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Best albums of 2009

2010-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

So this is super, super late. I was just not going to do it, cause what’s the point of listing my favorite albums of 2009 when we’re already in the second month of 2010. But I’ve done a list for the past two years, and I’m a sucker for personal traditions, so I’m posting this anyway. Here are my favorite albums of 2009. I was going to go through and rate and pick just a top ten, but I decided to include all of the potentials. It was a banner year, and I think that everything on here really deserves its place. So without further ado, my top albums of ’09:

Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective: Ummm. Seriously, no contest. Call it fate or destiny, or just being super awesomely talented and foresighted and wonderful, 2009 belonged to Animal Collective. I don’t know if I can say anything new or insightful that hasn’t been said already on possibly the most praised album of the year. But I think congratulations are in order for the members of Animal Collective. You confounded expectations once again.

Embryonic – The Flaming Lips: I just said that 2009 belonged to Animal Collective, and I stand by that. But The Flaming Lips owned my 2009. According to last.fm, The Soft Bulletin is my number two album of all time, and that’s only since having it last March. From discovering and cherishing Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, Clouds Taste Metallic, and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots over the course of the year, in addition to seemingly endless repetitions of The S.B., 2009 was like a year of preparation for Embryonic’s release in the fall. And Embryonic delivered on its release. It was a new direction and a new sound coming from the Lips, one that was both a throwback grab-bag of the tricks they’ve been honing for the past twenty five years, but at the same time a completely new sound and a new direction. I’m so glad I discovered the wonders of the Flaming Lips last year. Embryonic capped off not just one but two amazingly creative and successful decades for the Lips, and clearly they’re far from done.

Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear: Another pretty obvious pick, but for good reason. On Yellow House, Grizzly Bear showed their expertise in writing and playing graceful, swelling melodies that could also wander. The songs fleshed themselves out so naturally it underscored the effort with which it was clearly made with. They took their time in delivering the truly grand moments of the album. Veckatimest tightened the nuts and bolts of Grizzly Bear’s sound. Everything was sharper, more focused, and bigger. They still get in their wandering moments, but the album is filled with many grand, emotional statements as well. It’s Grizzly Bear’s most poppy and satisfying effort so far, and I really look forward to hearing where they go from here. I was kind of lukewarm on them before this past year, but now they’ve joined the ranks of my all time favorites.

Manners – Passion Pit: Passion Pit pretty much came out of nowhere for me. I hadn’t heard a lick of the Chuck of Change EP, had no idea about the bliss of “Sleepyhead,” or about PP’s uncanny way with melody and swirling, blissful electronics. I downloaded Manners on the advice of a friend that it would be 2009’s “summer jam album.” There’s not a single dull moment on the whole thing, and I must say I’m pretty much endlessly excited about anything they’ll be doing in the future. I just hope that it wasn’t a fluke that they could follow up a charming, happy and snappy debut with a full length album with just as much wonder and giddy joy they seem to imbue in everything they do. Their live show even stood up to the tremendous hype.

Logos – Atlas Sound: My appreciation of Bradford Cox and his many musical talents has skyrocketed over the past year. I became engrossed in Deerhunter’s Microcastle/Weird Era Continued double LP from 2008, as well as the later-to-be-listed Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP. His solo project, Atlas Sound, was no exception. Cox’s 2008 debut as Atlas Sound (he certainly had a busy year) was a slow grower on me, but Logos I adored almost immediately. “Walkabout” is an obvious choice; it’s sunny and upbeat, and it features the always fabulous Noah Lennox (Panda Bear), an obvious inspiration for and acolyte of Cox. But the rest of the songs are just as good. “Quick Canal” is rich and textured, and the fact that he got the singer from Stereolab, one of his heroes, makes it even better. The overall standout for me though, is definitely “Shelia”. It’s simple, beautiful, and another shining example of Cox’s ability to take simple melodies and lyrics and make it into something that’s more than the sum of its parts. He has a clear and obvious talent, and with every move he makes, I’m excited to hear what he does next, as a solo artist, as a part of Deerhunter, and anything in between.

Psychic Chasms – Neon Indian: This was one was a sneaker too. I enjoyed Neon Indian’s cartoonish, acid trip, warm melodies almost at first listen, but I didn’t realize how much I was listening to it until months later. Over the fall and winter it became my daily go-to album for my trip to work each morning. I’d usually get through the first eight songs or so, and it gave each morning a more colorful and bright outlook.

Album – Girls: I’m still a little surprised that I like this. Somehow I wasn’t turned off by the lead singer’s voice. Where it seems like it should have been whiny and obnoxious, it instead gives the music an endearing quality. Especially when he starts to belt out “Laura”. For me, Album coasted in initially on the strength of that song alone; it’s easily one of my most favorite of 2009. But the veiled melancholy and raw emotion present in the startlingly strong debut are what’s kept me coming back.

It’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs: That this album even exists makes me happy. I’ve said it before, but the YYYs could have been a horrible kind of one-trick pony, but through their hard work they’ve become a force to be reckoned with. An electro touch may seem an obvious move, but it was a smart one nevertheless. It’s Blitz! works to meld their simple rocking beginnings with the stronger songwriting present on Show Your Bones. But it also manages to be more upbeat and flat-out fun than anything they’ve issued so far.

Bitte Orca – Dirty Projectors: Another one that I’m surprised that I still like. Despite the loads of critical acclaim, I didn’t find anything particularly spectacular about Bitte Orca. It’s not an album I ever put on repeat, but nine months later, I’m still listening to it on a semi-regular basis. I’m finding that the appeal of Bitte Orca is that it continually sounds fresh. There’s nothing stale or repetitive about the album. The vocal harmonies are still impressive, the arrangements still sound avant-garde and unexpected but not belabored and awkward. It’s not nearly the rush of Manners, Embryonic, or some of the others on the list, but it continues to surprise me how rich this album is.

I’m Going Away – The Fiery Furnaces: Just as The Flaming Lips and Animal Collective were the major stand outs of the spring and summer, the fall brought me into the world of the Fiery Furnaces. One of the most consistently awesome bands out there, I’m Going Away showed the Furnaces finally easing into a more relaxed atmosphere. Up till this point, they’d been operating on the aesthetic first fully realized on the nearly flawless Blueberry Boat; lots of abrupt segues, lyrics all by Matt, and crazy bleep-bloop electronics. On I’m Going Away they finally take a little breather and deliver a rich album of relaxed musings and more personal lyrics by Eleanor (whose lyrics we haven’t heard since Gallowsbird’s Bark). It would be difficult to mistake their sound for anyone else’s; it still undeniably Fiery Furnacey. But the Fiery Furnace sound is why I fell in love with them. They know how to write a strong melody, and, as always, they sound confident throughout. It’s a great listen and pretty much solidifies my love of all things Fiery Furnace.

Don’t Stop – Annie: At first I was a little disappointed in this release, but after such a long wait, and after being misled so many times as to it’s final release, my expectations had dropped somewhat anyway. Inititally I think I was most turned off by that weird song about breakfast. But I’ve come to adore this album just as much as my beloved Anniemal. She’s definitely still got it.

Two Suns – Bat for Lashes: I would never have believed Bat for Lashes could come out with anything this good. Based on Fur and Gold, I assumed she would continue to put out the occasional good single (like “What’s a Girl to Do?”) but mostly lukewarm album material. Two Suns was such a tremendous leap of growth it just had to be put on the list. I’m still not the biggest fan of her sound overall; it’s a little too mellow and sleepy for me, but Two Suns keeps it moving at a beautiful, consistent pace. Her vocals are graceful; she compliments the music, and it compliments her.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: So precious. I wrote this album off during its first few months of release because the preciousness didn’t meld with the lo-fi , shoegaze aesthetic very well in my mind. But I gradually came to enjoy it more and more, and at this point it’s definitely earned its place among my top picks of the year. It’s full of sweet love songs and teenage reminiscence; how could I say no to that?

Actor – St. Vincent.: I guess one of the pluses of making this list now, rather than in December is that I can add this album to the list. I downloaded it soon after it came out last spring, but didn’t listen to it until last month. It was a pleasant surprise. I had been expecting something totally different from the songs I heard. As an artist who started out as part of several ensembles, she’s definitely starting to break out and become a force in her own right; it’s made her one to watch out for.

Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome – Maria Bamford: By far the most enjoyable album of work from my favorite comedienne. On Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome she relates some of her most vulnerable and personal foibles, but still with the same gusto (and even more voices). It’s raw. And it makes the jokes hit even harder than usual. Because of her life and her personal struggles, her humor has an insight that could only be related through someone struggling with that kind of depression and OCD. She’s made a living out of coping with her eccentricities and demons. It’s so personal, and so effing hilarious. I don't usually find women comedians all that funny; not because I don't find women funny, but because the women I do find funny don't seem to have stand-up careers (even my love of Sarah Silverman has cooled a little). But good Lord, she really might be the most hilarious person I've ever listened to.

It’s Frightening – White Rabbits: Initially I was underwhelmed by this as well, but not so anymore. After watching their breathtakingly awesome live show opening up for Vampire Weekend, I returned to give the album another try. It’s definitely very Spoon-ish (possibly because it was produced by Britt Daniel), but still very White Rabbit-ey. The two sounds (and probably many common influences) work very well together. It’s a little darker, but a bit more cohesive in some respects. When I listen now, I can see the piano keys pounding, and the humongous drum section. It’s not often than I get into a band more because of seeing a live show, but White Rabbits definitely stood out more than I'd have ever expected because of theirs.

EPs

Fall Be Kind – Animal Collective: I was so excited to hear that Animal Collective would be capping off their banner year with new material which I could obsess over. Fall Be Kind picks up right where MPP left off. The momentous, gorgeous melodies are all there (“What Would I Want? Sky”), along with the droning, reverbing guitars (“Bleed”), the unique rhythms (“I Think I Can”). The pan flute sounding jig at the tipping point of “Graze” shows them still shrugging off any worries of being labeled nerdy. I really can’t do enough to praise them. All of their work is fantastic, and this was no exception.

