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January 6th, 2009
05:08 pm - the top ten musical long-playing recordings of 2008
2008 was mostly a crap year for music. I find it incredibly frustrating that nothing really new or exciting has come out since 2004, and most of the "new, exciting" bands are just rehashing old styles. That having been said, there ARE still a number of gems, and you will find most of them on this list.
There is one good thing about this year, though, and that's the fact that this is the best year OPM has heard in a long time. A multitude of great new bands released records, including Taken by Cars, Ang Bandang Shirley, The Dorques, The Rinka Collective, Yosha, the Out of Body Special and The Vince Noir Project. A lot of promising stars defied the sophomore slump and came out with really good follow-ups like Drip, Up dharma Down and Pedicab. Lastly, old favorites like the Itchyworms, Sandwich and Ciudad came out with some of their best material for 08. This year in Pinoy rock for me was more exciting than the last five years combined, to tell you the truth.
Right. On to the music!
10.  Beck - Modern GuiltThis may sound a bit off, but I'm not a big fan of Beck when he's being Beck. Classics like Odelay and The Information don't really appeal to me, but I do adore the records he centers around certain styles or themes. For example:Midnite Vultures, with its Prince-ish, cheesy disco sound; or his folk masterpiece Sea Change, which has become one of my all-time favorite breakup records. His latest album belongs to that vein of Beck album, checking 60s psychedelic rock and 70s folk rock for inspiration and brilliantly combining the songs with his signature beats and beeps. As if that weren't enough, Beck brings in Danger Mouse and Cat Power to collaborate, resulting in my personal favorite release from a major artist in 08.
recommended tracks: Orphans, Gamma Ray, Youthless
9.  Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
Listening to Black Kids' dance masterpiece Partie Traumatic, the following are the first lyrics you will hear:
Knock, knock
Who's There?
Call the ghost in your underwear
Call the ghost in your underwear who?
Call the ghost in your undearwear "boo!"
how can you not love these morons?
recommended tracks : Hit the Heartbrakes, Listen To Your Body Tonight, I'm Not Gonna Tech Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
8.  Up dharma Down - Bipolar
I am a bit ashamed to admit that "Oo" is the number one most listened-to song on my iPod; not because of the song itself, but more because it exposes me as a weepy sap who listens to songs on repeat when in love. Much has happened to UDD since that gem was released two years ago -- relationships were formed, some were destroyed; bonds were strengthened, crimes were committed. Bipolar shows how much we can all change in such a short time, and it's painfully evident in everything from the chaos of its opener "Blessed" to the solemn resignation of its closing bonus track "A Purse of Stories". There's a line from the quiet break-up song "Unspoken Definites" that could sum up what Bipolar is all about -- "I've got everything to lose, so why not lose it anyway?" It would be too presumptuous and amateurish of me to say that I feel I've matured along with the band as well, but isn't that what good music does when all is said and done?
recommended tracks: Taya, Unspoken Definites, and my sentimental fave Sana, which is a tribute to one of my childhood heroes Odette Quesada
7.  Death Cab for Cutie - Narrrow Stairs
A lot of people have been complaining about Death Cab for Cutie's new record. "It's mediocre," they'd say, often following it up with the question "why couldn't they have done something as good as the other albums?" Can't say I didn't see it coming, though. DCFC has finally reached that point in their career where they really don't have anything else to say, and instead are focusing on expanding their musical horizons. It happens to the best of them -- R.E.M. and "Monster", U2 and "Zooropa", even The Beatles and the white album. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that most of the time what you'll hear will be art for art's sake. Besides, there are a lot of gems in Narrow Stairs, like the powerful opening track "Bixby Canyon Bridge", the depressingly poignant "Grapevine Fires" and the masterfully-written "Cath" (how could you not be in awe of lyrics like "she holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child"). Alas, there are songs like "Talking Bird" and "You Can Do Better than Me" that feel like Ben Gibbard took a shit on his hand and hurled it at his fanclub. So what do I say when I hear people complain about Narrow Stairs? "It's still pretty good. You know-- it's like all their other albums were my number 1 or 2 of the year and this is just like... a 7."
recommended songs : Cath, Grapevine Fires, Bixby Canyon Bridge
6.  Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
On the initial listen, Vampire Weekend's debut album is a bit of a disappointment. Then again that's probably because all year long every blogger and their sister has been praising this band to high heavens. After giving it a few more chances, however, I've found that "Vampire Weekend" is, at its very heart, a good-natured, friendly pop album that just happens to use esoteric, rich people instruments. The album already feels like an instant classic, and I predict that every track on this record, much like the songs on Moby's Play , will be used in every possible commercial. They'd also get a lot of airplay on Wes Anderson films if it didn't feel like Wes Anderson films were the primary musical influence for the band.
recommended downloads: A-Punk, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Oxford Comma
5.  +/- - Xs on Your Eyes
Back in 2006 +/- made their debut on this list with Let's Build a Fire, which I still consider to be their best album, . Their latest record is a totally different animal -- something more mature and, well, subdued. This is the first album where they really wrote and recorded together as a band, and it shows. Much of the electronics have been replaced with a fuller, more organic sound; which is great because Chris Deaner, one of the greatest drummers alive, really gets to shine in this record. It must also be said that Patrick Ramos's material on this record is his best yet, and I've always been a big James Baluyut fan and the man's just the gift who keeps on giving. I won't lie -- a big part of why they're on this list is because they came over here and gave one of the most memorable concert experiences I've ever had in my life.
recommended tracks : Snowblind, Subdued, Unsung
4. Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell
Two years ago, Tokyo Police Club's EP "A Lesson in Crime" was my EP of the year. It had an effect akin to getting punched in the face, except after you're riled and ready to get into a fight you find that your opponent has run away. Their debut LP, Elephant Shell, hardly packs as much punch as the first release did, but it's still the sort of rare rock n' roll record where you're not afraid to smile and actually have fun while you're dancing. Just take a listen to the "Your English is Good" anthemic catchphrase "Oh! Give us your vote! If you know what's good for you!" and Tessellate's addicting bassline, and you'll find that its unpretentiousness and powwow attitude will make you want to stay in the ring longer than you have to.
