Animal Collective at Metro, Jan. 22

I was really looking forward to Animal Collective returning to Chicago after their outstanding performance at last summer's Pitchfork Music Festival. I was hoping they'd be able to recreate the atmosphere and mood in an indoor environment. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down, as the band performed for only a tad over one hour.

After playing about nine or ten songs, the group left the stage. I wondered if they could possibly be taking a set break -- it was much too soon for an encore. Two of the band members -- Panda Bear and Geologist -- returned to the stage and informed the crowd that Avey Tare was sick and he threw out his voice. The two played one song and then the lights came on.

Under normal circumstances, I would say this would have been a disastrous concert. But despite its brevity, it was still enjoyable. The sound (which is very unpredictable at Metro) was pretty good, although I thought the vocals should have been a bit louder. AC played mostly songs off their new album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion," as well as the opener from the album "Sung Tongs." The songs flowed nicely and there were definitely some high-intensity moments.

However, I didn't think the performance translated well to the indoor setting. Their music seemed more natural outside on a summer night. Looking back at the show, Avey Tare definitely took a back seat. He played guitar on only one or two songs, and I couldn't see him for a lot of the show. I think the lack of his presence really took a lot away from the concert. One of my favorite parts of AC is the balance between the two singers and their differences in song-writing styles. This balance was definitely shifted toward Panda Bear.

So overall, it was a fun show, but, ultimately, disappointing.

Depart from This

808s and Heartbreak is the fourth and latest studio album from Kanye West. His first 3 albums, The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation, received both critical acclaim and constant play on radio and television. 808s and Heartbreak is quite a departure from the style and formula West used in making his previous albums, it uses a Roland TR-808 drum machine and focuses mainly on the subjects of heartache and loss while singing through an Auto-Tone.

Experimentation or a departure from the norm is nothing new. Musical artists have been making similar statements since the first notes were played. Its how music and artistic expression advance, but at times fans can’t help but feel betrayed by artists changing direction.

Who can’t remember Metallica members cutting their hair in 1996 with the release of Load. How dare they get haircuts and release such a shitty album all at once. In my youth such moves just about ended my faith in humanity or at least my disdain for it. I was hardly the only one disappointed by this move. The band lost many “hardcore” fans with this album, many claimed the band had gone soft or turned their backs on their metal roots.

In April of 2002 Wilco released its fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The album was to expand upon Wilco’s previous efforts by covering new musical ground producing more of a sequential effort. Such bold moves by an up and coming band upset many at their label, eventually leading to the band being let go. The album was eventually released and received glowing reviews and worldwide success.

Artists depart from styles for many reasons with varying degrees of success. There are many more albums where this has happened. Which stand out in your mind? Why was the change made? Was this an acceptable reason? Is this always a gradual process or can it be decided all at once? Where does the “concept” album fit into this discussion?

Hello- I should say it.

So I thought I would make my first post a list of MY top albums from 2008, cause its a neat idea, and I like listing things, especially when it comes to music. I also wanted to give you an idea of the crap I listen to on a daily basis. So  here's the list, but with no explanation, because I'm a lazy bastard....

1. My Morning Jacket- Evil Urges

2. Lotus- Hammerstrike

3. The Cinematic Orchestra- Live at Royal Albert Hall

4.  The Sea And Cake- Car Alarm

5. Elbow- The Seldom Seen Kid

Honorable Mention- Blitzen Trapper- Furr

So there you have it, folks. My first entry on this fine blog and my list of favorite albums from 2008. By the way, the name's Giles. Thanks for letting me in the clubhouse. 

Best no-skip albums

Writing my last post helped me come up with this topic. It's always great when you find an album that you can play from beginning to end, without skipping a track. Even some of the best all-time albums ever made likely have one or two skippable songs.

Here's my list of my favorite "no-skip" albums (I couldn't think of a better term):

• Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Creedence Clearwater Revival"
• The National, "Boxer"
• Paul Simon, "Graceland"
• Radiohead, "Kid A"
• The Walkmen, "You and Me"
• Weezer, "Weezer" the blue one
• Wolf Parade, "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
• Wolfmother, "Wolfmother"

If you disagree with any of the albums, let me know what songs you skip over.