Rainwater Cassette Exchange – Deerhunter: I’m glad this came out last year because I’m glad to have a reason to list Deerhunter on here. The band’s collected works had a far larger impact on me this past year than they did when their major LPs were being released in 08 and 07. But R.C.E. made just as much of an impact as the others, despite being far too short for my liking (I want as much Deerhunter as I can get). The title track is a welcome break from their usual shoegaze, and seems to collect a lot more from the influences heard in Bradford Cox’s work as Atlas Sound. The rest isn’t too much of a departure from their double LP, but it's undeniably a Deerhunter release, and that alone is almost more than enough for me to love it.

Ayrton Senna – Delorean: Great beats and sunny melodies abound, even though I usually can’t tell what they’re saying. But I’m sooooo excited to hear any more work they have coming out in the future. I love EPs that give the listener a sense of potential and eagerness for the possibilities of the artist. Delorean wasn’t even a blip on my radar until this, but I will definitely be listening to whatever they have coming next.

All Night – Annie: I think I can credit her EP release at the same time as Don’t Stop with keeping me interested in her new work. While I was still on the fence about the LP, I was definitely in a dancing mood when listening to this EP. After playing out this, I was more prepared to move onto the LP. It gradually transitioned me into her new work, and I’m grateful for that.

Hopefully I'll get around to posting my favorite songs of the year soon.

My Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

2010-01-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this for forever, and though it's not the project it started out to be (it’s become way less grand), I'm pretty proud of it.
Without further ado, here is my list of my top 100 favorite albums of the decade. I'll start with the honorable mentions - the ones that came out too recently to tell, and the ones that didn't quite make the cut:

Britney Spears - Greatest Hits: My Prerogative: I left this off because it wasn't really an album of new music. If I had though put it in the list, it would have likely been in the top 25.
Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters
Teitur – The Singer
Department of Eagles – In Ear Park
Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster!
Cansei De Ser Sexy – CSS
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Roisin Murphy – Overpowered
LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem
M. Ward – The Transfiguration of Vincent
Sleater-Kinney – One Beat
Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
Voxtrot – Voxtrot
Kelly Clarkson – Breakaway
M83 – Saturdays=Youth
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
King Khan and the Shrines – What Is?!
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – Shake the Sheets
The Fiery Furnaces – EP
The Fiery Furnaces – Bitter Tea
Of Montreal – The Sunlandic Twins
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
Girls – Album

And now, the top 100:

100. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore: I had to pay a tribute to this soundtrack. Howard Shore was able to perfectly evoke the spirit of this fantastic movie and book. When I was a junior in high school I saw this movie eight times in theaters, and bought the soundtrack after probably the fourth viewing. I listened to the cd I swear, everyday practically till the end of the school year. I doubt any other music was played by my hand during this time period. I will never forget the impact these movies and this music had on my life.
99. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts
98. Feist - Let It Die
97. The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike!
96. Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward
95. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
94. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
93. Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
92. The National - The Boxer
91. Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
90. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
89. Tilly and the Wall - Wild Like Children
88. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
87. Asobi Seksu – Citrus

86. Christina Aguilera - Stripped: This album sponsored some of the best times I had in my late teens, post high school. I’m not sure what exactly inspired me to buy this CD. I think it was the third single, “Fighter.” I had an epiphany that pop music could be okay when I began to really enjoy the entirety of this album. I think I still know all of the words. And no matter that we played it to death, I still LOVE "Dirrty"; the entity of that song sums up all of my adventure post-high school and pre-twenties.

85. The Knife - Silent Shout
84. Lily Allen - Alright, Still

83. Maria Bamford - The Burning Bridges Tour: The Burning Bridges Tour opened up a hole into the world of Maria Bamford. It's an introduction to the hands down most hilarious comedian I've ever heard. She has a way of seeing the world and reflecting it through her bizarro sense of humor that is unlike anyone working in comedy today. And it's only even hinted at in her debut. A personal favorite bit on trying to recruited into a cult: “She told me I was afraid of success, which may in fact be true, cause I have a feeling fulfilling my potential would REALLY cut into my sitting around time. I got a lot of shit I gotta not get done.”

82. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

81. White Rabbits - Fort Nightly: White Rabbits have recently earned double points with me after seeing them open for Vampire Weekend earlier this month. Their act is one of the most entertaining live shows I've ever seen.

80. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
79. Beirut – Gulag Orekestar
78. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
77. Stephen Malkmus – Face the Truth
76. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
75. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
74. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
73. Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
72. Sleater-Kinney – The Woods
71. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
70. Modest Mouse – The Moon and Antarctica
69. Roisin Murphy – Ruby Blue
68. Blood on the Wall – Awesomer
67. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
66. The Decemberists – Picaresque
65. Maria Bamford – How to Win!
64. The Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark
63. Pinback – Summer in Abaddon
62. Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress
61. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
60. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

59. Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton – Knives Don’t Have Your Back: probably singularly the best album to listen to while depressed.

58. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup

57. Animal Collective – Feels: this is the album that changed my entire outlook on the Animal Collective. First was "Grass," which I was introduced to by the genius of iTunes Genius. Then came a fateful Christmas vacation home where my best friend introduced me to "Did You See the Words?" and opened the floodgate of my 2009 immersion into all things Animal Collective. “Did You See the Words?” is arguably still my favorite song by the Collective.

56. Menomena – Friend and Foe: this album will truly always have a special place in my heart. In an effort to depend less on the recommendations of friends, Friend and Foe was the first album explored completely on my own without recommendation from anyone else. After a listen or two, I was in love. “The Pelican,” “Wet and Rusing,” and “Muscle and Flo” were all in my top 25 on iTunes for several months; the success of my endeavor gave me confidence and an ear for listening to music that wasn’t always completely accessible, but was definitely rewarding.

55. Yann Tiersen - Amelie: A truly good movie score is pretty hard to come by. The movie Amelie still stands as one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen, so it’s fitting that it is also coupled with one of the most gorgeous soundtracks of all time. By listening to “La Noyee” I’m immediately transported to a crowded market in Montmartre. The preceding track "Comptine d'un autre été: L'après-midi” is a heartbreakingly beautiful piano piece, which immediately calls up a major theme of the movie: how to help and show love to those around us, while struggling with inner sadness and isolation – a theme not just in this track, but present throughout the whole movie and score. It makes it a good album for rainy, depressive days. But I never finish listening without feeling a bit uplifted. Yann Tiersen did more than just capture the spirit of the movie in his music; I believe that without this score Amelie as a whole would have been a far different experience.

54. Feist – The Reminder

53. Maria Bamford – Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome: this was the album where Maria Bamford really and truly bared her soul. Interestingly enough, the album where she makes herself most vulnerable is full of her funniest jokes so far. By finally letting her audience in on the real personal struggles she’s gone through (nearly thirty years with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder), her routine becomes more than just funny and quirky. It makes her whole body of work make more sense, and it helps the listeners and fans understand and relate to her better than we ever could before. After three albums, she’s like one of my friends. And as she’s gotten older, her delivery, her expression, and just about everything about her and her act has just gotten better and better. By baring all, she’s truly done her best work yet.

52. The Arcade Fire – Funeral: It sounds so big. It’s so epic, so full of emotion; real, honest to goodness, heart-on-sleeve heartbreak and sadness. When I first heard the “Neighborhood” trilogy (the fourth one doesn’t count; it’s one of the only snoozers), I didn’t know if I’d ever need any other music again. But that was in 2006, two years after it debuted. Since then I have lost no love for Funeral, but unfortunately it’s become one of “those” albums which I have to be in a particular mood for. And it’s become very particular. Still, when it hits, it’s undeniable. In the midst of a decade of frustrating stagnation (and a time of rather acute personal turmoil) it was a shot in the arm and a breath of fresh air and a glass of cool water all in one. I think it deserved all the praise it got, and though my opinion of it is slightly marred now by a lack of repeated listenability, I don’t forget how it once made me feel hopeful when hope seemed gone.

51. The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca: I didn’t quite latch onto this album as quickly or for as long as the critical acclaim it received would have suggested. But one thing that I can say for Bitte Orca is that it has remained fresh, entertaining, and unexpected. It’s not really something I will listen to over and over, but it still sounds new each time I do listen. And you’ve got to love all the interesting harmonies they make; it makes the music sound so dense and even a bit complicated, but really it’s just three very talented singers doing harmony in a way most others haven’t even considered.

50. The Strokes – Room on Fire: The Strokes’ second album is highly underrated. For a long time I preferred it to their debut. First Impressions of Earth started a decline in the amount of Strokes listening I was doing, but recently I’ve gone and back and rediscovered how awesome their beginning was. More of the same can indeed be a good thing, especially when it produces gems like “Reptilia,” “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” and “Whatever Happened,” another pitch perfect Strokes opener.

49. Passion Pit – Manners: Manners is pure enjoyment from start to finish; bright, sunny beats, lush chimes, bells, and whistles, catchy tunes, and a through and through spirit of exuberance. I was prompted by my best friend to get this album because it would be this year’s “summer jam”, and I don’t think there’s been a better description of Passion Pit’s debut yet. Every song is worthy of status as a single. It’s the type of album where any song could easily be your favorite song. “The Reeling”, “Sleepyhead”, “Moth’s Wings” (the elegant, almost ballad that propelled them to more than just a one trick pony), and “Swimming in the Flood” are all favorites for me. But Manners is one of those albums which is best heard and experienced, rather than discussed. There’s not much to be done to prepare a new listener for the onslaught of such electronic brightness. But I will say that it’s an excellent listen when you want to bring yourself out of a slump.

48. Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days: A glorious step between the slick, modern production aesthetic of The Shepherd’s Dog, and the stripped down, DIY of The Creek Drank the Cradle, Iron & Wine’s second album inhabits a world all it’s own. Equal parts grand production and trademark, minimal whisper-singing, Our Endless Numbered Days was a pleasant surprise for me. I first fell in love with The Shepherd’s Dog, but initially wrote off Iron & Wine’s previous work for fear that most of it would fall under the sound of his cover of “Such Great Heights”. But these fears were unfounded. The album is a graceful, beautiful ascension; it begins softly with “On Your Wings”, a song that grows majestically, giving the listener a good idea of what to expect before entering the gentle, lovely “Naked As We Came”. The flow of the rest of the songs follows a logical, pleasant progression, and it’s almost impossible to not listen to it all in one go. The album is confident and exquisite, and although in my opinion The Shepherd’s Dog is his finest work, Our Endless Numbered Days gave me twelve more undeniable reasons to love Sam Beam.

47. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People: I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this album until recently when hearing the beautiful “Cause = Time”. You Forgot It In People is a very cohesive album, which is surprising considering the grab bag of different songs and styles used in them. But it’s only fitting that such a grand album would contain so many different prizes; after all, like 50 different artists participated in it’s making. It starts with a slow, melodic lead in on “Capture the Flag” before the racing emotion of “KC Accidental” (another iTunes top 25 for a period). There are slow, minimalist productions like the yearning (and slightly twisted, imo) “I’m Still Your Fag,” instrumentals “Shampoo Suicide”, “Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries”, the clap-along of “Stars and Sons”, and of course the unforgettable fan-favorite “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” with Emily Haines’ increasingly distorted, breathy vocals. The brilliant “Cause = Time” comes smack dab in the middle, and is by far the masterpiece. You hardly realize it as each progressing chord becomes more urgent, more beautiful until it finally unleashes and climaxes (moans and all), and then thunders on to the finish.

46. Menomena – I Am the Fun Blame Monster: Menomena is another of those bands that has the air of effortless coolness. I Am The Fun Blame Monster (an anagram of The First Menomena Album) starts off with “Cough Coughing,” a fast, almost hectic drum beat and lead in “force yourself to breath/my hand is only there to stop the cough”. From there it breaks into stark piano, more excellent drumming, and then eight more of the weirdest, loop heavy, inexplicably catchy pop songs that still don’t really sound like anything anyone else that’s being done right now. Filled with unexpected sounds and many instruments (including glockenspiel, alto and bari-sax, baritone guitar, self-developed – on their own software! – MIDI-loops, keyboards) Menomena debuted a sound completely and totally theirs. “E. Is Stable” was one of my top 5 songs on iTunes; it even made the climb to the top 25 a second time after starting a new library.

45. Sufjan Stevens – Greetings from Michigan: Sufjan Stevens was without a doubt one of the indie gods of the decade. But before Illinois was the word on everyone’s lips, he released Greetings From Michigan, the first in a will he or won’t he project of fifty albums for fifty states. But Michigan is so much more than just the prep album for the virtually flawless Illinois; in it’s own way, Michigan feels much more personal than the lauded follow-up. Michigan is filled less with the stories of others and state and township facts, and more with hints at a personal side of Sufjan. He has such a way of singing “Romulus” that it could easily pass for one of his own childhood memories. “Detroit…” is a confident plea with the once grand city of his home state to re-envision, “The Upper Peninsula” is an ode to one of the truly forgotten areas of the United States, and “Holland” sounds like a memory of first love, strong and pure. It seems more personal because this is Sufjan’s home state; he knows it well, he knows it’s woes, and he wants to make them known.

44. Animal Collective – Sung Tongs: Of all of Animal Collective’s post Here Comes the Indian, melodic experimentalism, Sung Tongs caught on last with me. It’s generally marked as AC’s ascent to what they’ve become today. A mere five years later, and they’re poised as the most likely (and yet unlikely) mainstream crossover the indie world has seen in years. Sung Tongs is illusive in that it’s by far one of the most gorgeous and an unexpected triumph of the decade, but it still defies labels and categorization. I’m still not sure what exactly I’m listening to when I put it on. Through Animal Collective’s amazing ascent into the most celebrated band of the decade, Sung Tongs remains probably the most cohesive and beautiful of all of their efforts to date.

43. Spoon – Kill the Moonlight: The thing I love about Spoon is their ability to make their songs sound simple. Ones like “Stay Don’t Go” seemingly don’t have a lot to them. It’s a talented band that can take such simplicity and make it sound so effortless. In an age where music production is almost limitless, it takes a degree of restraint to stick to what works and not go overboard with layers and layers of over-production. And Kill the Moonlight works this way through and through. Every note and phrase is in place, and it keeps the album a constant pleaser.

42. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism: If any band personified the rise of indie into the mainstream this decade, few would argue that it was not Death Cab for Cutie, and most specifically their album Transatlanticism. Sure The Shins, Modest Mouse, Interpol, and others helped, but it’s undeniable that the following of these guys has seen the most exponential growth. Transatlanticism’s themes run the gamut of adolescent emotions admirably, but not in such an angsty way that the album doesn’t have moments of transcendence. After all, though it’s to a greatly lesser degree, those emotions are something we struggle with the rest of our lives, and this realization is one of the album’s biggest strengths. “Tiny Vessels” is one of my favorite tracks, exemplifying the fact that sex can be good, but sometimes for so many reasons, it’s completely regrettable. “Title and Registration” opens with one of my favorite Death Cab verses, and is a staple of my personal “depression music” (and that’s a good thing). “Expo 86” was my favorite Death Cab song for a good while, and I love how the ending of “A Lack of Color” melds seamlessly into the opening of the first track, “The New Year”. All thanks to… The O.C.? I never saw a single episode of the show, but I’m not sorry they widened the exposure for Death Cab.

41. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas: Carnavas was a very surprisingly enjoyable listen for me. Carnavas was my first real taste of the power of shoegaze. The hazy, tripped out noise break at the end of “Lazy Eye” had me hooked for many, many months, and it’s still high in my Top 25 on iTunes. At one time or another I was hooked on nearly every song; most songs are filled with the kind of pleasing high you can only get from good shoegaze, but even the slower songs “Rusted Wheel” and “Three Seed” are set in perfect accord with the progression of this fast-paced album. It climaxes with “Common Reactor,” leaving the listener gasping at the end of the ride with about a minute of pure noise. Sadly, the Pickups have manifested as a sort of one-trick pony; this year’s follow up Swoon proved to just be more of the same. Still I treasure this album, though it’s stature in my repertoire has diminished somewhat. I will always be thankful for the Silversun Pickups (and especially “Lazy Eye”) for giving me a much needed introduction to elementary shoegaze.

40. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!: The best thing about the YYYs is that they could have been the worst kind of one-trick pony. It’s not hard to imagine their sophomore and junior releases as just re-hash, 2.0 versions of Fever to Tell. With a debut like that, it’s almost inevitable that the band would be pigeonholed. It’s Blitz! (in true YYYs fashion) spits in the face of such a notion. Electronics and higher production standards seem now like an obvious move, but whether it was obvious or not, it was an excellent one. The electro touch compliments the unmistakable YYYs sound well, and the album is a delightful, easy pill to swallow because of it. While Show Your Bones showcased their new “mature” sound, sometimes the album suffered because of it. But It’s Blitz! thrives. The band sounds like they’re having so much fun, and it gives each track a fresh, heart-pumping excitement. “Soft Shock” is my favorite. All aspects of the song continually build up to what I consider the most epic and exciting track on the album. “Zero” was a perfect first single; fun, light, and a good example of the new direction of their sound. It’s experimental for them, it’s a step in a new direction, and it sounds like the band is having fun, which may have been the biggest thing missing from Show Your Bones.

39. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: I think the best words for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot are “delayed” and “gratification”. If you can deal with that, then this is one of the most rewarding listens on the whole list. It’s rich, but it’s subtle and challenging. It’s not weird, really; it’s deceptively simple. But when the glorious moments comes when you “get it” (in my case, at least – I’m sure there are plenty who got it the first time, and plenty who will never “get it”) it’s undeniable. “War on War” and “Kamera” have my vote for best tracks (I don’t know if that’s a xylophone or marimba or whatever at the end of the latter, but it’s brilliant), but “Jesus, Etc.,” “Pot Kettle Black,” “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” “I’m the Man Who Loves You,” and “Heavy Metal Drummer” are all peerless endeavors. In addition to all of the new sounds and bands that have sprouted up in the past decade, it’s been so exciting to see the maturation and flowering of the ones who already had so much promise in the nineties.

38. The Shins – Oh Inverted World: The Shins were unique among highly hyped “indie” bands of the decade. Their big break, hype, and popularity didn’t come about for several years after this album (their debut) was actually released. Their sophomore release Chutes Too Narrow had already come out by the time this one was being noticed. All thanks (let’s face it) to a shout out in Garden State. Well, that and the fact that it’s a fantastic piece of work. I bought the Garden State soundtrack, mostly for “Let Go” by Frou Frou. But by chance or fate, the two songs I was stuck on after “Let Go” had dissipated were “Caring is Creepy” and “New Slang”. Part of me wants to say that I bought the soundtrack before I even saw the movie, but at this point I couldn’t say for sure. What I do know is that The Shins did change my life, just like Natalie Portman said they would.

37. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam: This was my first foray into Animal Collective. I was… semi-impressed? At first. It seems logical now that before listening to Strawbery Jam none of my friends who were fans bothered to tell me what Animal Collective sounded like; I never asked, and can you honestly describe something that sounds like this anyway? Listening to Strawberry Jam, a seasoned AC fan couldn’t even compare it to Feels or Sung Tongs, really. Obviously they have their influences and trademark tricks they pull from, but Animal Collective stand as one of the most unique artists of the aughts (along with probably Sufjan, Joanna Newsom, and the Fiery Furnaces on a list I made up just now). I was never a fully fledged fan of Strawberry Jam until after liking Feels and this year’s MPP, but I’m glad I didn’t ever totally give up. “Fireworks” is more beautiful with each deeper look, which is shocking when I think of how it sounded to me initially, and “For Reverend Green” and “Peacebone” have some of the most singable choruses in the Animal Collective pantheon, and “Derek” makes me want to clap along. If only I could just convincingly do that scream thing Avey Tare does…

36. The Strokes – Is This It?: My general music taste took a radical shift mid-decade from butt rock and top 40 indulgence to the type of music seen on most of this list, but The Stroke’s debut Is This It? is one of the few albums I enjoyed pre-shift that’s survived to this my 24th year. I listened to “The Modern Age” on a whim recently, and it has ushered in a rekindled love affair with this album, and I think it’s been even more enjoyable this time than ever before. It’s just as strong and endlessly catchy and fun as it was when I heard “Last Nite” on the radio (a future karaoke staple for myself). It was the beginning of a bunch of hyped garage revival, but this proved at least one to outlast all that nonsense, as each song was so flawlessly executed. When I look back at the history of not just the music of this decade, but of myself this decade, Is This It? has a definite, irreplaceable spot of importance.