recommended songs: Tessellate, Your English is Good, Listen to The Math
3.  Ciudad - Bring Your Friends
A lot of people criticize me for putting Ciudad on my top of the year lists because they think I'm tooting my own horn. Nothing could be further from the truth -- I haven't been Ciudad's manager for more than two years now and Bring Your Friends is their first album that I didn't name, have a song in or even have anything to do with. If I am at all still connected to Ciudad, then it's as their biggest fan for 14 years now. Their latest album is a triumph, exhibiting a certain sense of depth that can only be gained through pain. From the moment frontman Mikey Amistoso sings “don’t be certain, I’m not hoping, I can’t see the sky” in the opening track "Vanessa, Wait for Him" to his final words of resignation, “this is the last thing I want to do… I can’t imagine life beyond this” in the closer "The Last Thing I Want to Do", it feels like reality has finally caught up with them. Listening to Bring Your Friends f is heartbreaking. It’s also comforting, and strangely enough, elevating.
recommended tracks: Underwater, My Emptiness, You Should, The Last Thing I Want to Do
2.  Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
If there is a band I feel closest to in the United States, it is Mates of State. Not only because they give great intimate live shows, or because their albums are so delightful, but mostly because as a fan I was able to see them blossom from cutesy indiepop boyfriend/girlfriend to troubled husband and wife and then further on into grown-up parents. All their albums seem to mirror the stages in their lives as a couple, and I find myself rooting for these two not only as artists, but as people. Their fifth album Re-Arrange Us is their best album since their 1999 debut My Solo Project, mostly because it's the one that sounds most different from that. The sound is fuller, more ethereal, utilizing everything from grand pianos to strings and horns. The beauty is, even re-imagining these lush pieces in the Mates of State signature drums+keyboard arrangement, these songs are more significantly evolved.
recommended tracks: My Only Offer, The Re-Arranger, Jigsaw
1,  Taken by Cars - Endings of A New Kind
A milestone in my history of music list-making, since this is the first time a Filipino album has made it to the top. I'm not saying that this is a classic like the Eraserheads' Cutterpillow or Cynthia Alexander's Rippingyarns, but it definitely has the makings of one. At first listen Taken by Cars feels like another generic dancepunk act, and they're good at what they do. One of my favorite singles this year, "Weeknight Memoir in High Definition", is irresistibly head shaking, as are songs like "The Blackout", "Uh Oh" and "Neon Brights". Tracks like the quiet "The Afterhours" and the elegant "Shapeshifter", however, are what shot this album to the top of my list. They show vocalist Sarah Marco's soulfulness and solace, and perfectly fit her cool, distant voice. The pundits can hate all they want and say things like "Taken by Cars just rips off bloc party", but I'm really proud and in love with this band, and for my money they can kick Bloc Party's ass any day of the week.
recommended tracks: Weeknight Memoir in High Definition, Neon Brights, The Afterhours, Shapeshifter
HONORABLE MENTION: Kaki King's Dreaming of Revenge, and those dreams are beautiful. CSS's Donkey has arguably more solid songs than their initial outing, but lacks the wit and tongue-in-cheek appeal the first one so brilliantly displayed. Ben Folds' Way to Normal is nice, but way too normal. Juliana Hatfield teaches us How To Walk Away, and it's solid, but it just didn't make the list. I love Flight of The Conchords, but I'm not sure if I'd feel the same way without the TV show. Portishead have outdone themselves again, shedding off their trip hop skin and once again making new roads of music with a sound that is both retro yet uber-experimental. Hot Chip's Made in The Dark, TV on The Radio's Dear Science, Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours and Foals' Antidotes are excellent dance albums. I'm especially proud of The Dorques, because their album is a hell of a lot of fun (though honestly Alessandra Tinio is sorely missed in the record).
BEST EP: Strangely enough this wasn't a good year for EP's, but following the local theme of this article Eggboy's Dragzbanny EP is a great electronica record. Diego Mapa is one of my top three Filipino songwriters ever, and even though his songwriting genius only shines in the more oldskool Eggboy track "Suko Na Ako", the rest of the EP is a good testament to Mapa's evolving
SINGLES FROM ALBUMS NOT ON THE LIST:
Alphabeat's "Fascination" and MGMT's "Electric Feel" are my favorite singles of the year, though if we count singles from albums not released this year then Paramore's "That's What You Get" is the hands-down winner. Oh, and I really do love Juliana Hatfield's "My Baby..." and "This Lonely Love".
VIDEOS OF THE YEAR:
Spike Jonze is my lord and saviour. Kanye West's video for "Flashing Lights" is another reason why.
Jorma Taccone will be a great man, just you wait. And if it's not for Lonely Island's addicting and hilarious "Jizz in My Pants", then it's for his portrayal as a heartbroken sap in Gnarls Barkley's "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"?
Encyclopedia Pictura's video of Bjork's "Wanderlust" is a bit overrated, but nonetheless a wonderful testament to vision and originality. And if you don't love it yet, you will when you see it on 3D.
Kieth Schofield's video of Supergrass's "Bad Blood" is the best performance vid of the year, and I suspect we'll see some local band ripping of the video sometime soon.
Funnily enough, when all is said and done, i still go home to Patrick Daughters' brilliant video of Leslie Feist's "I Feel It All", His promos for "1 2 3 4" and "My Moon, My Man" were the best of 2007, and now we have this. Feist's videos always make me smile, and remind me of how lovely life is.
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
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January 1st, 2009
09:01 pm - 2008
after the hell that was Super Noypi, Mihk and I decided to make a pact for "Drama-Free 2007". of course, because fate is such a douchebag, 2007 ended up being one of the most dramaful years of my life. so for last year we both decided to trick fate and go for "Penniless 2008", and it worked! take that, you dumb bastard!
2008 was by far one of the best years of my life. i went to great places for the first time, i saw two concerts that will forever be scorched in my mind as not only great gigs but great life experiences, i was able to actually hang out with personal heroes (and one of the hottest women alive), and i did so many things creatively that i was really happy about. what really made the year, though, was you guys. so, to the lovely new friends who i feel like i've known my whole life and the kids i've been proud to call friends for a while now: thank you from the bottom of my heart and the marrow in my bones. there's no other way to put it :)
I usually make a list of my top 10 favorite things about the year. however, there are just too many for 2008, so forgive me if i cheat and expand to 15 :)
15. Prisoner of ABSCBaN! Last year was the first time I really dipped my feet into mainstream television, and it was quite... educating, to say the least. We did a pilot called "Petiks" which might not see the light of day and another show called "Parekoy", premiering Jan 8. The work was hard, but the moments between takes were a blast.
