Green Day have just released a behind-the-scenes look at their new video for “Know Your Enemy.” The clip, while short, gives a glimpse into what’s in store for fans in the forthcoming video. The Matthew Cullen (Weezer) directed video was shot in Los Angeles and will make its premiere on April 24th via 250+ MTV on-air and online outlets worldwide.
For fans that can’t wait for the video, Green Day have released the lyrics to the entire album on their official site GreenDay.com. 21st Century Breakdown hits stores May 15th.
21st Century Breakdown Tracklisting and Lyrics:
ACT I HEROES AND CONS
ACT II CHARLATANS AND SAINTS
?Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)
ACT III HORSESHOES AND AND HANDGRENADES
American Eulogy
b) Modern World
Here is a pretty solid list of the best guitar solo’s of all time from GuitarWorld.com. Its impossible to please everyone, but at 50, most of the great ones are there. Here are 50-41:
50) “Shock Me” (Ace Frehley) - Kiss Alive II, 1977
“I basically did the same solo every night on that tour, with minor alterations, so I had it kind of planned out when I did it the night we recorded it for Alive II album,” says Ace Frehley.
“But if you listen carefully to the ‘Shock Me’ solo you can hear me make a mistake about two thirds of the way through. Instead of tapping a B at the 19th fret of the high E string, I accidentally hit the A# note at the 18th fret—that’s definitely a wrong note for the scale I’m using. We could have fixed it in the mix, but I said to Eddie [Kramer, Alive II producer], ‘Screw it! Leave it in. The run sounds cool, so who cares—it’s rock and roll!’ ”
49) “Europa” (Carlos Santana) - Carlos Santana Amigos, 1976
“I started writing this song in 1966 or ’67, but didn’t finish it until ’75 when we were on tour with Earth, Wind and Fire, in Manchester, England,” says Carlos Santana. “We were backstage while they were on stage playing. And we were just warming up, tuning up. I started playing it and [keyboardist] Tom Coster and I completed it right there on the spot. It immediately became a crowd favorite; it is one of those songs that, whether it’s played in Japan or in Jerusalem or in South America, it just fits right in with everything.”
48) “Sympathy for the Devil” (Keith Richards) - Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet, 1968
Writer Stanley Booth once suggested to Keith Richards that “Sympathy for the Devil” was cut from the same cloth as bluesman Robert Johnson’s haunting “Me and the Devil Blues.” “Yeah,” Richards replied. “All of us pursued by the same demon.” But while “Sympathy’s” lyrics reflect the Stones’ attraction to the dark side and allegiance to Johnson, the music is a prime example of how in a real band, composition is a group effort.
“It started as sort of a folk song with acoustics and ended up as kind of a mad samba, with me playing bass and overdubbing the guitar later,” says Richards. “That’s why I don’t like to go into the studio with all the songs worked out and planned beforehand. Because you can write the songs, but you’ve got to give the band something to use its imagination on as well. That can make a very ordinary song come alive into something totally different. You can write down the notes being played, but you can’t put down the X Factor—so important in rock and
roll—which is the feel.”47) “Jessica” (Dickey Betts) - Allman Brothers Band Brothers and Sisters, 1974
Dickey Betts’ instrumental “Jessica” is as uplifting a piece of music as can be found in all rock. And that, says Betts, is no coincidence: the music actually began with his desire to express pure jubilation.
“My instrumentals try to create some of the basic feelings of human interaction, like anger and joy and love,” says Betts. “With ‘Jessica,’ I knew what I wanted to do, but I couldn’t quite find it. Then my little daughter, Jessica, crawled into the room, and I just started playing to her, trying to capture the feeling of her crawling and smiling. That’s why I named it after her.”
Betts wrote the song’s melodic theme while emulating one of his heroes—the gypsy guitarist Django Rheinhardt, who had the use of only two fingers on his left hand. “I came up with that melody using just two fingers as a sort of tribute to Django,” says Betts. “That the song turned out so well is very satisfying. In general, writing a good instrumental is very fulfilling, because you’ve transcended language
and spoken to someone with a melody.”46) “Hot For Teacher” (Edward Van Halen) - Van Halen 1984, 1984
“I winged that one,” says Eddie Van Halen. “If you listen to it, the timing changes in the middle of nowhere. We were in a room playing together and I kind of winked at the guys and said, ‘Okay, we’re changing now!’ Because I don’t count, I just follow my feelings. I tend to do a lot of things in threes and fives, instead of fours.