35. Britney Spears – Blackout: Poor, poor Britney. If the 2k decade was characterized by an unprecedented disintegration of genres and labels for music, for celebrities it was characterized by an unprecedented lack of privacy in some cases, and an unprecedented lack of shame in many others. In Britney’s case it was a weird melding of both. 2007 was the year of the Britney Breakdown. We last heard from Britney on the high notes of In the Zone (with the deviously delicious “Toxic”), and her Greatest Hits: My Prerogative a year later (and who could resist so many scrumptious bubble-gum pops hits in one package? – many I’m sure, but not me) fronted by the excellent cover of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative”. Blackout was a long time in the making, but as 2007 dawned it wasn’t long before we all believed it was doomed. Scarcely a month into the year we witnessed her “fall from grace” (the shaved head – unless you count marrying K. Fed as the fall… it’s a tough call), and nearly one year later it climaxed with her very public hospitalization and court-ordered conservatorship by her father. In between the almost never ending drama, Blackout was released. And it was FANTASTIC. It’s likely that she had little to do with it creatively, and whether it was because she didn’t care, wasn’t mentally capable at the time, or whatever won’t be significant in years (if it even is to begin with). The fact that it came out in a year I wasn’t sure she herself would make it through alive makes it all the more triumphant. “Gimme More,” “Break the Ice,” “Piece of Me,” and “Radar” are four of my all time Britney favorites, and while the rest is typical less-than-remarkable pop filler, as a whole it’s still highly enjoyable, and good for dancing and partying. Which is kind of what mainstream pop music is supposed to be, isn’t it?

34. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: It feels like I’ve had this album and known about Vampire Weekend forever. It’s almost an obligation to mention The Strokes, and that whole repetitive “hype and backlash” nonsense. But honestly I couldn’t care less if people will say they’re “nothing special,” or “unremarkable,” because “they” are wrong. What makes Vampire Weekend a special record is that it is chock full of tight, slick, exhilarating, pitch-perfect jams. It seemed well-worn and loved after the first listen. When you think of the hundreds of bands out there with even a modicum of talent, it’s clear that it takes one with something a little bit more to deliver such a power-punch of a debut.

33. Radiohead – Kid A: Let’s be honest, this isn’t always the easiest album to listen to. I’m a daily Pitchfork reader, and though I have my beefs with them (what p4k reader doesn’t), it’s a good place to go to read about music, and hopefully to find something you like. I love and enjoy Kid A, although by far the majority of my Radiohead plays are from OK Computer and In Rainbows. But I agree with the critics on this one, and I recognize the great importance it has had on the music scene through my teens and into my twenties. While electronic experimentalism was no secret in decades past, when a huge “rock” band like Radiohead tossed all their accumulated “rock” cred into a corner to do something out there like this (and do it WELL), it ushered in a new age of music. This decade has been full of genre melting, nay… destroying music, as good as or better than anything since the age of modern music began. And we are all the better for it. And I think that in a large part, it is due to this album.

32. The Rapture – Echoes: It’s impossible to read through even the blurbiest of small blurbs about The Rapture on Pitchfork without them mentioning the glorious arrival and backlash of this album and the initiation and backlash of the “dancepunk” genre. It is a little obnoxious, because a) half the time they’re the purveyors of the hype and backlash, b) six years later it doesn’t seem that important, and c) because the album has aged fantastically – although I never heard it in 2003, it’s still undeniably sweet in 2009. It does go to show how oftentimes things are hyped for a reason. And it’s not just the almighty “House of Jealous Lovers” that makes you want to get up and move; it’s just about every other track as well. I was very excited when a friend of mine pointed out “Echoes” in a scene from Superbad. Everyone’s jerking around and dancing and having a good time; it’s a perfect picture of how The Rapture’s debut should be heard and enjoyed. And to top it all off, what a freaking awesome name for a band.

31. of Montreal – Satanic Panic in the Attic: Hissing Fauna was such a masterpiece, Satanic Panic in the Attic is now that album that sounds and feels like the band was on the brink of something amazing. But in some ways it’s worn better than its younger bro. Sometimes epic, serious concept albums become laborious through repeated listens. The opening trio of songs on Satanic Panic has of Montreal doing some of their brightest, poppiest, and most enjoyable work and the album also has some of the Kevin Barnes’ best lyrical work. “Eros Entropic Tundra” and “City Bird” are graceful ballads, and of course “My British Tour Diary” and “Rapture Rapes the Muses” are what got me into the band in the first place.

30. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver: Sound of Silver is probably the most shockingly good, unexpectedly mature (in a good way) follow-up on this list so far. How could one improve on the sound of LCD Soundsystem? It was hard to conceive that something like that could be improved; which isn’t to say that their debut was perfect. It was party music. It was something I would listen to if I wanted to get pumped up and have a good time. The poignancy of Sound of Silver was completely unexpected. While there is no shortage of typical LCD party romps (“Time to Get Away,” “Get Innocuous,” “North American Scum”), nothing could have prepared me for “All My Friends,” and “Someone Great”. The themes are familiar, they’ve been expounded on by innumerable bands and James Murphy himself on his band’s debut. But the helpless, hopeless confusion of getting ever older, and the sorrowful realization of death epitomized in those two tracks would have been enough to carry a much less solid sophomore release.

29. Girl Talk – Night Ripper: It’s the ultimate party album. It has just about everything you’d want to hear, spliced together in tantalizing 30 second bits. I was on the fence about mash-ups before I heard Girl Talk. For every decent one I heard, there were five more misguided, bad ones. I was ambivalent about checking out Night Ripper as well until one fateful night at a friend’s when I heard the segment mashing The Black-Eyed Peas “My Humps” (of all things) with Annie’s “Heartbeat”. And that was just the start of it; for every favorite song melding, there are dozens more. The overload of sonic bliss was more than enough to begin a sordid love affair with Greg Gillis, seeing him three times in concert in one year, the first of which, at the Ottobar in Baltimore, is still one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever been to.

28. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow: The first Shins song I heard, besides the two tracks from Garden State, was “Fighting In a Sack”. It ended up shifting between my first and second most played song on iTunes for about four months before starting a new library. Listening to the album now I think that spot could have easily been held by any song on Chutes Too Narrow. As is common on albums by The Shins, the opening track is perfectly suited to start it off; “Kissing the Lipless” was another autobiographical track for me for some time, “Saint Simon” showcased some of The Shins best lyrics, and the video for “Pink Bullets” is one of the most adorable I’ve seen. And I don’t even like music videos all that much. And of course, as is common again on Shins albums, the last track “Those to Come” is an elegant closer to an elegant album; one that follows up on and improves everything about their already remarkable sound.

27. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: Spoon was another one of those bands to get a good start in the 90’s, but skyrocket to true awesomeness in the 2ks. They’ve always had a way with taking seemingly simple ideas and turning them all into pop gems. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, despite its weird name, is, so far, the apex of their combined efforts. “Don’t Make Me a Target” opens on an early high note with a killer riff and genius opening verse, giving way to an album full of the same – killer riffs, clever, cutting lyrics, Britt Daniels’ sexy, unique voice, and enough catchy melodies to make nearly every song worthy of favorite status. “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb,” “Don’t You Evah,” and “Rhthm & Soul” are all favorites of mine (the latter being probably my top favorite of Ga Ga…). The big hit of course was “The Underdog”; a (maybe) not-so-subtle shout out to themselves. But I’m not one to balk at occasional self-praise; Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga dares you to say they don’t deserve it.

26. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear: I was pretty sure I was missing a piece of the puzzle when I heard this album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard charts. Is this the same Grizzly Bear that almost put me to sleep with Yellow House? Don’t get me wrong, I loved Yellow House, but number 10? Well, the appeal was pretty easy to see after I started listening to the album. Veckatimest signaled a change in Grizzly Bear much like Microcastle had for Deerhunter only a few months before; a change from artsy, experimental, self-indulgence (I don’t use that word in a derogatory sense) to the immediate gratification of accessible pop music. The album exudes a strong sense of confidence; they know what they’re doing, and they know how to present their flashier side just as well as they explored their ability to wander and hypnotize with the sprawling tunes of their previous album. All the things I loved about Grizzly Bear returned better than ever; the vocal harmonies, the multi-instrumental beauty, epic refrains and choruses. It’s definitely made for one of the more surprising follow-ups from an already promising band.

25. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: The Soft Bulletin is literally flawless; one of the most lush, epic, unique and beautiful albums of the modern age, and a shoo-in for number one on this list had the album come out a year later. It marked the true departure for the Flaming Lips from their weird, noisy beginnings to the band we all think of today. With their new sound and monologues of critical acclaim, they released Yoshimi to show just how far they’d come. The Soft Bulletin might be my favorite album of all time, and while it was definitely The Flaming Lips’ critical breakthrough, Yoshimi was obviously their most commercially successful effort to date. “Do You Realize?” became the state rock song of Oklahoma, for goodness sake. And it’s not surprising; it’s one of their best songs. It walks a perfect line between sugary treacle and heart-on-sleeve, prophetic insightfulness; “you realize the Sun doesn’t go down/it’s just an illusion caused by the world spinnin’ ‘round.” Openers “Fight Test,” “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt 1,” and “One More Robot/Symphony 3001-21” are probably the three strongest songs on the album, but the dreamy instrumentals and general musings on life and love (something The Flaming Lips have always been pretty good at) coming to an epic climax with “Realize?” and the gradual denouement of “All We Have Is Now,” and “Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon” make for a very worthy follow up to one of the most brilliant albums of recent memory.

24. Guster – Ganging Up On the Sun: Ganging Up On the Sun wasn’t much more than just a light, enjoyable listen until last summer. In one of those rare occurrences I was listening to “Satellite” while taking a walk and the simple beauty of the song shone through; the song went on to be my numbered one, highest played on last.fm. It’s a bittersweet moment when Adam Gardner sings “maybe you will always be just a little out of reach.” “The Captain” showcases Gardner’s impressive tenor very well, and the instrumental solo at the end is exhilarating. “Ruby Falls” sounds like the story of friends rising like phoenixes out of the ashes of a failed relationship. The lyrics and themes of the album were manifesting to me at an all too perfect time in my life, and Ganging Up on the Sun will always be special because of it.

23. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic: Wayne Coyne is almost fifty years old. Keeping this in mind makes Embryonic a little more logical of a step for The Flaming Lips. It's a melding of all that they've done over the course of their career; squalling, noisy freakouts, lush, beautiful orchestral flourishes, psychedelic expoundations on love, loss, good, and, the newest ingredient of all, EVIL. This was the perfect album to end this year and this decade. It's a testament to their genius; the Lips continue to be one of the most inventive and fresh bands to grace the music scene. All I can think of when I finish "Watching the Planets" is how damn excited I am to see where they go next. And a naked Coyne with a bunch of naked bikers.

22. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit: The Life Pursuit was my first foray into Belle & Sebastian, so I listened without any knowledge of their lo-fi, DIY beginning. I was immediately impressed with how the high quality production went hand-in-hand so well with Stuart Murdoch’s mature-yet-precious pop. My favorite is probably still “Act of the Apostle” with it’s piano riff leading the way into the rest of the completely enjoyable song. The Life Pursuit doesn’t always have as strong of stand-outs as Dear Catastrophe Waitress, but as a whole, it’s the most pleasing B&S album since If You’re Feeling Sinister. It’s cohesive. I love the twist ending of “Funny Little Frog,” and the soaring “ba dah bad ah ba dah” chorus of “We Are the Sleepyheads.” The production is crystalline and elegant, which manifests best on “Act of the Apostle I/II” and “Song for Sunshine,” one of the few non Murdoch tracks to be as listenable as… well, the Stuart Murdoch tracks. This is one of those albums (and bands) that is always a treat to listen to. The peak of nearly all Mousetrap nights at the Black Cat in DC was when they would play something from The Life Pursuit.

21. Annie – Anniemal: Oh Annie, where do I start? Annie is where this list begins. Prior to hearing her marvelous debut, I was still mostly listening to Top 40 music and stuff I’d liked in high school (No Doubt, Incubus, Evanescence, 3 Doors Down). But one fortuitous day a friend played “Me Plus One” while we were driving, and I can honestly say that my life was never the same again. Having my own copy of Anniemal marked, for me, the first departure from the mainstream music of my regional home radio stations. It truly opened the door to the indie scene. Odd, considering Annie makes probably the most bubblegum saturated pop music I’ve ever heard. But my personal Annie legacy doesn’t end there. “Heartbeat” is still one of the most perfectly simple, pleasurable love songs ever. It was number one on my iTunes for many months, and a favorite to listen to whenever I’d find my thoughts turned to a certain, special someone (which was often). Like some sort of prophecy, I would listen and think of him, and my heart would drum to the beat like a symphony.

20. Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet: BYOP’sself-titled debut was one of those albums which I was inexplicably drawn back to. Over and over and over again. In fact, up until this past summer, BYOP was consistently ranked in my top twenty on last.fm, due almost entirely to the blood pumping rush of Be Your Own Pet (the rest being due mostly to “Becky). I guess there’s just something in me that can’t resist a powerful, high energy female front to a band, and Jemina Pearl is high-energy and powerful enough to give even Karen O a run for her money. She heightens everything about every song. Sometimes there’s a very good reason for the lead singer getting all of the attention. The whole album is so sure of itself. There are no duds, no lulls; it goes at breakneck speed from start to finish. I almost want to punch myself when I think that they were only like, 16 when this album came out.

19. The Postal Service – Give Up: Possibly the best collaborative “side-project” of the aughts, but I don’t think of The Postal Service as a side-project. A collaboration that can come up with ten of the most endlessly enjoyable pitch-perfect electro-pop love songs midway through the most transformative decade in music is more than just collaboration, it’s a blessing. It’s almost a shame that Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard have no desire to do a second Postal Service album, but I also think it’s better that way. Give Up now seems like the turning point of the past decade for music; the album title is almost a warning that the music world (and the rest of the world with it) was turning topsy-turvy, and that you may as well just abandon the old ways of doing things. It’s a good thing the content of the album wore so well; “Clark Gable,” “We Will Become Silhouettes,” “The District Sleep Alone Tonight,” “Brand New Colony,” and every other note that came from these blessed two has withstood the young years, and I look forward to being able to pull out The Postal Service long from now and still relish the simple words and beats, and the thoughts of love lost and found.

18. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals: It’s difficult to say which is the best Girl Talk album, Feed the Animals or Night Ripper? After all, each is basically made up of the same thing. But the appeal of a Girl Talk album has always been more than the sum of its parts; that moment when the samples come together to peak and bring about something that sounds more amazing and fun than just mashed up hits. That’s why I prefer Feed the Animals to Night Ripper – it’s stuffed with so many sugary high peaks; maybe it’s just the fact that I was anticipating this album so badly last year, and that it so fully and completely delivered. It was strange to think that all through the wait, the excitement wasn’t to hear new sounds, so much as to hear recycled sounds. What was I going to hear that I’d already heard before? “Umbrella,” “Paranoid Android,” “Girlfriend,” “Since U Been Gone” and so many, many, many others; I almost had a seizure when Ace of Base made its presence known in “Still Here,” and with the heaven sent mash up of Air and Britney Spears in “Give Me A Beat” is one of my favorite Girl Talk “peaks” of all.

17. Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights: It’s funny to look on my top albums picks, because with the exception of only one or two, almost all the ones I’ve chosen started out as a mere blip on the radar. Guess what Interpol started out as? I got the album in the summer of 07, and over the space of a year it slowly crept up on my awareness. It started out that I would listen to only the first four songs (still, with relish), but by early winter of ‘08 I had discovered the many hooks of “Say Hello to the Angels,” and the sweeping melancholy of “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down”. A friend of mine expressed that he could never “get into” Interpol because of their calculated persona (the matching suits, etc). I’m so glad I didn’t pay much attention to that. Thank goodness for discovering bands after the over-hyped debut.

16. Panda Bear – Person Pitch: Animal Collective has been the name of the game since the glorious night when my best friend played me both “Did You See The Words?” and “My Girls” in an effort to finally sway my opinion of the AC in anticipation of Merriweather Post Pavilion’s release the next week (it worked wonderfully). So after worshipping at the altar for a few months, I decided it was time to return to Person Pitch, which I’d shrugged off in 2007 as another effort of Animal Collective affiliates that I just didn’t “get”. But I got it this time, and now it’s ascended to the status of so many albums on this list: how can I live without it? I love the tempo changes in “Take Pills”, “Bros”, and “Good Girl/Carrots”. “I’m Not” is a beautiful interlude between the two epic 12+ minute opuses of “Bros” and “Good Girl/Carrots”. And, as if sensing the turmoil and upheaval of the next two years to come (and, let’s be honest, to set at ease the whole of recorded human history), Panda Bear admonishes us to ease up, sit back and just “have a good time”. Well spoken.

15. Joanna Newsom – The Milk-Eyed Mender: There was never a period where I just liked Joanna Newsom. I heard of her first after Y’s came out in 2006, but at the suggestion of a friend, I stayed away. I was warned about “the voice”. However, a year later I discovered the warning was needless because the second I heard “the voice” on “Peach, Plum, Pear” I was in love. I was changed, and it’s very likely my life has never been the same again. At least as far as music is concerned, but maybe in other ways. The love affair continued through every song on the album, as her old-spinster via 8 year-old girl voice whisked me away to a land of gumdrop houses, wise old gnomes, heroic unicorns, and lollipop lanes. It’s not even what the music is about of course, but her talent has the ability to transport her listener into the most whimsical, wonderful world that they didn’t even know existed. It’s a beautiful, safe place, and it’s always there waiting for me each time I listen. I don’t know if I’ve ever been affected so deeply by a single artist, but sometimes when I think of Joanna Newsom, I can shrug off my ever-present adult pessimism and relax; the world may be insurmountably unequal and corrupt, but nothing can be terribly wrong where music like this can be created and exist.

14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell: I’ll never forget the first time I heard Karen O foaming at the mouth on “Black Tongue”. Their debut album was a mile a minute romp of awesomeness with so much energy it nearly blew itself out, and made me perpetually nervous for their future as a band. This album, though flawed, was one of the most high-spirited, pure fun albums of the decade. “Rich” breaks open with one of the most deliciously raw and powerful riffs the YYYs have yet to unveil, and from there it’s a high-energy sprint through O’s orgasmic burst at the climax of “Date With the Night,” breathless chanting through “Tick” (another of my iTunes top 25s), “Maps” one of the most regal and beautiful songs of the decade, and finally culminating in the victory lap of “Y Control”. The YYYs have been one of my favorite bands since I first heard them, and though I’m glad their initial sound has advanced and evolved since Fever to Tell, the punch of their debut will probably always be my favorite.

13. The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism: I gradually became enamored of The Avett Brothers over the course of several months. Initially I only liked “Die Die Die” and “Will You Return?” However, I gave the album in it’s entirety to Adam, and at his suggestion, I began to listen to the rest. I’m very glad that I took his advice, because the whole work is full of poignant, bittersweet but well written love-songs (or in many cases unlove songs). For some reason when they sing over and over about how the love won’t work, it’s doesn’t bring you to despair; you never feel angry with the Brothers and their love-life ineptitude. Each song is rich with sincerity, earnestness and yes, emotion. “Paranoia in Bb Major,” “I Would Be Sad,” “Weight of Lies,” they all give the listener the sense that the Brothers certainly aren’t proud of the fact that they continuously fail at love, but because of their failures over the years they’ve learned a lot, and that the love lost has been worth it. They put it best themselves in “All My Mistakes;” “And I won’t go back/and I don’t want to/cause all my mistakes have brought me to you.” Amen.

12. The Fiery Furnaces – Blueberry Boat: Wow. That one word could almost suffice completely for this piece of genius. I only recently started to really dig the Fiery Furnaces. I had listened to Blueberry Boat before this fall, and I enjoyed it. Still it was extremely seldom that I played the album, and I clearly didn’t pay enough attention when I did because during the course of making this list, the sheer creativity and brilliance of this spectacular piece of awesomeness finally shone through. And since then I haven’t been able to get enough. “Quay Cur” is by far my favorite; initially it seems like the Freidberger siblings have packed it with more than they know what to do with, but as it comes to the show-stopping, tongue-twisting, back and forth mid-point the genius manifests. It’s the catchiest, most entertaining few minutes of just about any of the albums on here. And it’s only the first song. The genius keeps coursing through every second of every track. Even at an hour and sixteen minutes the album is never too much. It leaves me satisfied every time. And Matt Freidberger has a fucking sexy voice.

11. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time: I had expected this album to be a rip-off (albeit an enjoyable one) of The Shins due to endless, cheap comparisons between the two. But as it’s here in 13th place, hopefully it’s clear that it was much more than that (heck, it beat all three Shins records). Even the album artwork is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. From the first echoed chord of “The First Song,” I was in love. Ben Bridwell’s southern twang and the perfectly reverbed guitar swept me off my feet. The simple bass, drum, and guitar of “Our Swords” makes up one of the most modest, yet elegant songs I’ve ever heard. It’s not necessarily an album I think of when I think “epic,” but then I hear “The Funeral,” “The Great Salt Lake,” and the slow, majestic increase of “Monsters,” it’s really the only word for it.

10. of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?: I had a special place in my heart for break-up albums before I ever enjoyed listening to of Montreal (I spent hours listening to No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom), but this was the break-up album to end all break-up albums, mainly because it was nothing like most break-up concept albums. Every song wasn’t pining away; Kevin Barnes strove to illustrate not just the pain and suffering of heartbreak, but the coping, the monotony, and the effort to keep busy as well. Hissing Fauna made me start taking of Montreal seriously. The bassey thump of “Gronlandic Edit” and the light and spry “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” are still two of my favorite songs. But the real clincher comes (of course) with the epic “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” where all of his pain and suffering are laid bare for anyone listening. It takes a lot to write a 13 minute song and still have the whole thing be endlessly listenable. My favorite part is still the final song, “We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling,” where each “ah ah ah, ohhh waa ah ah” nearly breaks my heart. You know he’s going to be okay, but sympathy and empathy are powerful emotions, and an album which prudently and effectively evokes both is a memorable one.

9. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours: This album is pure enjoyment. It’s light, yet substantial, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. The plague of the 2k decade (in my opinion) has been an excess of irony. Irony took over far too much of music, fashion, movies, and television, using cheap fads and kitsch in place of sincerity and art. But there’s nothing ironic or jaded about In Ghost Colours, even though it’s easily one of the clearest throwbacks to eighties synth music. Paired with the release of Fleet Foxes around the same time, it seemed to mark the start of a comeback to heartfelt, earnest music (a trend that’s been repeated enough in the past two years for me to start calling it a trend). Touched by the Midas hand of the DFA, it’s an extremely hard album to not like, and each track has something special and fun to offer. The first build up and spillover of “Lights and Music” gets my heart racing every time, and the sweet, simple chant of “Feel the Love” makes me feel warm, safe, and happy. Add in the dozen or so equally awesome other tracks, and it’s… well, pretty awesome.

8. Architecture in Helsinki – In Case We Die: It’s strange how much an album can
change over repeated listens. When I first heard In Case We Die, it struck me as interesting, but not catchy at all, with the exception of perennial favorite “Frenchy, I’m Faking”. But, like with so many other albums I’ve come to appreciate over time, each song revealed a certain pop mastery. The music is unique and despite its not always linear construction the songs become catchier and more fun each time I listen. For a while, it seemed like “Maybe You Can Owe Me” was A in H’s unknown biography of my life, and “Do The Whirlwind” became a dual favorite in both its original form, and in the Hood Internet mash-up “That’s the Whirlwind.” My interest in the album started to cool, but was resurrected again when I found it on vinyl; the trademark pops and clicks and all the rest of the cornucopia of instruments they use stuck out even more. I think this was definitely one of the most remarkable and unique albums of the decade.

7. Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Continued: Seeing Microcastle at number 7 makes me happy that I get to make this list now, instead of a year or two ago. With the exception of The Fiery Furnaces’ Blueberry Boat, Deerhunter have probably made the biggest leap up this chart since I began making it in February. Deerhunter was like Animal Collective for me; I just didn’t like it. But like with AC, I needed the pop. I needed to hear that one unforgettable song or hook, then I would be a fan forever. That hook came with “Nothing Ever Happened,” the first single off Microcastle. Since this dual LP, I’ve been able to go back and enjoy Deerhunter’s other work, but this is my favorite. I love the shoegaze haze of “Never Stops,” the back and forth “old black bandit” banter of “Saved By Old Times,” and the rich texture of the otherwise very simple “Calvary Scars.” Weird Era keeps up the pace with a more spacious sound, but rip with hooks and melody on tracks like with “Vox Humana,” “Vox Celeste,” “VHS Dream,” and the majestic and beautiful “Calvary Scars II/Aux Out.” After a year of listening to Deerhunter more and more and more, I doubly rescind anything negative I said about them after Cryptograms. I’ll eat my words: it was my fault – I totally didn’t get it.

6. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion: I was not prepared to like Animal Collective. Before this album, it was a stretch to enjoy just about anything I heard by them; it seemed excessive and too purposefully weird. But once again, I spoke (or thought) too quickly. Not until I heard the pop bliss of the entirety of Merriweather Post Pavilion could I go back and appreciate the wonderful, creative genius that has been flowing from the Animal Collective since their radical shift towards melody on Sung Tongs. “My Girls” gets more exhilarating each time (those chimes!), as do “Daily Routine” (a toss-up for one of my most favorite AC songs) and “Also Frightened”. It’s a synesthetic experience; you can practically hear the colors and taste the textures of their music. And I think the band is in on it; “do you appreciate the subtleties of taste buds?”. Avey Tare and Panda Bear make glorious harmonies on “Summertime Clothes,” and even the crazy, electronic ADD shoegaze break in the middle of “Brother Sport” is hypnotic and deliciouisly delightful. I have no idea where they will go from here, but I will be avidly awaiting any and all Animal Collective material from now on.

5. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois: I’m not really sure where to start with this one. If I had made this list two years ago, this album likely would have topped it all. In my (and anyone who’s fallen in love with his soft, lilting voice and outstandingly impressive arrangements) never ending impatience for Sufjan’s next proper album, the scope and wonder of Illinois has diminished somewhat. But it’s difficult to not get roused and excited the moment you hear the horns and woodwinds on “Come On, Feel the Illinoise!”, or when the almost shoegaze shimmer of “Chicago” comes to its climax with what sounds like ten backing marching bands. I made an incredibly nerdy point to drive through Illinois listening to Illinois on my drive across country with my brother (inspired spur-of-the-moment when driving past an exit for Highland). And of course it was awesome. Even though his next album (state album or not) still can’t come soon enough, the scope, imagination and sheer talent encompassed in Illinois is hard to forget.

4. Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog: Fan criticisms of this album reference the fact that it’s “too produced”. Whether or not this is true is a matter of opinion of course. For me this was my first taste of Iron & Wine (other than their cover of “Such Great Heights” on the Garden State Soundtrack, which wasn’t a very good introduction), and I think it’s nearly perfect. It brings Iron & Wine’s already immaculate, backwoodsy, southern-comfort folk songs into the 21st century. The production is never too much, always just enough, and is the perfect example of the melding of modern technology with folk throwback. And it’s a perfect complement to the progression of Sam Beam’s sound, first flirted with on Our Endless Numbered Days, and with his collaboration with Calexico. “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car” comes in so catchy and hooky, it’s almost impossible for me to not listen to the whole album each time I hear the opening. My top song of 2007 “Innocent Bones” still strikes me as one of the loveliest songs ever created; it still has the third highest play count of any of my songs on iTunes. “Every mouth sings of what it’s without/so we all sing of love”. Not anymore, I don’t. But genius still.

3. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: Just when I had passed off 2008 as being an off year as far as new music goes, Fleet Foxes goes and releases their self-titled debut, giving me one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s still my top played album on last.fm. From the moment I heard “White Winter Hymnal” I was a changed man, and I think I listened to it thirty times the very first day. It wasn’t long before I was in love with every song on the album. The musical progression of “Sun It Rises,” “White Winter Hymnal,” and “Ragged Wood” still give me goose bumps. Fleet Foxes weren’t the first to try whole band harmonizing, but they’re probably the ones who did it best. From the first note of the album to the ending of “Oliver James”, you wish it would never stop. The whole thing is so lovingly created, and it will forever remind me of the summer of 2008, one of the best of my life, and one that changed me forever.

2. Radiohead – In Rainbows: I was a latecomer to Radiohead, and the original release of In Rainbows was eclipsed by the fact that I was just barely getting into OK Computer. Still, waiting to appreciate something as grand and satisfying as this album was worth the wait. I remember one day last fall when after wearing out OK Computer and Kid A for about eight months, I finally put this album back on to listen, and I was immediately hypnotized by the drum machine of “15 Step”. The album is a complete success, and the song progression just stacks the triumphs higher. It’s an effortlessly enjoyable listen, and each song seems in the perfect place; to specially mention one is to mention all. It was a perfect complement to their past decade of output. A record this long in the making shouldn’t sound nearly so effortless. But after confounding all expectations with pretty much their whole catalogue, I believe In Rainbows tops it all, because for once the band finally sounds like they’re having the fun you’d expect while breaking boundaries.

1. Joanna Newsom – Y’s: Many albums I love wholeheartedly could have taken this top space, but none fit as well as this one. Y’s was and is unlike any other album to come out in this decade. Precious few artists have been able to reach and touch me on as many levels as Joanna Newsom, and this album eclipsed all expectations I had from her previous but still brilliant work. According to an interview I read, she claims four of the five songs on the album were written concerning four specific, unrelated, life-changing experiences she had in the course of a year. The fifth song, the epic 16+ minute “Only Skin” weaves and relates the others together, trying to make sense of them and accept them. The result is grand and beautiful in every way. You can construct, deconstruct and analyze the lyrics over and over (as I’ve done), and still come no closer to a concrete meaning than the first time you heard it. But that’s part of the magic; the album retains the sense that she wrote it as much for herself as for any fan, and that is something I have the utmost respect for. Before I heard this, I had falsely believed that only reading a book could take me to a place of such imagination, description and depth. I will forever be in debt to the beauty and imagination of Joanna Newsom’s masterpiece.

Predictions for a new decade

2009-10-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Prediction #1:

Whole Foods will become the new Apple of product placement in the entertainment industry.

2009-10-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

I rule. I got all but one of my first predictions right, and still two of my speculations. Without going into what should have place higher and what shouldn't have, I was disappointed that the following were not on the list:

Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Be Your Own Pet - Be Your Own Pet
of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Menomena - I Am The Fun Blame Monster (and I wouldn't have been sad to see Friend and Foe)
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Pinback - Summer in Abaddon
The Strokes - Room on Fire
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup or Gulag Orkestar were both equally worthy

But whatever. It makes me look forward to having my own list done.