14. The Rock Awards and The QLE. People misunderstand the QLE as being a reaction against the Rock Awards, but I think they perfectly complement each other. The Rock Awards is more about the scene -- it's all these lovely people who make the same kind of music getting together and celebrating , while QLE is really more about celebrating everyone's personal preferences and sharing music you may have missed out on. I never got to thank everyone for the fun, small, intimate party that was the QLE, and it's gotta be said that this year's Rock Awards was one of my favorites.
13. Hello Commercials! this year was my favorite in terms of advertising output! did a lot of spots i was really happy about like PNB, the Belo ads and a hilariously insane insecticide ad. I also got to work with Pilita Corrales for Anlene. that chick is so fine.
12. Us-2 Evil-0: the band that i have to thank for a lot of the Rakista ideas. you have Boga the pickup guru, Mich the mental case (only when it comes to being replaced, Michelle!), Nix the reluctant heartthrob and of course, Wincy, my muse who unbeknownst to him is providing me with enough material for a novel.
11. Rakenrol will have been gestating for 4 years by February, and when it gets released I fear it may be a bit dated. But it's our baby anyway, and we'll always be very proud of it.
10. Asian Hotshots Berlin! the crazy parties. the food. the lovely people. the art. the graffiti. the really hot festival organizers. the kickass tour guides. the sunlight through the hostel window on cold mornings. the food. HAVING THE DIRECTOR OF NEKROMANTIK BUY ME BEER. it does not get any better than that. Ich bin ein Berliner!
9. Death Cab for Ciudad going to watch my favorite foreign band with my favorite local band : priceless. i wasn't a big fan of the last album so i thought i'd just be steady the whole time, then they started playing songs from The Photo Album and We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes and I started screaming like a girl, hahaha. having mikey being screamed at in Chinese in the middle of a hawker center was lots of fun too.
here: my New Year's gift to you. Death Cab doing "Title and Registration"
8. Goodbye Music Videos! so yeah, after an eye-opening music video project in the middle of the year i've decided to keep my dignity and semi-retire from making music videos. having said that, though, (and because you're all friends so i can say this without being too self-conscious) most of my favorite videos i've ever made were done this year, including Sandwich's "Procrastinator", Pupil's "Disconnection Notice", Urbandub's "Evidence", Sponge Cola's "Pasubali" and especially Taken by Cars' "Shapeshifter". Not a bad way to say goodbye :)
7. Rockeoke, as always, was the ultimate social networking tool. It's better than Facebook, I swear! Lots of lovely performances from you this year guys, and everything from Rockeoke Idol to MOMOL Night is a bit of a blur, but a good blur. Even better than the band Blur.
6. The Eraserheads Reunion just made me very happy to be Filipino. Eraserheads is unquestionably the greatest local band ever, and seeing tens of thousands sing along to their music just proved that. I consider myself immeasurably fortunate to have these people as my friends, but even these days I sometimes freeze up and get starstruck in the middle of conversations with Buddy, Ely or Raimund.
5. Dita Na Me, Wr Na U? From that awkward first dinner in the Japanese resto to the final moments hanging at the house, Dita Von Teese was a hurricane that went by quickly but left us all dazed in the aftermath. Her show was amazing, but hanging with her one realizes that she's also one of those people who are so nice that you start not getting sexually aroused by them. Yeah, she's THAT NICE. Love goes to her manager Melissa (since i am president of Melissa Fan Club Philippine chapter) and her main man Albert, who all my friends say is the most insane party animal they've encountered in their life.
4. Rockband. How can a videogame be better than all the things mentioned above? If you play "That's What You Get", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun", "Kool Thing", "Maps" and "Brass in Pocket" on the Activision game, you just might understand. If you play it with the friends I have, drinking and cheering and tsismising between songs, you WILL understand.
ya see that? two of my favorite things from 2008 come together.
3. I Heart NewYorckelodeon. It should be cool enough driving and bonding with my long lost cousins along the Los Angeles Highways. But then I get to go to the Nickelodeon Kids Choice awards. And then in the middle of the burger, pizza and Sundae buffet I run into Emile Hirsch, Jack Black, Ice T, Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin and Cameron Diaz. Going to New York to visit my best friend would be enough to put this on the list as well. But then I go to a Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee talk. And the next day I run into Tiffany Limos and Michel Gondry, and he loans 20 dollars off of me. Then I get to go to his house and stalk his DVD collection. In the middle of all this I get to watch Anathallo, Minus the Bear, Wolf Eyes, Kimya Dawson and Spoon. Dayum.
2. +/- Versus Manila Versus was one of those bands that changed the way I looked at music, and their single "Double Suicide" is one of my favorite songs ever. +/-, on the other hand, is a current fave, and the last two albums have ranked in my yearly top 5. Knowing that, if you ever told me that one day I would be treating them to Sizzling Bulalo and Pares somewhere in Anonas I wouldn't have believed you. They were such wonderful people, with killer senses of humor to boot. If that weren't enough their sets were so tight and heartfelt that they immediately became one of my most memorable concert experiences.
This is +/- ending their set with my favorite song of theirs, Queen of Detroit. They asked us to start dancing onstage, which resulted in either hilarity or a showstopping, poignant moment in rock n' roll history.
1. Rakista was originally meant to be an indirect spinoff of our movie Rakenrol, instead it became an animal all its own. I was always aware that it was a very special thing and a fulfillment of a lifelong dream to a) create my own TV show with one of my best friends (diego), b)do whatever the hell i want with almost no intrusion whatsoever, c)get everyone from my beloved students (like king, zig and mihk) to my personal idols (RA and yvette) to some of my longtime best friends (like erwin, ramon and mikey) to write and direct, d) get two of my favorite songwriters of all time (mikey and diego mapa) to write the music, e)discover my own ramon bautista in wincy, f)work with such a great production team, g)make stories on national TV about very personal things like English teachers i fell in love with and the Eraserheads reunion and most especially h)manage to put in a murder mystery, ninjas and zombies (and cast good friends like JC, Wanggo and Audrey as them as well) into the plot as we went along. I remember telling Sharon and Pong at one point that I was really fulfilled with Rakista, and that I was just relishing every moment because I knew it would be too good to last.
Just like Penniless 2008. Happy New Year, y'all.
