Radiohead albums: Rank 'em

In honor of Radiohead coming to Chicago this Friday, I've decided to share my ranking of their albums. I always find it a fun debate, as everyone seems to have an opinion on which albums are the best. I'm excluding Pablo Honey from my list because I don't have it and I've only heard "Creep."

1) OK Computer
This album will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first Radiohead album; I want to say I was a freshman or sophomore in high school when I got it. It's such a solid album from top to bottom, and it has a great mix of rockers, softer stuff, and crazy, spacey songs. I love how this album shows the band's transition in music styles. It has the rock elements of The Bends, which was released before it, and it has elements of the dark, creepy sounds, similar to what you hear on Kid A (which followed OK Computer). As much as I enjoy this album, I almost always skip over "Fitter, Happier." My favorite tracks (can't pick just one on this album) are "Lucky" and "Exit Music (for a Film)."


2) Kid A
This album really shocked me the first time I heard it. I was expecting something similar to OK Computer. When I pressed play and "Everything in its Right Place" started, I said, "What the hell is this?" But the dark, electronic-infused album that follows is simply genius. For being an album with a lot of weird noises, it has some great rock songs: "National Anthem" and "Optimistic" fit the bill. And "How to Disappear Completely" is a chilling and touching tune. I love the flow of this album. It's probably the one Radiohead disc I allow to play all the way through without skipping a song. The sequence of "Optimistic," "In Limbo," "Idioteque," and "Morning Bell" segues fantastically.


3) In Rainbows
In a time where they could have put out something mediocre, Radiohead instead produces their finest album in years. It created a ton of buzz with its "pay anything" download option, but aside from that, it's actually an enjoyable listen. Its opener, "15 Step" features the classic Radiohead bass-line change-up that takes the song into a completely different direction. I'd have to consider "Reckoner" one of my top 3 songs by the band, with its strong percussion and eerie vocals. It's one of those Radiohead songs that gives me chills with just about every listen.


4) Hail to the Thief
I like this album -- it has some of my favorite Radiohead songs -- but I think the band could have left a couple tracks off (especially toward the end). That said, I think "There There" is one of my favorite rock songs by any band. "Where I End and You Begin" is another example of a song with a classic Radiohead bass line: The part with about 1:30 left in the song where the bass cuts out and the drums take over, and then the bass comes back in -- that's what this band is all about.


5) The Bends
This was a tough choice -- I like this album and Hail just about the same, despite how different they are. And listening to this album and Kid A, it's hard to believe they were made by the same band. The Bends is a really great rock record. It also has some of my favorite heart-felt tunes, in "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)." But over the years, I've found myself not listening to it as much as other Radiohead albums. So I almost feel bad for not ranking this album above Hail, but I just don't listen to it as much.


6) Amnesiac
I basically consider this album Kid A's younger brother. It's the least distinct out of their albums, and I skip over quite a few songs. I still think "You and Whose Army?" and "Like Spinning Plates" are great -- especially live -- but I would definitely vote this album as my least favorite.



Please feel free to share your rankings. I always find it interesting how people like their albums differently.

Old Skool: The Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers were Jonathan Richman's band. Heard of either the band or the name? Remember the movie Something About Mary, and the acoustic guitar/snare drum duo that sing the songs that serve as scene breaks throughout the film? The guitar player/singer, that's Jonathan Richman. Go ahead, dig the DVD out. Remember that scene where he accidently gets shot at the end by the old guy aiming at Ben Stiller ? :)

Well, back in 1972, Jonathan Richman wrote and recorded the nine songs that make up the debut album of the group, entitled The Modern Lovers. The album wasn't released until 1976, and by that time Richman had gone acoustic with a different lineup, reducing the noise behind him so that his quirky, heartfelt pop songwriting could really take the forefront.

So the album remains as a single gem, unique in its' raw power coupled with its' tender heart. It's a Rock'n'Roll album for driving fast down the highway, a slow burner for backround tunes after a long night, a balm for all those scathing breakups and women who could have been, and, finally, above all, a crank it up, press play and don't touch, isn't-it-wonderful-to-listen-to-music? album, which is the checkmark for any great record.