Top 200 Albums of the Decade

2009-10-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, this week Pitchfork's been doing their 200 album countdown of best music from the decade. So far it's been kind of meh, with the exception of today. But after visiting the website almost daily for about three years, I expect to make numerous complaints when they do such a list. Today was a little more encouraging. I'm still hard at work making my own top 100 list for the decade, which I'll post at the end of the year. I made my own point system, and it's been pretty long work listening to over 100 albums and trying to give them placements, and honestly I've lost a bit of the fervor I had when I started.

This is just to amuse myself. Tomorrow they're unveiling their choices for the top 20 albums of the 2ks. And if I know this website as well as I think I do, I think I may be on the nose in my predictions. I don't know what order they'll be in, but I'm pretty sure I can guess a good number of the ones that will be on it.

Radiohead - Kid A (it's a too obvious number one for them; I'm hoping they'll surprise us with a worthy upstart)
Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Knife - Silent Shout
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Be Your Own Pet - Be Your Own Pet
Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
The Strokes - Is This It?
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

I'm nearly positive that all of those will all have a place somewhere. I know there will be a few rap albums I haven't heard a lick of, and probably won't ever, but I'm not concerned with any of those.

Ones I'm less positive about, but still speculative:

Daft Punk - Discovery
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog (I'm not too sure about this, but imho it should post very high)
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (they wrote at the start of the list that there were no more than three albums by any artist on the whole list, but it seems like a travesty if they leave this off)
Outkast - Stankonia
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic?

I know the last one hasn't even come out yet, but I can dream.

Pop Culture Theory

2009-08-16T10:54:00.001-07:00

Every once in awhile I like to make parallels between old and new pop culture, and yesterday I had a little epiphany.

Adam and I were feeling a bit nostalgic, so we decided to watch Titanic. I was in 7th grade when that movie came out twelve (twelve!) years ago, and that movie always brings to mind the Titanic hysteria in the world of 1997's 12-13 year-old kids.

I'm sure no one has to be reminded, but girls my age fell for the Titanic love story in DROVES. Everywhere I looked in my middle school there were girls wearing plastic "Heart of the Ocean" necklaces from Claire's. They would grab hands and spin around in circles during recess, a la Jack and Rose spinning around on the table in that one scene (you know the one). The radio stations were inundated with requests for "My Heart Will Go On," which I'm sure we ALL remember. There were even "remixes" with cheesy dialogue from the movie, which my older sister dutifully taped off the radio. Her favorite one was the remix with dialogue between Jack and Rose, of course.

Then there was the Leo mania. Fans were mobbing Leo, and it took several bad movies and an under the radar five year hiatus for him to move on to what he is now.

Is Twilight not the new Titanic? Of course, the broad appeal of Titanic doesn't quite match the target audience of Twilight; Titanic is the highest grossing movie ever, and I know Twilight doesn't even come close on that count. But the way the teenage fanbase has reacted in their obsession with the movie, books, and last but not least Rob Pattinson, I think Twilight is TOTALLY the new Titanic. And I love it. Who doesn't love a new pop culture phenomenon? (And I mean an actual one - not The Hills).

Modern Music

2009-07-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Finally! For the first time in what seems like forever I've become invested and interested in new music releases. So far, 2009 has proved a rich, rewarding year for new releases. I'm usually very particular about what I listen to; meaning, I know when I'm in the mood for a certain album or artist. And for the first time in almost two years that mood has revolved around new albums and artists. Of course, many of my music obsessions for the year also hail from years other than 2009. Here are what's been in near constant rotation on my ipod this year; for the most part, all of these albums are enjoyable through and through, but I've noted some of my favorite selections:

New releases:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!; the best thing about the YYYs is that they could have been the worst kind of one trick pony. But they've shown remarkable growth over the years I've listened to them, and their latest is no exception. In fact, it builds and improves on all the elements of their arsenal. I think an electronic edge was just the thing they needed.
Favorite songs: Soft Shock, Heads Will Roll, Dull Life, Skeletons, Zero

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest; such a surprisingly good album! And I never would have thought that this band would be one to explode. I remember seeing them open for Feist and thinking that although their music was pretty, but with the exception of "Easier" and "Knife" it was way too boring to actually go anywhere. I was very wrong, as this album is one of the most listenable and impressive follow ups I've ever heard. Especially by a band that could have gone either way.
Favorite songs: Two Weeks, Southern Point, While You Wait for the Others, All We Ask, Fine For Now

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca; despite putting it on this list, I can't find anything I think is all that remarkable about the Dirty Projectors, other than the fact that they have some unusual song arrangements, and pleasing harmonies. But this album is definitely a fun and easy to listen to. And I listen to it a lot, so there must be something special here.
Favorite songs: Cannibal Resource, Temecula Sunrise, Useful Chamber,

Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP and Manners; I'm not sure when the EP was released, but I started listening to both it and the full length album at the same time, so I'm including them together. For me, Passion Pit came out of nowhere, recommended to me by one of my best friends because it would be "my new summer jam album," to which she was completely spot on. This band is nothing but exhilaration, excitement, and pleasure.
Favorite songs: Cuddle Fuddle, Sleepyhead, The Reeling, Moth's Wings, Swimming in the Flood (and pretty much everything else)

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns; Bat for Lashes' first album was pretty average except for "What's a Girl To Do?," although Natascha Khan had an undeniably beautiful voice. Two Suns improves remarkably on her talents, and the whole album is much more cohesive (and interesting).
Favorite songs: Glass, Two Planets, Daniel

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career; Camera Obscura are so much less the Belle and Sebastian knockoff (although it was an enjoyable knockoff) that they used to be, and this album is their most impressive so far.
Favorite songs: French Navy, The Sweetest Thing, My Maudlin Career

Older releases:

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs, Feels, Strawberry Jam, Merriweather Post Pavilion; even though MPP came out this year, I'm including AC in older releases because I never really appreciated this band (like, at all) until this album came out. Before now I thought they were kind of kitschy and weird although they had a few fun tunes, but the release of Merriweather prompted me to take them much more seriously, and see that they are truly one of the most talented and innovative bands of all time. Seriously. Watch out for these guys because they're changing the way we think of music. The music they make is beyond description; it's like nothing I've ever heard. I'm so glad I am finally able to appreciate them for the geniuses they are, not just for Merriweather, but for a lot of their previous work as well.
Favorite songs: Did You See the Words?, My Girls, Fireworks, Brother Sport, Daily Routine, For Reverend Green, Chores, Leaf House, Grass, Banshee Beat, and so many more.

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Clouds Taste Metallic; I'm still continuing my love affair with The Soft Bulletin, but have also come to appreciate the quirks of Yoshimi... as well as the earlier work in Clouds. I can't express how much I'm looking forward to their new release this fall.
Favorite songs: Slow Motion, Buggin', Race for the Prize, A Spoonful Weighs a Ton, The Spark That Bled, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, Fight Test, Do You Realize?, and countless others.

Deerhunter - Microcastle, Weird Era Continued; Microcastle was one of my top albums of 2008, but I didn't come to fully appreciate it until this year. I think it took a solid love of My Bloody Valentine first or something. But my Deerhunter listenage has grown exponentially in the last few months. I love the shoegaze haze of their music; it's hypnotizing.
Favorite songs: Never Stops, Agoraphobia, Little Kids, Saved By Old Times, Microcastle, Nothing Ever Happened, Vox Humana, Calvary Scars, Calvary Scars II/Aux Out, Dot Gain

The Magnetic Fields - Holiday, Charm of the Highway Strip, 69 Love Songs; mostly I find myself listening to Holiday on repeat. 69 Love Songs is epically fantastic, but a little taxing to try and listen to all at once. Charm of the Highway strip shows tremendous growth from Holiday. I enjoy all three, but Holiday gives me the most enjoyment; 90's synth music is kind of hard to come by. It's not really an instrument/sound associated with mid nineties music. But one thing permeates all three albums, and that is Stephen Merrit's awesome lyrics. Catchy, yet clever, ironic, and complex, it harmonizes perfectly with their indie-pop sound.
Favorite songs: In My Secret Place, Deep Sea Diving Suit, Strange Powers, Take Ecstacy, Absolutely Cuckoo, Crazy For You (But Not That Crazy), and (once again) so many more.

My Top 50 Buffy Moments

2009-05-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've started re-watching my favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think I've waited the perfect amount of time, because I'm relishing every episode. Even the campy, silly first season had me laughing and just as deep into the plotline as the other seasons. It's been awhile since I've been able to fully appreciate a Buffy episode the way I used to, so this has been really fun and refreshing for me. I decided to make a list of my top 50 Buffy Moments and post it in here for fun. It's not very comprehensive, and I know there are tons of moments I've probably missed, not to mention the ones that just didn't make the cut. Also, I tried to add some pictures, but I guess I need some more practice with that, because it was kind of a disaster. Whatevs. I hope you enjoy!

50. Buffy lets Dracula drink from her; "Buffy vs Dracula."

I really enjoy this episode, especially when she lets him drink from her. Obviously it's not the first time Buffy's had her blood sucked by a vampire. Just more evidence that Buffy will always be in love with death (as Spike tells her in a later episode), not to mention vampires.

49. Oz leaves Willow; "Wild at Heart."

I was going to say that I saw this coming, but since I started this show by watching reruns on FX starting midway through season 5, it's a moot point. Although I didn't dislike Tara, I was always a bigger fan of Oz and Willow. The situation parallels what Buffy and Angel went through; Oz can never fully be there for Willow, because as of this episode he's starting to come to terms with the fact that the werewolf isn't just a full moon thing, it's a constant presence. So sad; they were my second favorite couple on the show.

48. Anya and Willow's bickering over Xander; "Triangle."

I love when Willow gets to show her claws a little. Since she's usually so docile and cheery, I always enjoy when she and Anya argue with each other. They've pretty much disliked each other from the beginning, and they both make it known to the other. I liked their exchanges in this episode most because, while being hilarious, you see that each side has a legitimate concern about the others involvement with mutual friend/love interest Xander. Plus, they both look so cute in this episode.

47. Joyce hits on Xander; "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."

As soon as Cordy and Xander get to Buffy's house, you just know this is going to happen. But it still doesn't make it any less funny, especially since Joyce plays it so cool. She even inconspicuously gets Cordelia to leave the room while she tries to put the moves on Xander. I really think Joyce gets some of the best moments on this show.