Current Music: MGMT - Electric Feel
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December 31st, 2007
04:34 am - the top ten musical long-playing recordings of 2007
Dancing and pain; that is what 2007's top 10 is all about -- songs that move the hips or break the heart. It's been quite a strange year for music; so many of my favorite artists from both my youth and the recent years returned, and almost all of them came out with major disappointments. To add insult to injury, some of them, especially the Smashing Pumpkins, were life-changing artists too. Another uncanny aspect to this year's list is that it's filled with bands that I didn't expect to like as much. I'm so sick of dancey postpunk revival music-- but lo and behold, they make up half the list! Which is probably a good sign -- at least some people are evolving. Oh! And I'm excited to tell you that unlike the past few years I'm having a very difficult time choosing album of the year, so at least there are two albums this year that are worth it.
All in all, it was a so/so year in music. Either that or I'm getting old. I used to have 1,500 tracks collected for the year and for 2007 I'm down to 725. That's why the list is early, I guess. Or maybe it's because of my guilt over giving it in late last time. So without further ado ...
10.  Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
This Melbourne supergroup releases another beautifully unclassifiable record, mixing together everything from Eurotrash to rockabilly; electroclash to good old fashioned synthpop. Vocalists Cameron Bird and Kellie Sutherland have mastered the fine art of boy/girl mixing to a T, and their carrier single "Heart It Races" is one of the most LSSable songs from the past year. Places Like This isn't necessarily Architecture's best album, but it sure is the most fun.
recommended tracks : Heart it Races, Debbie, Hold Music, Nothing's Wrong
9.  Jose Gonzales - In Our Nature
Jose Gonzalez is one of those indie artists that will always get love from the ladehhs, and for a number of good reasons. Number one is that his music, reminiscent of Nick Drake and early barebones Elliot Smith, will always be used by men as make out music. Number two is that he makes some of the most lovely covers I've heard in a while, including a version of Teardrop that's almost as good as the original. Number three, the most important of course, is that he gets a much-envied spot on the OC soundtrack, which ensures thousands of instant teen female fans. So, girls, you know what to buy next. And guys, get this album right away and put it to good use!
recommended tracks: Down The Line, Killing for Love,Teardrop, Cycling Trivialities
8.  New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
The only new artist this year to make it to the countdown, New Young Pony Club are a fun, fresh and quite attractive addition to dancepunk. Bands like them and CSS are bringing an aspect to the sub-genre that it sorely lacks -- a sense of humor. Whether vocalist Tahita Bulmer sings "I can give you ice cream, we could be a sweet team, melting in your vice dream, spawht" in a faux-brooklyn-whore accent ("Ice Cream"), or talks about you knowing that you're the bomb ("The Bomb") she does it with a vibe that is totally inviting; a breath of fresh air from a usually elitist scene.
recommended tracks : Get Lucky, Ice Cream, the Bomb, The Get Go
7.  !!! - Myth Takes
This album, for lack of a better word, is epic!!! Percussion, trumpets, handclaps, electronic devices, even black lady backup singers!!! !!! is going all out with their major label debut, and it pays off!!! Myth Takes is the best party record this year, and one should probably look forward to hearing a lot of these songs in commercials, TV interstitials, product AVPs and the OC (yes it's cancelled but that won't stop it from uncovering the best in todays cutting edge music!) in the next few years!!!
recommended tracks: Must Be The Moon, All My Heroes are Weirdos, Heart of Hearts,Bend over Beethoven
6.  Blonde Redhead - 23
For almost 10 years now Blonde Redhead would be that band that I'd listen to occasionally but never really get into, so it's a pleasant surprise that they've finally made my top 10. Cool. This strange trio, composed of twins who also look like gay lovers and a high-pitched Japanese art student who recently got trampled by a hourse, have finally stopped emulating Sonic Youth and developed a sound uniquely their own. The result: their previous masterpiece Misery is a Butterfly and now this, their seventh album. Dark, nostalgic and haunting, yet also at times extremely dancey,23 is strong, challenging stuff. They also have the coolest album packaging and some of the best music videos released this year, so bonus points to them. Recommended tracks : Dr. Strangeluv, Spring and by Summer Fall, Top Ranking
5.  Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
After such serene, sleep-inducing albums as Blue Screen Life and my personal favorite of theirs, Summer in Abaddon, Rob Crow and co release a record that feels less unified than its predecessors. Seraphs sometimes feels like a mixtape, opening with " From Nothing to Nowhere", a considerably heavy track, and jumping to the signature Pinback-sounding "Barnes" before moving on to the very optimistic and upbeat "Good to Sea". The rest of the album is equally as confused, but after a while it grows on you, and one may later realize that this is a breath of fresh air compared to the earlier records, which can sometimes sound like one long song.
recommended tracks : Good to Sea, Walters, Blue Harvest, Barnes
4.  Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
This is just fucking glorious. Everytime Spoon releases an album they seem to skirt around the top 3, and they're one of the bands I admire the most right now. It's great how they always manage to subtly reinvent themselves, resisting the temptation of staying in the comfort zone music critics and hipsters have created for them. The one thing Spoon does better than anyone is achieve more with less, and that's most apparent in the brilliant "Don't You Evah", easily one of my favorite singles this year. The bonus CD is pretty damn good, too.
recommended tracks : Don't you Evah, Finer Feelings, My Little Japanese Cigarette Case, Finer Feelings
3.  Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Anything that comes from Interpol I will hold dearly to my chest; sniffing the album sleeve, almost licking the surface of the compact disc. Lucky me, then, that Our Love to Admire is still pretty good. I was afraid that after leaving Matador records, which seems to be the good luck charm to many a band, Interpol would get bland. They haven't. Their third album is a very steady effort-- something that's perfect for driving or playing in a store. I must admit that I do miss the long instrumental jamming interludes that the first two albums had, but at least these guys didn't end up becoming the Killers or something.
recommended tracks : Pioneer to The Falls, How My Heart Behaves, The Scale, The Heinrich Maneuver, Pace is The Trick
OK. I can't take it. I was going to choose between two really good albums this year, but it's tearing me apart. So for the first time in my history as a music fan I'm deciding to make it a tie.