Resolute This

Let’s be honest, no one pays for music anymore, and this is far from a plea for the industry. I don’t pay for music, at least not recorded music. Rationalizing my actions isn’t very hard. I go to more shows now that I don’t purchase albums. Compact discs and mp3s are way over priced considering the product you receive. The music I listen to often isn’t easily attainable in the stores or on many of the purchase sites online, and if you think it’s hard to pay for something you can easily get for free, think about paying shipping on top of that. But this isn’t why I’m writing this. I want you to start paying for your music. I want to start paying for it, at least some of it.

Bands are starting to do the right thing, and yes this is only happening because people stopped buying music in the first place. It is finally starting to change, many bands release their music for free online before the album is ever released in stores. This gives you a chance to listen to the music, and if you like it, hopefully buy the high quality release when it comes out or maybe even buy tickets to the show when the bands in town.

I still feel guilty for downloading the free copy of Radiohead’s In Rainbows, and then never buying the album when it was actually released. It’d be one thing if the album wasn’t any good, or at least a sub par effort from the band, but it wasn’t. I spent money on the band’s shows and merchandise, but as much as I liked the album I should have bought it. I’m not trying to convince anyone to stop obtaining their music for free, but next time you obtain an album you really enjoy, think about finding an independent record store and buying it. Let’s call it an economic stimulation package.

Along these lines-

Dan Auerbach is worth your time and your money. Buy his album for $16 from Nonesuch.com and receive a 12” vinyl, a CD, and an mp3 download.
Not to mention free shipping on orders over $20. Go to his show too, March 6th at the Metro.

http://www.nonesuch.com/artists/dan-auerbach

“I guess I could make a lot more money in music if I sang about happy shit, but that’s not me.”

Bon Iver EP "Blood Bank"

Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago", was a good album, a solid album and a special album. But it was nothing exciting that demanded anymore than the usual attention to future Justin Vernon releases. However, like most things from Wisconsin, his recently released EP, "Blood Bank," is solid and wholesome. A skinny set of 4 songs, "Blood Bank" takes the form of an interpose, keeping the Iver fan's appetite whetted for a future full length.
As much as this is a short set, it is a satisfying one. The songs are cleaner and some of the harmonies are reaching new heights of beauty in ways that "Emma" was only beginning to touch. For example, the last song of the four, "Woods", is a slow building and lush a capella collection of Vernon's voice being overdubbed and electronically manipulated, harmonizing the shit out of himself, using what seems at times to be 15 to 20 different versions of his voice. But what's different about this song, than other harmonizing male singers such as Phosphorescent, is that he's just got a little more soul and a little less country.
All in all, I would recommend any of these songs for a mixed tape, but there is no reason to rush out and buy it.

Lastly, one more thing about "Woods": it almost sounds like an indie N*SYNC boy band harmonizing towards its end. Don't believe it? Check it.

km

The Walkmen, "You and Me"

I know I had this album in my top albums of 2008, but at the time I made my list, I had only been listening to it for a few weeks. I wasn't sure if it would really last as an album that I would listen to regularly. But that has turned out to not be the case.

In fact, I've been finding myself listening to The Walkmen's "You and Me" all the time lately. I can't stop. I'll listen to it multiple times in a day. And it really is an album in which I enjoy every song. I don't skip a single one.

"You and Me" reminds me, in a way, of The National's "Boxer." It's pretty mellow, and the songs have this underlying sadness, but at the same time, promise a feeling of hope. I find this positive, hopeful feeling summed up nicely in the song "In the New Year":

Oh I'm still living
At the old address
And I'm waiting on the weather
And I know it will pass
I know that it's true
It's gonna be a good year
Out of the darkness
And into the fire

I really enjoy the singer; he has a bit of Bob Dylan in him. The mood throughout the record is really enhanced by the subtle use of horns -- especially in the eighth track, "Canadian Girl." This is one of the most complete albums I've heard recently, and I don't see myself putting it down for a while.

