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).
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 
or 
but over time, it has been their back catalogues that I listen to the most. Recently they’ve been moving away from some of the experimental fuzzy, feedback style rock tunes that you can find on albums like 
. Some people have been coining their style of music today as Dad Rock. What ever it is, I like it all. I also recommend checking out the 
recordings that they did with Billy Bragg, the English singer/songwriter who Jeff Tweedy of Wilco has collaborated with on and off through his career. 
“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 
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. 
(courtesy of Matador Records)
If it wasn’t for the great directing of Sophia Coppola and the performance by Bill Murray in 
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.
This obsession started when my college buddy, Fred Torphy, who’s got his own band now out in San Francisco (
, blew away any of my doubts about his ability to belt out a tune in a fashion that I could tolerate. In the end, it’s about the attitude and whether it’s emitting from a youthful yet scratchy young Tom or old, fifty frogs in my throat Tom, it’s all good to me.
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 
where he first explored these old American styles and ever since they have been a part of his make up. But as a whole, Bill is in a category on his own. As someone who dabbles in playing the guitar, listening to him play is a humbling experience. There’s no doubt in my mind that he is clearly one of the greatest guitarists living today and perhaps one of the greatest American based guitar players to ever live.