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
I've tried many different configurations of what I'm about to say next, but this is the one that really hits the spot : I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH. In this so/so year of great life-changing bands coming out with the most mediocre crap, the untoppable Radiohead comes out with something that is enough to make you kneel upon initial listen. It's their best album in 7 years; a collection of some great old stuff (especially "Nude", which they've been performing on and off since OK Computer) and minblowing new material ("All I Need", "15 Step"). It seems the band has finally gotten over their experimental Kid A/ Amnesiac phase and combined that with their alt rock roots to make something I can only describe as good music. And the best thing about it? IT'S TOTALLY FRAKKIN FREE. Thing is, with the "choose-your-payment" policy Radiohead's been implementing in their site, it seems as if the band is making more money than they ever have, and without the backing of a big record label or major radio/television promotion the band is more popular than ever. Mark my words -- it's 2007 right now, but in three years this will be considered the most important album of the decade. Hopefully Kid A will be number two, hahaha.
recommended tracks : just download the whole damn thing
1. Feist - The Reminder
Now I know this seems like an unlikely candidate, especially since Leslie Feist's sophomore release has now become Marie Claire/ Starbucks fodder, but when this album was first released I was going through a very difficult time, and The Reminder just seemed to singlehandedly get me through it. Filled with songs about regret ("So Sorry"), changing ("I Feel it All", "1 2 3 4"), distance ("the Park") and gratitude ("Intuition"), The Reminder is the only album ever made that makes me cry, and even while listening to it as I write this I'm getting teary-eyed. Making this number one was a very personal choice; one I may regret later, but one that is also unquestionably a reminder of myself in 2007.
recommended tracks: again,i advise you to get the album. It's quite powerful, when listened to in order.
HONORABLE MENTION : Moving Units' Hexes for Exes. After 3 long years, my favorite dancepunk band releases their sophomore effort. They sound cleaner, more polished, more practiced... and that's exactly the problem. Hexes for Exes will grow on you, and it has its fair share of gems, but I miss the grit and lo-fi sensibility that placed Moving Units a cut above the rest. Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew's Spirit If... is a great mood album, and gets loads of bonus points for featuring 90s indie rock heroes like J. Mascis and Spiral Stairs of Pavement. Minus points though for not enough Feist or Emily Haines, which is probably why this isn't really a BSS album in the first place. Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst NIghtmare has the most 5-star rated tracks in my iTunes this year, but for some reason I can't bring myself to listen to the album straight through. The New Pornographers' Challengers, Mice Parade's Mice Parade, and Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank are great listens. Elliot Smith's New Moon is a really strong record, something I prefer to his two previous releases. On the local front, Cocolulu's "8 bit love + singles" was my favorite.
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF THE YEAR : the biggest disappointment isn't really a disappointment because i knew in my heart that Billy Corgan no longer has it and whatever he does will suck eggs. it's just that right before listening to Zeitgeist I went through a 236-song Smashing Pumpkins marathon and almost lost my voice because I haven't screamed along to music since, well, Melon Collie and the Infiinite Sadness came out. So i listen to the new Pumpkins with low expectations and man were those expectations too high. And it's so funny how one forces oneself to listen to an album over and over in the hopes that it would "grow on you". it didn't.
Minus The Bear's Planet Ice was also quite disappointing. It was one of my most awaited albums of the year, and it ended up being the proverbial "ok lang". Finally, we have Dinosaur Jr.'s Beyond it's a nice old school alternative album to listen to, but I can't believe we waited like 13 years for this! I'm just happy that Lou Barlow's back with the band, ya know? Haaay, how we set our idols up only to destroy them.
BEST EP: Yeah Yeah Yeah's Isis is solid. No song is wasted, and the strength of the songs will leave you reeling after the short listen.The EP seems to be Yeah Yeah Yeah's strong point, because all the EP's that came before this one packed more punch than the full-length albums as well.
BEST LIVE ALBUM: I'm almost tempted to go ahead and say that Juliana Hatfield's Live Album is it. Since it's her first live recording, it feels more like a best of of her whole career, and so it should be sought out. But! Amazingly enough there's something even better, and it's Life Without Buildings Live at The Annandale Hotel. Life Without Buildings released only one album in their career with a very small label, but over the years they've garnered a huge cult following who have discovered their music through mix tapes, accidental listens and the "music:______" box of livejournal. Annandale, released half a decade after their album Any Other City, is the closest thing fans can get to a second album. And it has some rare songs in it as well! If you haven't heard Life Without Buildings before, this is a good place to start.
SINGLES OF THE YEAR : Most of them have already been mentioned, but y'all might want to try and give Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go" a listen. It's an old song, but the Neon Bible version is exceptionally great. "Knights" by Minus the Bear and Maximo Park's "Books From Boxes" are ace singles from mediocre records. Oh, and if you haven't yet you HAVE to hear Jenny Owen Youngs' cover of "Hot In Herre".
MUSIC VIDEOS OF THE YEAR: No question about it, my current favorite music video director is the great Patriick Daughters, whose videos for Feist, made at the same time, totally blew me away early this year. Check it out : the now-classic 1 2 3 4 and My Moon My Man, which I might like even more simply because it's been my dream since forever to make a music video in a walkalator. Props also for the video of Interpol's No I in Threesome, another of those vids that make you stare at the goddamn monitor trying to figure it out.
Also, my man Tom Kuntz has gone and made a video that isn't comedic... and it's wonderful. Here is LCD Soundsystem's All My Friends which makes you feel weird then almost want to cry then feel weird about almost wanting to cry. genius.
Dougal Wilson's Bat For Lashes promo is just amazing, and for some weird reason I'm quite in love with Jason Albertin's video of Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton's Our Hell
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wow I just realized Thom Yorke's been number one two years in a row. daymn.
So what's on your list, elchay frenz?
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May 7th, 2007
11:59 am - The Top Ten Cinematic Releases of 2006
I'm not really sure how to feel about this list. All the films are great, and there are a number of equally great films that didn't make it (see HONORABLE MENTION), but when all is said and done 2006 promised a better year than what it actually was. on the whole, my top 10 of 2006 is actually pretty predictable, with old top 10 staples like Gondry, Winterbottom, Nolan and Scorsese coming back. I must admit,however, that even I was surprised with what ended up being the best film of the year. feel free to debate and give your own recommendations, but for those who haven't seen the movies in this here annual list,do go to your friendly rental store/dibidihan/netflix cue and check them out.
10. Neighbor No. 13 - Released in Japan 2005 with a limited American release last year, Yasuo Inoue's debut film is about a person who is bullied a child and as a result develops a super-strong and super-sick 2nd personality. Violent and profoundly disturbing featuring the usual Tokyo-style gutting, beating, piss-drinking and dismembering but with a surprisingly redemptful ending, Neighbor No. 13 is All About Lily Chou-Chou if it were directed by Takashi Miike.
