We say we like them, but really ... we don't

Is it the Stones? Neil Young? The Smiths? David Byrne? Let it be known, it’s okay to admit it: you don’t get it. ClapTrapped shares its list of bands we say we like, but deep down don’t. (Not highly respected bands we hate; that’s a little different.)

Mickey says: I like Bob Dylan, everybody does. But really, to be honest, I only like “Blonde on Blonde” – the rest I can do without. I’m living a lie, most of the time. Anytime he comes up in conversation, I’ll say that I love Dylan, how he’s timeless, a true genius, can do no wrong. Dirty, dirty lies – all of them. Now before you start drafting your response, and all the reasons I don’t know what I’m talking about, think a minute. You know you think he sucks too and you’re just too afraid to admit it, so you pretend to like him.

Apehands says: There are artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s that people talk about like gods. One can easily say a band is good because they either aren’t from that era or they just don’t have the energy to dismiss an artist that society as a whole has come to revere. Well, I have the energy and time to tear Eric Clapton a new one. I don’t know who this guy thinks he is. Sure he plays a badass blues guitar and used to rock with Cream back in the day, but what has he done since? Layla? Lame. Tears in Heaven? Lame. What happened to songs like Cocaine? It seems to me as if the guy was crowned the king of blues rock before he even released 3 good albums. What has he done besides give us sappy contemporary singles in the last 30 years? Sure the guy used to look cool mastering the Strat with his jeans and thick mustache, but now every time I see him he’s got glasses and a suit on. I get it: He got old, had some kids, and settled down. My opinion is he settled down a long time ago and has sucked ever since the days with Cream when he could actually write a gritty song. The only station I listen to in Chicago is WXRT and they love themselves some Clapton. I will be driving in a car, and what do you know some crappy “unplugged” Eric Clapton will come on. My suggestion is that he unplugs completely and just retires.

JMOC says: I would say the band that I say I like but hate would be Jimmy Buffet. I have seen him about 7 times in concert – pretty much just for the party. Although I like a few of his songs, I think mostly he's overrated.

OD says: I’m going to have to go with the White Stripes. For a band that doesn’t particularly strike my fancy, I own three of their albums. I feel like I should like this band. But for whatever reason, they just don’t do it for me. Other acts I like less than I let on: David Bowie, the Velvet Underground, and Pearl Jam.

Anathallo - Canopy Glow

Anathallo came out with a new album today as a follow up from the first album Floating World.

I first saw Anathallo at Lollapalooza 2006 on a side stage, to my surprise I loved them. They have a heavy focus on percussions, piano, horns, and vocals with two members almost always singing together. They hail from Mt. Pleasant Michigan and now reside in Chicago. The band consist of 7 members that can play every instrument under the sun. One of my favorite things listening to this band is the random holes and sometimes off beat songs. Their music never seems to have one direction throughout the song but they still make it work. I think this style rings true in this new album. The highlights on the album for me are "The River", "Bells", "Italo", and "Noni's Field." Now if anyone reading this post listened to Canopy Glow and Floating World and thought I was crazy, I would not be surprised. Some of the songs can be a bit of an acquired taste, but I think it's worth a few more listens. Most of the music I constantly listen to took some time before I called them my top bands.

--JMOC

Girl Talk @ the Congress: A Split Review

Take 1: What the...? Huh?

Not being very familiar with Girl Talk's work, a ticket was extended by a friend. The format of the show is unlike most that I attend, but it could make for an interesting show if the DJ can pull it off. What I got was 30 second clips of popular music and an amateur dance review. First, Girl Talk is nothing more than a dude with a laptop or two. So to have a rocking stage show would require a lot of effort & inspiration, it appeared he gave 50%. What the audience got was 100 lucky fans on stage dancing around Girl Talk's creation station. Mostly, these people took turns fighting to the front of the stage & then proceeding to dance like "Step Up 2 Tha Streets"- hipster edition rejects. There were more tight jeans, neon accessories, and flippant attitudes in that theatre than in all Urban Outfitters combined. There was a video screen that flashed images and graphics around, but they were confusing & irrelevant. At the start of his set, he had 2 or 3 people walking around the stage with air-propelled toilet paper dispensers. They didn't get very far into the audience & were neat as a science project, but failed as a concert tool. Later in the show, (presumably) these same TP-ers took to filling up giant balloons at the rear of the stage and sending them into the audience. Of the 4, I think one made it farther than halfway into the audience. The rest were popped quickly by selfish fans that wouldn't release their hands when the balloon wanted to move. Seems like an act more suited to smaller venues & house parties than the expanse of the Congress.

How the heck am I supposed to dance to this music? There are like, 33 different songs cut up & combined and played over one another and edited within each track and once I find a rhythm to dance to, something completely different would be playing, but not quite and my sonic sensibilities were mashed like potatoes. I found my brain fighting with my legs. Brain won. Legs are only useful when given directions by brain. Legs moving on their own accord ends with blushing, nervous drinking, and occasional tension-breaking remarks with the only other "whathefuckisgoingon" looking guy near you.