Analog Africa

Rarely, in this world of blogs upon blogs and noise upon noise does one stumble upon something as unique and outrageously interesting as a blog. But, on the outskirts of the "blogosphere," exposing and resting in a land time forgot, rests Analog Africa.
Analog Africa is a music blog, brought to my attention by my dear friend Eric Deines, that is dedicated not only to the music of Africa, as noted in the title, but more specifically, to analog Afro Beat and Afro Funk music of the 60s and 70s. The recordings on this site are so fresh and timeless with a blend of thick scratchy bass, crackling vocals and trebling guitars, it's closer to a James Brown session with the Buena Vista Social Club than traditional African music popped up by Paul Simon's Graceland. There is cultural expression here as well as there is soulful freedom and progressive attitudes coming from a time that seems to have had so much promise and jubilation, but ended so abruptly. I don't know if it is true or not, but from these tracks it seems as though, at the time, the music of Africa was growing up with the rest of the world, almost it can feels at times, a little ahead.
Even if one doesn't care for the music, or it's not really your bag, I would atleast recommend checking out the photos offered on Analog Africa, and to read some of the stories: it can be interesting to read about something existing that was so short lived and controversial, but so goddamn funky at the same time.

http://analogafrica.blogspot.com/

(Analog recording methods store audio signals as a continual wave in or on the media. The wave might be stored as a physical texture on a phonograph record, or a fluctuation in the field strength of a magnetic recording. This is different from digital recording, which converts audio signals into discrete numbers.)

km

FM Radio Anyone?

Does anyone out there listen to FM radio anymore? I do pretty regularly & I love it. Besides the commercials, that is. Side note before I start (front note?): last night as I was listening, every ad during one of the commercial breaks offered a free commodity. Free laptop, free info tape, free book, free postage... draw your own conclusions. On with the show...


Growing up, 93.1 WXRT blared in my dad's van every morning & it continues to be my favorite station. It's got a great mix of the new alt-pop singles & older classic tunes, all of which are well organized and presented by the DJs. Lin Brehmer (possibly my favorite mainstream media employee in the country & definitely the best MC for Chicago's WingFest) continues to provide eclectic musical choices as well as totally Chicago-biased sports & music humor each morning. New(ish) XRT DJ Jason Thomas plays a variety of tracks & specifically delves into B-sides & lesser known tracks from many notable bands. FYI Claptrappers... Lin controls the morning commute & Jason the evening, so I'm primarily an "in-the-Subaru" listener of the Frequency Modulation.
Besides the quality DJs, WXRT also provides a bevy of awesome shows. Blues Breakers, The Big Beat, The Eclectic Company, New Noise at 9, Local Anesthetic, and the syndicated Little Steven's Underground Garage are all incredibly robust & worthwhile listens. In some ways, these shows are an analog answer for those people that aren't terribly inclined to use the web's many music reference/ suggestion applications. New, obscure, foreign, live - all forms of hidden gems get airtime during these sets. Also, there are podcasts for some of these shows available on WXRT's website, though they are limited and intermittent. Little Steven's Underground Garage is badass & archives can be heard online here.

If you are in the Chicagoland area, put down the digital music player every now & again and tune in to XRT, you won't regret it. Well maybe you will, but you'll probably get over it.

Do you listen to music on the radio? What stations do you like? Why?

Andrew Bird NY Times Article

Here is a great article about Andrew Bird from the Sunday New York Times Magazine. It's a little bit historical as well as about the new album. The writing is kinda toolish, talking about "hipsteresque" things, but good nonetheless.


km

Claptrapped Post Contest

Sign up for Claptrapped and create more posts* than anyone in the month of January and win a 'Claptrapped: Year In Review' T-shirt designed by Adam Kosecki.

*Comments on posts are not counted towards total.
*Posts must be more than 300 words and relevant to the aforementioned blog. We want to hear about all types of music, don't be shy to tell us why you have good taste and we don't.

And yes, that is me modeling that T.