9. The Science of Sleep - The ultimate Michel Gondry film, highlighting all the themes (falling madly and love, getting hurt, dreams) and techniques (stop-motion animation, the splatter-painting effect at the beginning, multiple rear-projection) he's been applying and refining throughout his career as a music video and movie director. This story of Stephane the inventor who falls in love and loses Stephanie the neighbor takes place in two worlds - modern Paris and Stephane's rich subconscious. The result is Gondry's most visually stunning and obviously personal work to date. There is a downside, however - the story leaves much to be desired, and there is the feeling that because Gondry has lost Charlie Kauffman, he will never again make anything close to my 2004 movie of the year, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind.
8. Tristram Shandy : A Cock and Bull Story - This is a reflexive, postmodern masterpiece about filming the most unfilmable novel in history. Michael Winterbottom always seems to find his way onto this list, and he has quickly become one of my favorite directors working today.Shandy feels like what Marie Antoinette should have been- atmospheric, hilarious, poignant and at times extremely amoral.
7. Pan's Labyrinth - This wasn't what I expected it to be at all, but it was nonetheless very satisfying in so many ways. Guillermo del Toro's return to Spain (after 2001's The Devil's Backbone) features a return to similar themes- Franco's fascist regime, childhood and the supernatural. This time, however, del Toro's movie about a girl who escapes from a war-torn village to a secret world to claim her right as its princess is darker, more visceral and ultimately much more unsettling.
6. Casino Royale - fucking hell! i've seen every Bond film ever made, including the original Casino Royale and the very strange Never Say Never Again, and maybe next to Goldfinger and Thunderball, this is one of the best Bond films of all time! taking all the gadgets and big effects and all that other shit out, Martin Campbell brings Bond back to basics as a misogynistic, cold-blooded killer . of equal credit is Daniel Craig, the only person in history to play Bond with the tongue nowhere near the cheek. There are so many things to love about Royale -- how it looks like M (Dame Judi Dench) really wants to fuck him, how he is a complete and total asshole, that scene where he defibrillates himself, all the great action scenes and the absolute best Bond intro and extro ever! While watching the movie, i kept repeating to myself "please say 'the name's Bond, James Bond at the end with the theme popping up. please say 'the name's Bond, James Bond at the end with the theme popping up'". and it did. and i almost fucking cried. this movie is so fantabulously great. GODDAMN!
5. Stranger Than Fiction - i saw this movie not knowing what it would be about at all and was so pleasantly surprised with it. it's the sort of film that makes you curse to yourself because Zach Helm's writing is so good; the dialogue is absolutely gorgeous and the plot is perfectly crafted. even more than Adaptation, this is a writer's movie, and anyone who spends their time dreaming about characters and getting attached to them will relate to Emma Thompson's Karen Eiffel. getting Will Ferrell to play Harold Crick was a stroke of genius, and it's so great to see Emma Thompson do roles deserving of her talent again. Marc Forster is a talented and versatile director, but the fact that he got MK12 to do the motion graphics effects and got Spoon (TOO MUCH COOLNESS! I CANNOT BREATHE!) songs and took the vocals out to serve as a score? that's world class, man.
4. The Departed - ok, let's get this out of the way and say that Infernal Affairs was a much better movie. who cares? unlike what most pundits say, Scorsese didn't rip I.A. off. The Departed is a totally different movie, dealing more with interpersonal relationships, trust, and morality than its HK influence's straight-up action/suspense aesthetic. it's good to see Marty back on familiar yet subtly different ground, exploring Boston's Irish-American gangland. Nobody shoots violence as well as Scorsese does. DiCaprio delivers the performance of his career, and Damon generously steps back to let Leo shine. Nicholson's a bit too much, but Marky Mark's short exchange with Alec Baldwin about his father getting fucked by the other guy's mother more than makes up for it.
3. The Prestige - Next to Batman Begins, this is my favorite Chris Nolan film. The fact that he got David Bowie to play Nikolai Tesla is enough to put this movie on the list, but it's Nolan's surehanded storytelling and craftmanship that gets it to the top 3. At its core a story about two magicians and their obsession with topping one another, The Prestige confidently bounces between timelines, characters and genres to create a masterful singular tapestry. Depending on the viewer, this film could be confusing or predictable, but there's no denying how enthralling it could be. Also, this might be a funny thing to say, but it must be pointed out that no one shows flashbacks as well as Nolan does.
2. Children of Men -an amazing movie about a (literally) futureless mankind and how human nature could destroy their one chance at salvation, Alfonso Cuaron shoots his contribution to one of my favorite sub-genres,Post-Apocaliptic Cinema, with breathtaking sequence shots and a hopeless, desaturated look. Michael Caine, Julianne Moore and Chjwetel Ejiofor give great performances, but it is Clive Owen's portrayal of the jaded anti-hero Theo that is the heart and soul of this movie. this is Cuaron's best film, and that's saying a lot. if I weren't OC enough to not give this a tie with the number one, I would.
1. United 93 - this is the most unlikely best film of the year ever simply because i've never had a realistic sociopolitical film at the top of this list. i've also never had a movie with hardly any characterization or plot at the top of my list either, and that's what United 93 is. at its core, the film plays not even like a documentary,but a documentation of the events that lead up to the United 93 crash. you feel like an observer watching events unfold with no music (until the very end) or manipulative filmmaking to tell you how to feel. the terrorists are treated the exact same way as the hostages -- they are simply shown, and any sort of judgment is made entirely by the viewer. by the film's end you're not sure about the character's backstories or even their names, and what remains is simply a feeling. this is why director Paul Greengrass is a genius - he knew that the events that took place on September 11, 2001 have a lot of baggage surrounding them, and so he simply worked around all the emotions and information he knew audiences would have. the result is something that becomes very personal, and I must admit that me choosing this as the best film of 2006 has more to do with my recollections of being in New York on that day than United 93 just being a great piece of cinema.
I hate, hate, HATE that Paul Greengrass was taken out of Watchmen. now all we can look forward to is people screaming a lot whilst showing their abs off.