It's just fun. Check the first song off the record:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDJShMk-r88

With Jerry Harrison(who would later play guitar/keyboards for the Talking Heads) on organs. Six of the original nine tracks were produced by John Cale(organist/bass player for the Velvet Undergound). Richman took his influence very directly from the Velvets, literally following them around New York and pestering them to let him into rehearsals so that he could watch and learn. But this is not a Velvet Underground/New York-cool ripoff, unless you consider the sheer joy of playing songs the ways the Velvets did on Loaded!(1970), ripping off. Richman writes songs completely his own. It's a very New England album, a Boston gem, with songs so real, so fun, so un-cool they're cool.

For more info, and to see where I stole my information/write up, link on:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Modern_Lovers

You should be able to find this at most quality record stores in the city, and certainly on Amazon.

Check it out, and enjoy:)

And thanks for letting me join the party.

Conor Oberst Streaming New Solo Album

Produced by Conor Oberst with the help of engineer … [read more]and longtime associate Andy LeMaster, the album was recorded in Tepoztlán, Morales, Mexico. Creating a temporary studio in a mountain villa for a one-month period this winter, Conor and a tight-knit group of fellow musicians, who aptly call themselves The Mystic Valley Band, crafted a lush and beautiful record that evokes the deep sense of harmony in which they lived and worked during that month.

Review coming next week...

Listen to it here.

Pitchfork Music Festival Review: Sunday

Hello everyone.
Here are some acts I saw from Sunday. Good day, but long.

Dirty Projectors:

Weird multi-harmony off tempo math pop with lots of treble. Bizarre I know, but it was interesting to see this work live. Pretentious at times, but that's what you'd expect from a Yale dropout.

Apples in Stereo:


Simple pop, rather langweilig. None of the songs seemed to differ or go anywhere, and they were one of the acts that really did not fit for me. Now I don't know much of the Apples' material, besides this one set, but I still have no idea how Elephant 6 thought/thinks this band fits on their label (Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel). I would maybe recommend this band to some lame singer/songwriter fans from the east coast, like Boston or something.

King Khan and his Shrines:


Hot funky stuff. The band was surprisingly classic in sound for contemporary R&B, which usually sounds over produced and watered down. King Khan worked his MC character and the crowd well, and his backing band, full of horns and a very thick bass line, was quite torrential (in an exaggerated blues sense). Hokey at times, but extremely enjoyable. One of the only boogie times I had on Sunday.

The Dodos:

This stupidly named band was one of the only groups I had not listened to before the festival, and they were delightful. Rich acoustic/electric guitar sound accompanied by interesting and exciting rhythms added a novel explosive aspect to what looks like simple acoustic emo on paper. The guitar playing was exeptional, very clever and fast, which sometimes I felt was due, in part, to the man's ridiculously impressive axe. The vocal sounded like a poor man's Morrissey, which surprisingly worked for an outside show. The recorded music I've heard of theirs since is ok/good, but i really recommend this band live outside in the sunshine.

M. Ward:

All I can say for this one is BORING. Just like Cat Power last year, you need to listen to M. Ward alone in your room or at a club.

Spoon:


Usual Spoon, but with horns. Still haven't seen them inside.

All in all, this was a good day.

km

Pitchfork Music Festival review: Saturday

Saturday, July 19, 2008, Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, IL

There were a lot of great moments from Saturday. Caribou put on a surprisingly cool set. I had never heard of them before, but will definitely check them out further. Their spacey, experimental style was something I hadn't expected to hear much of at this festival. It was a nice surprise, especially since it was the first act I caught.

Next came Fleet Foxes. I looked forward to seeing if they could pull off the magic of their recently released self-titled debut. They really exceeded my expectations. The vocals sounded amazing; their harmonies were dead on. Any doubts of FF being able to nail the harmonizations were washed away right from the start. They opened with an all-vocals number, and it just sounded great. This group is only going to get better. A little more experience and a little more variance to the types of songs, and these guys are going to be a can't-miss. "Blue Ridge Mountains" made for a great closing song.