“My weird sense of time just drives my brother Alex nuts because he’s a drummer, so he has to count. But generally he’ll say, ‘Well, Ed, you did it in five again. If that’s the way you want it…’ But that’s not the way I want it, that’s just what feels right to me.”
45) “Light My Fire” (Robby Krieger) - The Doors The Doors, 1967
“Light My Fire” was one of the first songs ever written by Robby Krieger, and his extended solo on the album version was also one of his shining moments as a guitarist. Ironically, however, in order for “Light My Fire” to become a hit for the Doors and Krieger the songwriter, Krieger the guitarist had to swallow his pride and allow his masterly two-and-a-half-minute solo to be trimmed down to its essential opening and closing themes for use on the single.
“That always bothered me,” Krieger readily admits. “We never wanted to cut it, but our first single, ‘Break On Through,’ flopped and radio stations told us that ‘Light My Fire’ would be a hit if we cut it down. We didn’t have much choice because AM radio ruled everything, and if you wanted to get on AM you had to have a short song.”
The longer solo now regularly broadcast on the radio in its entirety, is a perfect distillation of Krieger’s style. A flamenco-trained guitarist who played with his fingers and often evoked sitar-like Eastern sounds, with his Gibson SG, Krieger pulled out all the stops on “Light My Fire.” Still, the guitarist says that the
complete version on the album is far from his finest effort. “It was the kind of solo that I usually did, but it was different every night. To be honest, the one on the album is not one of my better takes. I only had two tries at it. But it’s not bad; I’m glad that it was as good as it was.”44) “Alive” (Mike McCready) - Pearl Jam Ten, 1991
“Basically, I copied Ace Frehley’s solo from ‘She,’ ” says Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. “Which, of course, was copied from Robby Krieger’s solo in the Doors’ ‘Five to One.’ ”
43) “Sharp Dressed Man” (Billy Gibbons) - ZZ Top Eliminator, 1983
In 1983, a smart gambling man would have bet the house on ZZ Top’s imminent doom. After all, it wasn’t the best of times for good and greasy Texas blues and boogie music. Then the Little Old Band from Texas surprised everyone with Eliminator, a brilliant merger of roadhouse blues and synthesizer swells and looped beats. The album quickly became their biggest hit ever, spurred in large part by the irresistible “Sharp Dressed Man.”
“That song and the whole album really embrace the simplicity of blues and techno music with the complex challenge of how to blend them together,” says guitarist Billy Gibbons. “If you zero in on the middle solo, you will find a slide guitar part played in open E tuning on a Fender Esquire and a sudden shift halfway through the solo to standard Spanish electric tuning played on my good ol’ Les Paul, Pearly Gates. Both were played through a Marshall plexi 100-watt head with two angled
cabinets with Celestion 25-watt greenbacks. It was a compound track, two parts blended to one.“To this day, the song certainly stands among one of the band’s favorites and we’re particularly delighted to share spotlight on a solo that enjoys such favoritism. There are, of course, the more intricate and demanding solos, but we will gladly finger through the solo of sharp dressed man at any requested moment! The track just has a really raucous delivery, which is a good ignition point on stage, sitting on the tailgate out in the middle of nowhere, sipping a cold one, or wherever you may be. It just does something to you.”
42) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Eric Clapton) - The Beatles The Beatles (White Album), 1968
“When we actually started recording this, it was just me playing the acoustic guitar and singing it, and nobody was interested,” recalls the song’s author, George Harrison. “Well, Ringo probably was, but John and Paul weren’t. When I went home that night, I was really disappointed because I thought, ‘Well, this is really quite a good song; it’s not as if it’s crap!’ And the next day I happened to drive back into London with Eric [Clapton], and I suddenly said, ‘Why don’t you come play on this track?’