I did not dance. I drank beers & left early.



Take 2: Hell YEA!

Without a doubt Girl Talk is a visionary DJ in certain respects. You know how sometimes you hear the first few chords of a song on the radio & you begin singing, only to realize that the song is completely different than the one that you thought it was? Well, Girl Talk has taken that instance & maximized it. From Kanye to the Doors, Smashing Pumpkins to 'NSYNC he blends together beats and bits to form body-shaking dance cadence. As each bit ends and another begins, the change in vibe/ perspective/emotion of the audience is almost tangible. Bodies move as they wish, but under the guidance of the maestro; each contributing piece of music independent of the others, but still participating in the collective product.

While he has traditionally been restricted to clubs and small venues, his big-ticket debut was a blast. He mentioned early on that the crowd at the Congress was the largest that he has played for. What a party it was! Thousands of excited fans saturated the dance floor, eager to embrace the fleshy confines. To see a sea of sweaty smiling faces was a treat unthought-of in another environment. The space inside the Congress magnified the intensity of GT's beats.

If you like Top-40 hits then GT is the dj for you. Spanning decades, genres and rhythms he splices together intricate webs of visceral expression. Nearly every contribution is recognizable of it own accord, but it creates to a whole new product when blended with the other great samples. Like a lover, the tease keeps the audience wanting more. Except that GT's mixes never allow the chance to fawn over a missed opportunity. One after another the hits emerge, constantly building and redirecting, filling in the pop symphony.

I left sweaty, tired, and with a smile from ear-to-ear.

Where and when do you listen to music?

I’ve noticed recently that while I’m listening to music, I’m usually doing something else. It’s a pretty good bet I’ll be driving, working, exercising, or reading something online. Rarely am I just sitting and actually listening to music. It’s something I was able to do during earlier parts of my life, when I had the time. I have to say, I kind of miss it.

It’s probably why I enjoy going to see live music so much. At that moment, all that matters is the music. I can pay attention to how the bass line is playing off the drums. I can notice that little noise the guitar player is making that would usually go unnoticed while listening to an album at work.

The emergence of MP3 players and online music has contributed to this "distracted" listening, as it makes it easier to listen to a chunk of music here or there, rather than sitting down and listening to an album in its entirety.

Coming to this conclusion, I want to try and actually listen to my music more, as opposed to using it as background filler. Where and when do you guys listen to music?

Guilty-pleasure album of 2008: Cut Copy, “In Ghost Colours”

At the beginning of the summer, I picked up Cut Copy’s 2008 release “In Ghost Colours” after reading a number of very positive reviews –- some of which were labeling it one of the best albums of the year. I first heard about the band from a Pitchfork review of Coachella, where the reviewer basically said Cut Copy put on the best performance of the festival. Even though “dance rock” (which is probably how I would label this band) is not my favorite thing out there, I enjoy it enough and thought I’d check this album out.

Right from the start, I was smacked in the face with the cheesiness of “In Ghost Colours.” In-your-face synthesizers and some extremely corny lyrics are all over this album. Certain songs make me want to roll up the windows of my car so other people can’t hear what I’m listening to. Such lyrics (which are repeated over and over in their respective songs) include: “Lights and music…are on my mind. Be my baby…one more time” and “With heart on fire, I reach out to you tonight.”

I couldn’t believe this band that produced such over-the-top dance pop was receiving all of those accolades I read about. Gradually over the past couple months, I started to notice, however, that I wasn’t removing the album from my CD player. It went from me skipping through to the songs that I actually dug, to sticking with a few more of the songs (even though I thought they were totally cheesy!), to letting the album play all the way through. It felt like the scene in “Tommy Boy” where they’re flipping through the radio stations (“Talk about lame…”).

So despite some of the corniness, I’ve decided on three main reasons why I actually like the album. First, there are three songs that I think are just flat-out great songs. Not surprisingly for me, the songs are the least “dancy” and they feature more guitar and drums, as opposed to synths and drum machine. Those songs would be: “Unforgettable Season” (track 5), “So Haunted” (track 7) and “Strangers in the Wind” (track 12). These are actually songs that I don’t mind listening to with the windows down.

Another thing I like about the album is the use of vocal loops throughout most of the songs. Ooos and aahs are looped as backing vocals, giving the songs different layers. The effect gives off a spacey feel and makes the band sound bigger than its three-member arrangement.

The third, and probably my favorite, thing about “In Ghost Colours” is the seamless transitions between songs. I’m a big fan of song transitions in general, but I think this album does a great job of pulling it off. Occasionally they throw in the 30-second filler transition to get to the next song, but they’re always kept short enough so that you don’t feel the need to skip through them. The songs flow together nicely without too much meandering.

This album, for the time being, is still in my car. I’ll be listening to it –- although not when anyone else is in the car, and probably with the windows up.

Animal Collective clip from Pitchfork

This song from Animal Collective's 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival performance in Chicago this past summer was definitely a highlight. The song, titled "My Girls," will be on the band's new album, due out next January. I love the turn this song takes around the third minute.