HONORABLE MENTION - Notes on a Scandal is the best acted movie of the year. it's nice to see Dench go head to head against Blanchett (with a suprisingly good dramatic performance byBill Nighy).Marie Antoinetteis quite lovely, although i'm quite saddened because this was one of the most awaited movies of the year for me and it didn't make the cut. Superman Returns is the best Superman movie OAT, with Routh not disappointing at all.Kubrador is the best Filipino film of the year, and it's good to see Jeffrey Jetturian in top form again. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, YEAH! if you haven't yet, you should all go and check out the beautiful Volver by Almodovar and Little Children by Todd Field. The Fountain is the movie everyone hated but i loved, and Apocalypto is the movie i expected to hate but loved so much. Rocky Balboa deserves and will get a post of its own. Little Miss Sunshine is lovely, and Inside Man may just be my favorite movie of Spike Lee's. that film just oozes of New York, even if it doesn't show the city too much. Finally, it must be noted that one of my favorite movies from last year is showing right now! It's ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) bobiboni's debut film, Numbalikdiwa, one of the few Philippine horror films that are genuinely disturbing. It's extremely well written and performed, with some great cinematography from Dan gudtaym Villegas who it seems can offer much more than just his burning nakakalibog hunk of manhood (hence the LJ name). it's showing at Robinson's Galleria Indie Sine right now. It's beautiful and worth it. watch it now GODDAMMIT! NOWWWWW!
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF THE YEAR - Miami Vice not because it was bad (which it wasn't), but because it was Michael Mann, and i hoped for so much more. alas, it does have one of the best movie moments of the year (when the chick pulls the trigger and blows the guys head off after describing how she'll kill him). Art School Confidential. you can never go wrong with Daniel Clowes or Terry Zwigoff, but apparently you can. Babel is so beautifully directed it almost makes up for the shit story. try telling me what the movie is about and you'll see what i mean;
"it's about these two Moroccan kids who play with a gun and accidentally shoot a tourist. sadly enough, no one has celphones and no one wants to help the poor tourist. meanwhile, the nanny of the tourist's kids wants to go to her kid's wedding (and get it on) but the parents are shot so she just decides to kidnap them.her nephew gets very nervous at the border so he just runs off and drops the kids and the nanny in the desert. after all, it's better to fucking die of hunger than get sent back to mexico. anyway, the guy who gave the gun to the kids' parents is apparently a japanese businessman with a deaf/mute kid who just wants to get laid but she just can't! because she's a deaf mute! in the end she takes her clothes off and embraces her dad."
also, X-Men:The Last Stand, but not really.i mean, we all expect anything Brett Ratner makes to be shit and this is not as shitty as it could have been. actually it's pretty cool because so many people die including that chick from 24 who gets hugged by a porcupiney mutant and the X-Men apparently have lost all their value for mutant life. it's just that the first two were so great and it's like the third one didn't give a shit about what Bryan Singer was building with the franchise. oh well. Super Noypi. hahahahahahuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu (in case that wasn't obvious that was a gesture wherein one laughs and then suddenly bursts into tears. i have not ever seen anyone do that in real life but it happens all the time in movies)
TRAILER OF THE YEAR a toss-up between Children of Men with its wonderful use of Sigur Ros and The Prestige just because Michael Caine's description of the three acts kicks so much ass
i'm sorry? LJ-cut, you say? but i thought you fuckers missed me!
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Current Music: CSS-let's make love and listen to death from above
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February 15th, 2007
11:58 am - the top ten musical long-playing recordings of 2006
well.
finally.
i must apologize for the lateness of this list. i'd like to blame my hard drive crashing (i lost like 82 gig of music. that was a very depressing time), though i think the bigger reason was laziness - especially considering that i had this whole thing completed early december of last year. i blame it on post-super noypi syndrome. i'm too lethargic to do anything creative these days that i can't even text properly, or even attempt to make jokes. but yes. the music.
i can't believe 2006 is already over.i still remember buying my most awaited album of the year last January; The Strokes’ First Impressions of Earth, and now I find myself scrounging around all the music sites looking for every other possible contender that could complete this list. So 2006 is done, and it’s been such a blah year for music. 2006 was about great bands making disappointing albums. A lot of favorites came out with albums this year,including the return of one of the bands that changed my life forever - The Lemonheads. But still, the gems were few and far between, and besides maybe Arctic Monkeys I can’t even think of anyone new who caught my attention this year.
2006 was the year where everyone tried to do something different. Normally that would be a good thing, especially since the faddish garage, emo and dancepunk bands of the early ‘00s learned from their nurock predecessors’ mistakes and realized they couldn’t be doing the same schtick forever. A lot of the time things didn’t work out the way we hoped they would (see The Killers’ Sam’s Town). Hence I have a list predictably comprised of old favorites but with a number of former list-toppers (like The Strokes, Belle and Sebastian and Yo La Tengo) surprisingly nowhere to be found.
this is a rehashed list, by the way. most of the stuff here you'll find in the BURN article (out now! yeah!), except Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That and Outerhope's Strangely Paired, which were bumped up to accommodate numbers 10 and 8.
10.  Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
I hate this album. It's so fucking sellout. God, Lightbody, what's with the sudden shifts in tone? What's with the annoyingly repetitive choruses? What's with the whole pretend-i'm-straight thing? they even committed the number one sign of selling out, which is HAVING A GROUP OF PEOPLE SING WHILST CLAPPING THEIR HANDS DURING THE BRIDGE (in "Shut Your Eyes"). this wasn't even in the Burn list, but as I'm looking at my top rated of 2006 playlist on iTunes Eyes Open apparently has the most number of songs rated 5 stars! sneaky sneaky Scottish boys, trying to trick me by subtly popping up during shuffle mode. it does help that Gary Lightbody was nice to me at the airport, and that he namechecks Sufjan Stevens in "Hands Open". this album reminds me of those cute chubby kids who have their pictures taken at the store. everything tells you that they should be resisted and not given what they want, but in the end their cuteness will just win you over.
recommended downloads: Hands Open, It's Beginning to Get To Me, Set The Fire to The Third Bar
9.  Cat Power – The Greatest
The first half of Cat Power’s The Greatest is just… the greatest. The indiefolk hero takes a total 180 degree turn and churns out an album that’s a heavenly mix of jazz, blues, folk and lounge. It’s so good it makes you forgive the latter half, which forays too much into country music territory and just starts to sound monotonous. After a significant number of listens, however, one realizes that this plays just like a Norah Jones album. Don’t get me wrong, Norah Jones is great. It’s just that…she’s Norah Jones.
recommended downloads: The Greatest, Living Proof, Could We
8.  Up dharma Down - Fragmented
i feel very ashamed that i was probably the last person in this country who was turned on to Up dharma Down. in my defense i did see them live a lot of times and since my beloved students da Isaw boys made their first video I've known about them for quite a while. it's just that that fucking album, Fragmented, is the hardest goddamn album to find. in fact, up to now i still haven't been able to find Fragmented in any store- i stole my copy from the Rock Awards CD's they give to the judges. that song, "Oo", it just breaks my heart. i heard it on the radio all the time, but when i finally got to sit down and listen to the lyrics i wanted to cry. no wonder Armi Millare is the NU Rock Awards Female of The Year. I always wondered what that entailed, and now i realize that she is Female of The Year because she has the power to turn men into emotional melting jello blobs who sing loudly in the car, hoping that the volume will somehow pull those tears back.