“And he said, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that; the others wouldn’t like it…’ But I finally said, ‘Well, damn, it’s my song, and I’d like you to come down.’ So he did, and everybody was good as gold because he was there. I sang it with the acoustic guitar with Paul on piano, and Eric and Ringo. Later, Paul overdubbed bass. Then we listened back to it and Eric said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though; it’s not Beatlesy enough.’ So we put the song through the ADT [automatic double tracker] to wobble it a bit.”
41) “Brighton Rock” (Brian May) - Queen Sheer Heart Attack, 1974
Universally venerated for his lavish guitar orchestrations and tasteful British restraint, Brian May kicked over the traces on this high energy rocker that leads off Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack. One of May’s most blues-based excursions ever, the song’s extended solo section grew out of the guitarist’s experiments with an Echoplex tape delay unit. His original goal was to reproduce his multi-part guitar harmonies live on stage with Queen, back in the days before harmonizers were invented.
“I started messing around with the Echoplex, the delay that was available at the time,” May recalls. “I turned up the regeneration until it was giving me multiple repeats. I discovered you could do a lot with this—you could set up rhythms and play against them, or you could play a line and then play a harmony to it. But I decided that the delay [times] I wanted weren’t available on the Echoplex. So I modified it and made a new rail, which meant I could slide the head along and make the delay any length I wanted, because the physical distance between the two heads is what gave you the delay. Eventually, I had two home-adapted Echoplexes. And I discovered that if you put each echo through its own amp, you wouldn’t have any nasty interference between the two signals. Each amp would be like a full-blown, sustaining, overdriven guitar which didn’t have anything to do with the other one.
“So, ‘Brighton Rock’ was the first time that got onto a record. I’d already been trying it live on stage in the middle of ‘Son and Daughter’ [from Queen’s self-titled ’73 debut album], when Queen first toured with Mott the Hoople. It was rather crude at first. But I certainly had a lot of fun with it.”
For the rest CLICK HERE
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Is it possible to rank the songs of the Beatles? The greatest band of all time? To actually decide which song was their worst, which was their best and every single song in between? Well, someone has done it. Its pretty amazing actually. Some you’ll agree with, some you’ll violently disagree with, some you’ll even discover for the first time.
Its an incredibly detailed look at all 189 of the songs that the Beatles recorded on studio albums. Many thanks and congratulations to JBev of the site JamsBio.com for tackling this nearly impossible task.
Find the entire list HERE.
Here we go once again… the season of “Best Of” lists! Here at SoundMojo I’ll throw my Top 20 Albums of 2008 into the never-ending pile of opinionated lists that inevitably feature a variation of the same 50 bands or so… Without further ado, here are the 20 albums that I enjoyed the most this year:
20. Metallica - Death Magnetic
It’s nowhere close to Metallica’s best album, but its Metallica back doing what they do best with long intro’s, long guitar solo’s and songs that are actually interesting! Finally.
19. Santogold -Santogold
Nothing this year sounded as varied as this album. Santogold had a bit of everything on this album and somehow it all sounds fantastic. An indie/new wave/rock/electro hybrid that does not disappoint. Check out LES Artistes.
18. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Anthemic Scottish indie rock. Sad songs that make you want to raise your fists in the air. “The Modern Leper” is one of the best songs of the year.
17. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
I’ve had my complaints about Coldplay in the past… I was a fan of the first 2 albums, but things then took a turn for the worse… Chris Martin was in the spotlight as much as Bono and their music took a nose dive. Enter producer Brian Eno and whammy! the band has its creativity and inspiration back. Viva La Vida expanded their sound and still left it accessible to the masses… a great album from start to finish.
16. Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Alright I’ll say it. Jack White is my hero. Consolers of the Lonely is a solid album of rock, hard rock, folk rock and garage rock. The band is somewhat of a side project from the White Stripes, but based on this album the Raconteurs are a force to be reckoned with and Jack could probably front another two bands.
15. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
While not as immediately grabbing as their 2005 debut, Wold Parade have crafted another classic album in At Mount Zoomer. The album does seem more mature, but everything you loved about Apologies to the Queen Mary is still there, its just a little harder to dig into. Once you do dig in, everything makes sense.
14. Constantines - Kensington Heights
This album seems to explode with the opening song of “Hard Feelings” and then steadily slow down with each progressing tune, but rest assured this is some of the steadiest songwriting the band has recorded. This band deserves to be much bigger than they are. “Trans Canada” is one of my favorite songs of the year.