While waiting for !!! to come on I was completely underwhelmed by Vampire Weekend's set. Not really sure what the hype is all about with this band. !!! was pretty good, a lot of energy. Their set really hit full stride with the last few songs. Vocals were kind of hard to hear, but that's not really what !!! is about, so it can be overlooked.

After checking out The Hold Steady (eh...) and Atlas Sound I waited for No Age to take the small stage. I planned on checking them out for a half hour and then heading over to Animal Collective. Unfortunately, they went on 20 minutes late. So after two songs (in which I could hardly hear the vocals, performed by the drummer) I had to leave to catch Animal Collective.

AC was definitely the highlight of the festival for me. I've never seen a performance like the one they put on. They played for the first 25 minutes straight, said a quick hello, and went back at it. They didn't stop again until the end of the night. I can't explain what they sounded like; it was music from another planet. A lot of loops and noise and lights. I couldn't stop smiling because it was something I've never heard before. This was one of the best performances I've ever seen. Period. I will definitely be catching these guys the next time they come to town. The worst part of the show was the very end, when they had to stop playing at 9:56 because of a "curfew."

Current Albums We can't Stop Listening to...

OD
1) Fleet Foxes, "Fleet Foxes"
2) Yeasayer, "All Hour Cymbols"
3) Kings of Leon, "Youth & Young Manhood"
4) M. Ward, "Transistor Radio"

Haas
1)Fleet Foxes, "Fleet Foxes"
2) Black Keys, "Attack and Release"
3) She & Him, "Volume One"
4) Wild Sweet Orange, "The Whale" EP
5) Islands, "Arms Way"
I have been goin heavy on the Talking Heads lately as well.

Jon OC
1) MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
2) Ted Leo + the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
3) Okkervil River - The Stage Names
4) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
5) The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Marquis
1) Simone Dinnerstein - Bach: Goldberg Variations
2) Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
3) Smog - Red Apple Falls
4) Walter Meego - Voyager
5) Jason Molina/Songs: Ohia/Magnolia Electric Company

Review: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Lie Down in the Light"

It has been about 21 years since Will Oldham co-starred in the classic film Matewan, which details a 1920s coal-miners' strike in West Virginia, but nevertheless, on his superb new musical release under his familiar moniker, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, it seems as though little has changed from this early influence on this work.

Like a black and white photograph, "Lie Down in the Light" (Drag City, Palace Records), Oldham's first studio release of original songs since 2006, again carries us through the dust, the smoke and the peril of a spiritual Appalachia. However, unlike Oldham's earlier classic, "I See a Darkness," "Lie Down in the Light" is more of a mature voice leading through and from the darkness to, well, into the light. Oldham has grown up from the young preacher he depicts in Matewan, to become a wiser spiritual philosopher, depicting a man who has learned from his experiences and has grown from his past musical collaborations as a songwriter.

Like most Bonnie 'Prince' Billy records, Oldham is again accompanied by a list of talented veteran musicians who add a professional clarity and assuredness to Oldham's fantastic, almost implausible tenor. Never fear though, even with an orderly produced sound, "Lie Down in the Light" remains remarkably faithful to Oldham's lo-fi roots.

To come clean, "Lie Down in the Light" is an indie folk album, one full of vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars and warm Nashville twang, with only the smallest bit of percussion to beat. In addition, however, there are also wonderful moments of electric guitar solos and horns in these tunes, cleverly serving as precise evolutionary functions, helping to shift away from the slow inaugural air of some songs. But mainly, "Lie Down in the Light" is simply beautiful, soulful and quiet, with a flicker of unique excitement out of each piece helping to avoid monotony.

Obviously, this album can be rather melancholy and even disturbing at times, because of Oldham's explicit lyrical maturity and humanism, but what moves you through these songs is the potential for a musical crescendo or moment. A moment where the musicians, Oldham and his words figure something out: a type of musical epiphany, which they then realize for one sweet moment, recognize it, smile, and fade away. This is ever so evident on the third track "So Everyone," which build and grows to a fruition of perfectly produced instruments and harmonies, and Oldham, in beautiful juxtaposition, singing, "...Oh lady, show how you want me. And do it so everyone sees me. Sees that you love me."

In other words, "Lie Down in the Light" is a great album to impress chicks (joke).

