison Square Garden, NY, NY 12-2-09 “Peaches en Regalia (Frank Zappa cover)”
Phish @ Portland, ME 11/29/09 “Mike’s Song”
Phish @ Albany, NY Compilation Video
About Editor
Name: Luke "Kip" Owen
Location: Boston, MA
Contact: kippy[AT]hip2besquare[DOT]net
Twitter: twitter.com/kipdog
Youtube: youtube.com/kipdog
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