13. Shearwater - Rook
Shearwater is made up of parts of Okervil River and Kingfisher, but based on this debut album the bands vision is unified and the creativity and potential seems huge. Dramatic and theatric vocals stand out, but the layered sound is equally as impressive.
12. The Verve - Forth
Another comeback album, this one was probably my most anticipated, and while not as spectacular is their older albums, Forth is pretty damn enjoyable. There was the obligatory single, “Love is Noise” which tried to recapture the mainstream glory of “Bittersweet Symphony”, and while the song was actually pretty good, it seemed a bit out of place on the album. More interesting were the psychadelic, spacey, guitar epics.
11. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Americana music with great story telling. This album sounds like it was recorded in the mid 70’s and tracks like “Furr” and “God and Suicide” are some of my favorite songs of the year. Sometimes it doesn’t get much better than acoustic guitars and tall tales.
10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
This was one of those albums that was buzzed about so much that I thought for sure I would hate it. Afro-pop infused indie rock from preppy college kids? Ya right… It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable albums of the year and probably one of the most unique debut albums in a while. Quirky songs and memorable vocals mixed with strong melodies, I guess the hype has to be right sometimes?
9. The War on Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues
For me this band came out of nowhere to be one of my most consistent listens all year long. With vocals that are a dead ringer for Dylan circa 1965 and melodies that will embed themselves in your head for days, I found this band incredibly interesting. With equal parts folk rock shuffle and shoegaze shimmer, I can’t wait to hear what these guys do next. Check out the song “Taking the Farm“.
8. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Comeback album #4 on this list… Ok, Oasis never really went away, but it seems that every album since “(Whats the Story) Morning Glory” has been a comeback album, and Dig Out Your Soul finally delivers. Gone are the acoustic guitars and blatant rips of classic tunes, but back is the intesity and confidence of a band that knows how to deliver rock and roll. Oasis won’t convert any new fans with this album, but they’ve realised that and its now one of their greatest strengths. Its also nice to hear Noel writing consistently and also have the rest of the band contribute quality tunes.
7. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
The Stills have been up and down over the last few years. Their debut was acclaimed, the follow up was different and thus confused fans, so they had decisions to make for album 3. They either regress back to their initial post-punk sound, continue in the rootsy sound of their second album, or combine everything and hope for the best. I’ve enjoyed everything the band has released and thankfully they chose option 3. With Oceans Will Rise they’ve crafted an expansive album of sounds and styles that flows together very nicely. Check out “Hands on Fire” and “Everything I Build” for an idea of the bands current sound.
6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
There is an interesting back story to this album that includes a secluded cabin in the woods, but I’ll let you look that up yourself. Whats important is that this is one of the prettiest albums of the year with falsetto vocals that should knock you flat. This is beautiful, melodic, acoustic-based music that you won’t soon forget. Listen to “Skinny Love” for an idea.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Another album that rode the hype wave for a while before I finally listened to it. Another pleasant surprise. This one was hipster art students creating psychedelic electro indie-pop. Ya right again… wrong, awesome. The songs on this album are like an explosion of colour in your brain. Endlessly catchy, but at the same time interesting and layered this band is definitely on to something. “Time to Pretend” might be the song of the year.
4. Cut/Copy - In Ghost Colours
In Ghost Colours is an album that I slowly came to love over the year. One by one I would hear different songs on the album until I finally realized that all of them were fantastic. This is the best combination of Indie rock and Electro-dance music I’ve ever heard and fans of either genre would have no trouble getting into the album. Its like the band takes all the good parts of both genres and builds an exciting, creative and multi-dimensional style of their own. Check out “Feel the Love” or “So Haunted”.
3. The Black Keys - Attack and Release
God I love the Black Keys. Dirty, minimalist blues-rock from 2 dudes from Akron, Ohio that will make you wish you played guitar. Attack and Release sees the band fleshing out their sound with more texture and space as opposed to the blast of distortion that dominated their early music. Adding Gnarls Barkley mastermind Danger Mouse as the producer was a genius move and his hazy production elevates the Black Keys into new territory. A band that seemed so restricted by its 2 instrument delivery now seems like it has unlimited potential. Check out the song “I Got Mine“.
2. Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue
Is it possible for Montreal to continue producing such great bands at such a consistent rate? I was skeptical at first, but after one listen I was sold. Parc Avenue is a shambolic indie masterpiece of an album that takes cues from classic rock and progressive rock, folk and roots. Where this band goes next? I have no idea… but I’m looking forward to it. Check out songs like “Faerie Dance” and”Feedback in the Field” for an idea of the range on this album.
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
What is there to say about this band. If you haven’t listened to them then you have no idea what your in for. The song “White Winter Hymnal” stopped me in my tracks. Upon hearing it I had to immediately had to stop everything and find out more about this band. With nothing but an earlier ‘08 EP, the band is brand new. The music sounds like its from another era and the vocal harmonies are so rich and beautiful it will blow your mind. The band is drawing from a multitude of Folk and Rock influences, but its takes a fresh and direct vocal approach that fills the album with such grandeur that its hard to believe this is a debut album. Like I said, what is there really to say… listen to “White Winter Hymnal” and you should get it.
Thats it! On to 2009. Some notable bands releasing albums next year include:
- Midlake
- Arctic Monkeys
- Superdrag
- Phoenix
- Muse
- Grizzly Bear
- Beirut
- The Strokes
Maybes: Arcade Fire, Wilco, Daft Punk???
From stereogum, here is their list of the top 5 backwards videos of all-time.
When a full list is made about the “unique” idea of setting your video backwards, maybe its not so unique anymore.
Remember Christopher Nolan’s Memento? Great movie. But was it original?
We all know Seinfeld came up with that idea first.
Here’s a pretty good list made by Spinner.com. Although pretty much every Christmas song made by a mainstream musician has been pretty lame…
Check it out HERE.
Here’s a good little list from the people at Paste magazine that runs down the 10 best guitar riffs since the year 2000. I like the parameters and conditions they set. My only complaint is that Papa Roach made the list… they suck. Check it:
A great rock riff does more than rattle your spine—it creeps deep into your head. To make its way into the canon of great riffs alongside, say, “Purple Haze” or “Smoke on the Water,” a riff has to be more than just acrobatic, fierce or played at high volume. It has to become ubiquitous, a touchstone, a shared reference point for guitar freaks and casual fans alike. So below are 10 riffs that, in this young century, have been benchmarks in utter rockness and have corkscrewed their way into the collective consciousness with a persistent thud, crunch or squeal.
1. “Seven Nation Army” - The White Stripes First amongst equals in an oeuvre that includes stompers like “The Hardest Button To Button,” “Blue Orchid,” and “Icky Thump,” this is the flagship riff in Jack White’s fleet of sonic destroyers.
2. “Take Me Out” - Franz Ferdinand Perhaps the standout riff in the post-post-punk genre.
3. “No One Knows” - Queens of the Stone Age Like Jack White, Josh Homme has a nearly bottomless bag of riffs, but this is the one that has reached the greatest level of saturation.
4. “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” - Jet Largely disposable band; utterly unforgettable riff.
5. “Float On” - Modest Mouse A feel-good riff for the ages.
6. “American Idiot” - Green Day With what sounds like a lost Sex Pistols riff, Green Day kicks off its greatest album with its greatest fretboard statement.
7. “Talk” - Coldplay The best U2 riff of the 21st century (on par with “I Will Follow” and “Gloria”), strangely, was not written by U2. Actually, it wasn’t written by Coldplay either! They borrowed it from Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love.”
8. “Last Resort” - Papa Roach From the maligned depths of nü-metal comes a fugue-like riff that can’t be ignored.
9. “Hate to Say I Told You So” - the Hives The early garage-rock boom of the first part of the decade witnessed a renewed interest in riff-oriented songs. This trademark Hives track led the charge.
10. “Circle of Cysquatch” - Mastodon OK, maybe not ubiquitous, but damn.