favorite songs: We Give In Sometimes, Oo, Pag-agos
7.  Rainer Maria – Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
I don’t know if this album is here because it really deserves to be or if it’s just because Rainer Maria is hands down the nicest band in the world and the fact that this is their last album just breaks my heart. Nevertheless, Catastrophe is their most ambitious and mature album, picking up from where the excellent Long Knives Drawn left off. One does tend to miss the days when Caithlin (my rockstar crush) and Kyle Fischer would sing emo-style in unison and out of tune. Sometimes musical maturity just isn’t as much fun.
recommended downloads: Clear and True, Catastrophe, Southpaw, Life of Leisure
6.  Mates of State – Bring It Back
It’s been a while since Mates of State’s made an appearance on this list. It’s not because the last few albums have been bad, it’s just that ever since their life-changing1999 debut My Solo Project, they’ve been more or less doing the same thing. There’s promise in Bring It Back’s first track “Think Long” that the band may actually be maturing and changing in terms of sound. Then you listen to the rest of the album and it’s just like the others. It’s been a dry year, though, so it’s a pleasure having the very consistent Kori and Jason around to deliver lovely pop ditties about how much they love each other.
recommended downloads: Nature and The Wreck, Think Long, Running Out
5.  Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
Many people didn’t appreciate YYY’s deviation from their New York sound to favor a fuller, more produced, epic rock album. I fucking love it though. Show Your Bones is total stadium shit, man; Starship without the cheese, Joan Jett with much better taste, Pat Benatar with a cooler wardrobe. With this album you really start to appreciate how talented drummer Brian Chase and guitarist Nick Zinner are as they create an impenetrable wall of sound punctured with Karen O’s refined wailing. This is the sort of album where you’ll suddenly find yourself raising and pounding your fist in the air in the middle of traffic. It’s anthemic and grand, something rock and roll has sorely lacked as of late.
recommended downloads: Gold Lion, Fancy, Phenomena, Honeybear
4. The Rapture – Pieces of The People We Love
Pieces of The People We Love sounds like The Rapture, one of the most intelligent and seminal dancepunk bands of their generation, suddenly got tired of people like The Bravery and The Killers making money by ripping them off. Hence they release this; their second LP where they throw their classic art-rock stylings out the window and instead focus on “House Of Jealous Lovers”-style disco. Of course, it’s always nicer hearing smart bands dumb down than dumb bands try to sound intelligent (see The Killers’ Sam’s Town). In “Whoo! Alright-Yeah…Uh Huh” vocalist Luke Jenner sings “People don’t dance no more. They just stand round like this. They cross their arms and stare you down and drink and moan and dis.” This album could change all that.
recommended downloads: The Devil, Get Myself Into It, Whoo! Alright- Yeah...Uh Huh
3.  Pretty Girls Make Graves – Elan Vital
Elan Vital is Pretty Girls Make Graves’ weakest album. That having been said, it’s still a Pretty Girls Make Graves album; inventive, original and brave. Elan Vital is a complete take-off for the band, where we find them experimenting with Beatlesque melodies, psychedelia and even… Polka. One does tend to miss their boy/girl screamo style, since vocalist Andrea Zollo takes this album over, but it was good to know that one of my favorite bands was keeping on edge. That is, until i found out they broke up just a few weeks ago. One by one they're going away- first Sleater, then Rainer-Maria and now Le Tigre and PGMG. i went through a goodbye marathon the other day and... oh man.
recommended downloads: The Magic Hour, Pyrite Pedestal, Bullet Charm, Parade
2.  +/- - Let’s Build A Fire
Pinoy pride! Woohoo! Although +/- has never been on this list, I’ve always been a big fan of this electropoppy offshoot of seminal ‘90s indie band Versus. Let’s Build A Fire sees the band taking a more back-to-basics route, and the result is their best album yet, packed with catchy and cleverly-produced songs about building relationships and breaking them up.
recommended downloads: Fadeout, Thrown Into The Fire, One Day You'll Be There
1,  Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Although this is technically a debut, Thom Yorke has been on this list almost every time Radiohead’s released an album. Also, this might be the shortest album in history to make it to number one, with a total of 9 WHOPPING SONGS! But what songs they are; from the haunting title track to The Prestige’s closing tune “Analyse” to the fucked up “Black Swan” right up to the best single this year, “Harrowdown Hill”. This is Yorke’s most accomplished work since Kid A, and just like that record something I find admirable about him is how he crafts his albums, which always feel like they’re one entity as opposed to a collection of pop tunes.
recommended downloads: The Eraser, Black Swan, Harrowdown Hill, Analyse
HONORABLE MENTION: Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That, Outerhope has a brilliant, brilliant album called Strangely Paired and it was in my BURN list but alas, Up dharma Down is once again to blame. Also, it says in the credits that the album came out in 2005, thus disqualifying itself. dammit. Smosh's Free To Stay is really good, especially considering they're like 12 years old. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit, The Lemonheads, Chicosci. and that's it. yikes.
BEST EP: a toss-up between Tokyo Police Club's A Lesson In Crime and the Ang Bandang Shirley ep. also, if the Dorques demo could be counted as an ep it would make this list.
MORE GREAT SINGLES: Oo is most definitely the single of the year, with Harrowdown Hill a distant second. did Regina Spektor's Fidelity come out this year? I love that song. Lemonheads' Become The Enemy is listworthy too.
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF THE YEAR: a toss-up between The Killers' Sam's Town and The Stills' Without Feathers.Placebo's Meds broke my heart, and my God the new Sparta just made me vomit in my mouth.
VIDEOS OF THE YEAR: honestly, if Natalie Portman's Gangsta posturing and Samberg/Timberlake's sensational Dick in A Box could be counted as music videos, they would be it. alas, they are not, and i really have to hand it to OK Go because Here It Goes Again is just the most charming thing. locally, Wincy and kingcoy's brilliant fucking Dulo ng Dila video. gaahhh. if i were a chick i would be your groupies. but then again, i already am.
now, it's your turn. post your recommendations here,please.
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