Disco,

km

Notable tracks for stealing: "Easy Does It," "So Everyone," "You Want that Picture" and "I'll be Glad".

(Drag City - Loose Fur, Stereolab, Silver Jews, smog, Joanna Newsom, Mick Turner)

RadioHead New Video

Check out this new video from Radiohead, they partnered with Google to create this 3D recording. No cameras, no lights, all data and lasers. Check out how it was made here.

How worthless is Mickey?

Does he ever post on here? Weak.

News: A Millennium Park Lunch with Bill Callahan and Tortoise

In an exquisite partnering of Pitchfork Media and The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, a unique collection of shows is currently underway at Chicago's Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. The series, referred to as "Audible Architecture: Chicago Night Clubs at Noon," is a ten week "mini-fest" featuring an artist of the week performing at or around 12:15pm every Monday.
The past performances, which began June 16th, have featured such names as Killer Whales, Bird Names and LeLoup...yawn. HOWEVER, the next two upcoming shows present two fantastic gems: Bill Callahan (formerly known as "smog") on 7/28, followed by Tortoise on 8/4.
Bill Callahan, who rarely seems to tour is known for his lo-fi indie folk/rock material, driven by a perceptive lyrical force; he is nearly a legend among contemporary singer songwriters. For pre-event listening, I recommend the albums "Red Apple Falls," released as smog and "Woke on a Whaleheart" as Bill Callahan.
Tortoise on the other hand, was arguably one of the best performances of the 2006 Pitchfork Festival, and should be a great post-rock side with your sandwich.
As far as I can tell these shows are free, running until 8/25 and a TBA performance slated for 8/11, which knowing Pitchfork, can be just as exciting as a scheduled act.
For more information check out: http://www.millenniumpark.org/parkevents

NIN - The Slip

NIN has gone and done it again. They are giving away their music before its released on hard copy in hopes that it will generate a "buzz". Trent Reznor has taken the digital revolution and created a very unique relationship with his fans. Releasing albums for free, allowing users to submit remixed tracks of NIN tunes, providing fans artwork, and giving users a choice in what format they want thier music in continues to resonate with this fan and I could not be happier.

You can get The Slip right here: http://theslip.nin.com/

They even allow you to download WAV files which is higher quality than CDs.

Indie Music Videos

As we all know there are a lot of great bands out there that don't get the recognition they deserve. Hence, the creation of Claptrapped. (OD you love the name) But there is also a TON of indie music videos that never see the light of day. One of my contributions will be to post some of those videos every once in awhile.

I am going to start with one of my all time weird favorite music videos by a band I have grown to really like in the last year. Try not to have nightmares after watching this one.

Animal Collective - Peace Bone

Does anybody buy CDs anymore?

I love buying albums. I like going to the store without a plan and waiting for something to catch my eye. Something that I've heard snippets about and I'm willing to take a chance on. I also like going to the store with a plan -- for instance, I'm looking forward to picking up Beck's new disc, along with something else, I'm sure.

I like having the CD, with its case and a booklet to read. But maybe that's just part of my personality. I definitely am willing to bet I'm in the minority when it comes to this.

Most people I talk to download albums (whether it be for free or off pay-sites like iTunes) or simply borrow CDs and upload them onto iPods. I'm not going to say I've never done it. I won't refuse if a friend wants to burn me an album. But I still miss having that booklet to flip through while giving it a first listen; or reading who wrote which songs, who played which instruments on each song, etc.

So does anyone else out there actually buy CDs?

BECK - Modern Guilt

I just gave a listen to the new Beck that comes out on July 8th to the public. The only thing I have to say negative about this album is the shortness, otherwise I love it. I really felt like Beck just had a great time recording this album. It has steady grooves from beginning to end. I know this is one of those albums I can listen to repeatedly, there is no stand out tracks in my mind, it seems like one long song. This to me is not Beck's best or innovative album by far, but it does share some great beats and harmonies as other albums in the past. I would not categorize this as a "musical forest" as OD did in the last post about the Fleet Foxes, but I would say it's a great album to drink and shoot the shit to. It just makes ya feel good.

Let me know what you think of the new one from Beck.