Its that time of year again, the time when everyone tries to recap the year in a tidy little list of 20 items. This list is not neccessarily the 20 “Best” albums of the year, instead, they are 20 albums from 2007 that I personally have enjoyed the most over the course the year. I hope you enjoy the list and it at least inspires you to listen to a few new bands or albums that you hadn’t already. The easiest and best place to start for any of these bands is probably their MySpace page. Here we go:
20) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade: The ever dependable Steve Earle is back with perhaps his most distinct album in years. It still bears the quality songwriting that you’ve come to expect, but shows a new focus on his adopted city, New York, and incorporates some new sounds including his first use of drum loops. Don’t worry, its nothing too shocking, but it makes for a great album with some inspired tunes. Don’t miss “Satellite Radio” for a taste of the “new” sound.
19) Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War: Lush, atmospheric indie pop/rock music that is crammed with emotion. Stars are a great band that don’t seem to get much credit and this album will hopefully bring them some more attention. The male/female vocals seem to glow and are the perfect compliment to the muted theatrics of the music. Listen to “The Night Starts Here” for a good start.
18) Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice: Experimental indie rock band with odd time signatures, killer guitar sounds and catchy tunes. This is their 3rd full length and hopefully the one that gives them the break they need. The song that hooked me was “Throwin’ Shapes”.
17) The Shins - Wincing The Night Away: Another amazing album from probably one of the most well known indie bands around. This album has the band going in slightly new directions and it took some time for me to get into it, but now I can’t get the songs out of my head… in a good way. Check out the first track, “Sleeping Lessons” for a taste.
16) Bruce Springsteen - Magic: Wow, the Boss is back! The Rising was an ok album but it never really felt like the classic Springsteen albums of old. This one still has some of that old “magic”… wow, lame. Every song is like a lesson in what was great about the old stuff, yet feels slightly updated. Don’t miss the songs, “Living in the Future”, “Magic” and “Girls in their Summer Clothes”.
15) The Broken West - I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On: Falling under the always confusing category of Power Pop, The Broken West have made a fantastic debut album that sounds more to me like alt-countryish rock. The songs are filled with great harmonies and pretty much every tune is a winner. I must have played the song “Down in the Valley” over a hundred times since I first heard it.
14) White Stripes - Icky Thump: Between his other band, The Raconteurs, and being a general all around badass, Jack White had time to bang out another White Stripes album and Icky Thump is no worse for wear. Featuring Jack’s never ending parade of guitar riffs that you wish you’d written and Meg’s steady pounding there’s not much out of the ordinary, but it features some of their best songs yet. The title track is an undeniable blast of power that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of.
13) Iron & Wine - The Shepherds Dog: I only got into Iron & Wine recently but have done my best to get up to speed quickly and could not get enough of this album. Showing growth and maturity with a fuller, more developed sound The Shepherds Dog will reveal itself in layers and you’ll be left with something you can’t imagine having been without. Don’t miss “Innocent Bones” and “Boy with a Coin”.
12) Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger: Adams might be the most prolific songwriter in today’s music scene, and in the past that sometimes equalled inconsistency. Easy Tiger was his only full length of 2007 and it shows with his most consistent set of songs in years. He stays in the vein of alt-country which he’s mostly known for and his backing band, The Cardinals, play the perfect compliment to his sometimes ragged, sometimes soulful, always interesting songwriting. Check out “Pearls on a String”.
11) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: Consistently hailed as sellouts since their move to a major label, Modest Mouse have been given a crappy deal. They’re still one of the most original bands going in the mainstream and this album has provided me a lot of listening enjoyment. Plus I don’t see how anyone can deny “Dashboard” as one of the best songs of the year.
10) Feist - The Reminder: I want to marry Feist. I’ve been madly in love with her since I first saw her perform at the Juno’s and this album has appropriately vaulted her into the international spotlight… with some help from that Apple commercial. The Reminder is crammed with a creativity and catchiness that don’t come easy to any songwriter. Listen to “I Feel It All” and then try and not play it again immediately after.
9) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Indie music and global stars don’t go hand in hand, but the Arcade Fire make it seem easy. Neon Bible is a darker and slower album than their debut, but that doesn’t make it any less amazing. I’ve been listening to it steadily since it came out and my favorite tune has changed about 9 times. The church organ and slow build on “Intervention” is worth it alone.
8. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock: Plaskett remains relatively unknown in the States and is still making his name in his native Canada, but there’s no denying his talent and growth as a songwriter. Ashtray Rock is concept album about two young friends who form a band and everything else that goes along with it while trying to grow up. It reads like a nostalgia trip, but the songs are good enough that they hold up on their own. I love how the songs appear to grow in maturity as the main characters do themselves. Check out “Snowed In/Crusin” and “Soundtrack for the Night” to get an idea of the variation.
7) Daft Punk - Alive 2007: Not only is this the soundtrack to the greatest visual show of all time, its also the best thing Daft Punk has ever released. If you haven’t heard this or a variation of it that’s floating around the web, you will be amazed at how everyone’s favorite Robots can weave 2 and even 3 of their songs into one brand new version that somehow makes their music even more kickass. If you missed the 2007 tour you will unfortunately die a lesser person, but this live album will give you a delicious taste. Listen to “Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and prepare to transcend space and time.
6) Beirut - Flying Club Cup: Eastern European folk music made by a 20 year old guy from the States… bizarre, but somehow it works beautifully. This is Beirut’s second album and sees young Zach Condon spreading his influences to include more of a Parisian feel and it pays off. Horns, accordions, and ukuleles abound and tying it all together is Condon’s unique and amazing voice. Check out “Sunday Smile” and branch out a bit.
5) The National - Boxer: This is the kind of album you could give your Dad, your Sister, your annoying friend who only likes bands that nobody else knows about and pretty much everyone will love it. Its like they make low key, intimate anthems that everyone can identify with. The best way to describe the sound is warm… rich vocals, organic instruments and amazing songs that you’ll wish you’d been listening to for years. If there’s an album on this list I’d most recommend listening to, its this one. Listen to “Fake Empire” and you’ll know what I mean.
4) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky: This is almost a no brainer because I like everything Wilco has ever done, but this album has really grown on me. When I first heard it, it seemed like a bit of a let down after the experimentation they explored on the last two albums, but I soon realized that it was just as good to hear an awesome band just playing great songs. Another really organic sounding album, Sky Blue Sky has some of my favorite songs of the year on it and the addition of Nels Cline on guitar has made the band a lot more muscular when they stretch things out a bit. “Impossible Germany” might be the best song they’ve ever written.
3) Artic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare: I thought the Arctic Monkeys first album was decent, a few cool tunes and a sound that seemed to crib from some classic UK bands. This second album takes that “sound” and makes it strictly the Arctic Monkeys. Favorite Worst Nightmare is song for song a much steadier album than the first and the fact that they’ve been touring for 2 years straight has made them into tightly wound ball of energy. I absolutely love this album and can’t wait to hear what they do next. “Fluorescent Adolescent” is impossibly bouncy and catchy and “Do Me A Favor” explodes with an energy that I never expected from these guys.
2) Radiohead - In Rainbows: What can I really say about this album that hasn’t already been said. This is Radiohead’s most consistent and accessible set of songs since Ok Computer and showcases a prettiness that hasn’t been seen in a while from them. Every band member is on top of their game and Thom Yorke sounds reinvigorated. Strap on some head phones and be amazed. My favorite track is “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”, whats yours?
1) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: My favorite album of the year belongs to Spoon. This band seems to be getting better with age and each year that they release an album it seems to be at the top of my list of favorites. They make quirky, creative and inventive indie rock music that somehow stays accessible, yet nowhere close to mainstream. With every release their fanbase grows and this album has probably brought them their most attention yet and it is much deserved. Nobody sounds like Britt Daniels when he sings and really, nobody sounds like Spoon. Every song on this album brings something different to the table and in my opinion nothing beats it this year. Nothing bopped like “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”, nothing stabbed like “The Ghost Of You Lingers” and nothing soared like “The Underdog”…. but thats just my opinion.
Happy listening, bring on 2008.
Honorable Mentions:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Kanye West - Graduation
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Great Bloomers - Great Bloomers EP
Here’s a great list of the 28 Most Recognizable Guitars of All Time compiled by Blender.com and complete with a YouTube video showcasing each instrument in action. My favorites gotta be Jimmy Page’s double neck, but what the hell is Angus Young doing so high??
Find the article HERE from blender.com by way of the lads at Stereogum.com
Another amusing list found at Stereogum.com, via Blogcritics.org….
Check it out here
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