46. Buffy hallucinates about being in the psychiatric ward (or does she?); "Normal Again."

What a cool concept for an episode! What a fantastic "what if?"! Especially when we learn that Buffy's parents actually did take her to a mental hospital when she first became a Slayer, it really does leave the viewer wondering if maybe this whole Hellmouth, Sunnydale thing is the real hallucination.

45. Hush in it's entirety; "Hush."

What a brilliant episode. Everyone always cites Hush and Once More With Feeling as two of the most groundbreaking episodes in television. At least, fans of the show do (and they're right). While I love OMWF, it was never an episode which beared a lot of repeat viewing for me. Not so for Hush. Hush is the turning point of the fourth season. Willow meets Tara, and they share a majik moment; you can just see how the two of them combining their majik skills means so much more than just this one moment in one episode. Buffy and Riley kiss! Giles does his fantastically bloody overhead projector montage explaining the legend of The Gentlemen, while Anya giddily watches and eats popcorn. Buffy mimes slaying (or masturbation)! The praises of this episode cannot be sung enough.

44. Military Xander on Halloween; "Halloween."

I loved how Xander finally became useful in this episode. His military training came in handy so much, and I just loved his transformation from goofy Xander to uber serious comando.

43. Willow's spell on the scythe; "The Chosen."

I have a general distaste for most of season 7 (almost entirely because of the OBNOXIOUS potential Slayers, most of all Kennedy; I hate to admit that my respect for Willow dipped a little when she kissed that stupid tramp). But I loved this last episode. It serves as Willow's penance for her Dark Willow rampage; the symbolism of her flowing white hair during the spell gets me tingly. Who would have ever thought that shy, stuttery, "softer side of Sears" Willow from the beginning of this series would end up being the real hero?

42. Xander and Buffy's reconciliation; "Seeing Red."

Although Xander and Buffy have had their fights, it's clear that Buffy has always been up on a very high pedestal in Xander's mind. His crush on her never really died until he hears the truth about Buffy and Spike's relationship. When the two of them reconcile in Buffy's backyard, we can see just how deep the rift has become between not just himself and Buffy, but between Buffy and everyone. It's been quite the dark season, and this scene (coupled with Willow and Tara's reconciliation) gives us that one faint glimmer of hope that things are going to be alright for the Scoobies. Of course, like always, we're wrong, but this moment stands apart.

41. Cordelia discusses boyfriend stealing with Vamp Willow; "Dopplegangland."

I just love Cordelia. A little part of me died when she left the show. This is one of my favorite Cordelia moments; you see the complete boredom on Vamp Willow's face, Cordelia's complete obliviousness to the situation, and of course, plenty of Cordeliaisms. "We kept being put in these life or death situations, and that's always all sexy!"

40. Buffy hears all of the Scoobies thoughts; "Earshot."

While each character's thoughts are pretty predictable, it's still hilarious to actually hear them. Oz thinks a long philosophical rant about Buffy's new power, but only utters a little "hmm." Xander, now that he knows his thoughts are being monitored by Buffy, thinks of sex even more than he already does. And of course, Cordelia just says whatever she's thinking.

39. Angel drinks from Buffy; "Graduation Pt. 2."

Several episodes earlier, the First tells Angel that eventually he will drink Buffy. It happens. I always wonder about this scene; it's so complex. I have no doubt Angel is getting unthinkable pleasure from a) finally drinking human blood again, b) finally drinking Slayer blood, c) drinking Buffy's Slayer blood. I've hypothesized before that Buffy likes to have her blood sucked. In a weird way, I feel like this scene is the second time they have sex.

38. Giles binds Bad Willow; "Two to Go."

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that one of the reasons season six was so dark and full of personal turmoil for all the characters involved is due in part to Giles' absence. With Joyce dead, and Giles back in England, there's no stabilizing, rational adult influence, and the lives of the Scoobie gang sort of just fall apart. Giles is the last person I expected to show up for a showdown with Evil Willow, but I was sooo glad he did.

37. Harmony and Xander's girl fight; "The Initiative."

I don't really think a description is necessary for this one. It cracks me up every time.

36. Angel kills Darla; "Angel."

It's hard to understand the importance of Darla if you've only watched Buffy and not Angel. But when the relationship between Darla and Angel is fully explored in the spinoff series, this scene gains so much more importance. Darla and Angelus terrorized the world for over a century; she sired him, she taught him. Add in Darla's relationship with The Master, and this scene becomes one of the most important of the series, I think. Angel kills Darla without a second thought because all of his and Darla's history means nothing when compared to how much he loves Buffy.

35. Spike can't feed on Willow; "The Initiative."

This episode is important in and of itself because we learn about the chip implanted in Spike's head. It sets his character for the rest of the series. But this scene is the best one. I love Spike's twisted emotional moments with the characters of this show (at least, the ones before he gets soft, realizing his love for Buffy). Spike laments that he can't perform, and a lovelorn Willow believes that it must be her fault. Adorable.

34. Xander leaves Anya at the altar; "Hells Bells."

This always angered me. For all of the braveness Xander's shown throughout the series (he may be the Zeppo, but he really is a brave guy, considering he's the only character that never has any sort of superpower), for some reason, he just can't settle down with Anya, even though they love each other, and the reasons for his cold feet are completely fabricated. I feel for Anya, because she's done nothing but prove she's loyal to Xander, and in no way deserves this punishment. But also, I begrudgingly understand where Xander's coming from. He's what, 20, 21? That's pretty early for a guy to be getting married.

33. Gwendolyn Post gets the glove of Myneghon; "Revelations."

I love this scene because it's the first time Buffy and Faith fight each other, and that's always fun. Former watcher Gwendolyn Post sows the seeds of discontent between them, and pits them off against each other in her quest for power. We also see Faith's need for approval and for an authority figure. And Angel is semi-accepted back into the group after saving Willow.

32. Spike tries to woo manniquin Buffy; "Triangle."

Spike's so new in his realization that he loves Buffy. I love this scene because it's probably exactly how a scene between Spike and the real Buffy would play out, minus hitting her over the head with the chocolates. And I love that he's stolen some of her clothes to put on the mannequin.

31. Willow restores Angels' soul; "Becoming Pt. 2."

Jenny Calendar could work powerful majiks, but even she wasn't sure she could perform the spell of soul restoration. Willow has very little experience with majik so far, but in this scene we see just how potentially powerful a witch she can become. Already she's beginning the character arc which takes us all the way to Dark Willow, and to her spell on the Slayers at the end of the series.

30. Dawn's first appearance; "Buffy vs Dracula."

When I got to this episode, I knew Dawn would be in there somewhere (as I said, I started the show midway through reruns of season 5; it took a few months of watching the series on reruns and rented DVDs to get back to this point). But it was a perfect introduction for an integral character, and her personality. Dawn spent most of her time in this season being an annoying little sister. Even though I already knew Dawn's history, it was fun to see her just being there with no explanation, like she'd always been a part of the Summer's household.

29. Buffy and Faith switch back to their rightful bodies; "Who Are You?"

I've always been sympathetic towards Faith, even when she was at her worst. When Faith is letting loose on her own body, unleashing all the rage she feels towards herself, she becomes human again. She's not a psychopath like everyone has labeled her; the viewer sees that she's incredibly unhappy, and she doesn't know how to deal with all the wrongs she's done. Her two episodes in season four, and her subsequent stint on Angel show her humanity, and solidifies her as one of my favorite characters.

28. Oz and Cordelia walk in on Xander and Willow; "Lover's Walk."

Cordelia and Oz are probably my two favorite Buffy characters. I was so annoyed at the whole Xander/Willow hooking up, mostly for Cordy and Oz's sake. The scene sets the stage for Cordelia's drift from the Scoobies, her departure from the show, the introduction of Anya, and Cordelia's legitimate anger towards the Scoobies (she gets impaled for goodness sake!).

27. Defeat of Adam with the conjoining spell; "Primeval."

With the exception of The First, Adam is my least favorite villain. But I've always thought that season four was less about the big bad, and more about the Scoobie's maturation from high schoolers to young adults. All of the internal fighting between Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles is all put to rest with this awesome spell. And visually, it's one of the coolest scenes in the show.

26. Buffy finds out Angel is a vampire; "Angel."

I can't begin to imagine the internal conflicts that were brought out in both Buffy and Angel after she sees his true face. If only they knew what was in store...

25. Angel and Buffy's last dance; "The Prom."

Their love was so poetic and tragic, and from the moment Buffy and Angel are reunited in season three, it was obvious that it would never work out. The whole season deals with the fact that both of them know the moment of their break-up was imminent. But this scene serves as one last peaceful reminder of how deep their love is. I thought it was so decent for him to let her have her perfect prom night. At least, as perfect as any supposed "normal" night can be for Buffy.

24. Xander and Cordelia kiss; "What's My Line Pt. 2."

Xander and Cordelia are my favorite couple on the whole show. They were the most short-lived, but provide the most entertainment. My sister said they remind her of Han and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back; bickering, annoyed, etc., yet undeniably attracted to each other. I love their feeble arguments leading up to the big moment. You just know it's going to happen, and when it does, it's spectacular.

23. Giles leaves Sunnydale; "Bargaining Pt.1."

While Buffy's death is hard on everyone, you just know it's especially deep for Giles. He's been her father figure for the past several years, and the two of them have been through more than probably any other duo in the show. It's natural that Giles would leave Sunnydale, and it sets the stage for all of the hardships of this dark season. And who doesn't chuckle when Tara gives him the little finger puppet monster, and the trademark Mutant Enemy "Grrr, arrgh!"

22. Willow and Oz's last goodbye; "New Moon Rising."

I think this scene hits me pretty hard, as I'm gay and went through the inner anguish of knowing that someday I'd have to tell everyone close to me. It's a scary thing. But Oz is so gracious and accepting of Willow, and the knowledge that she's a lesbian now. He still loves her so much, which I think makes it easier for him to understand and support her. It's a simple, yet very touching scene, and it gives them the goodbye they didn't get to have the first time.

21. Anya's death monologue; "The Body."

I was never really impressed with Emma Caulfield's acting on Buffy; I liked her and her character, but this scene is what changed my mind about her abilities. It's clear how heartbroken and sad she is at Joyce's death, and she's expressing it the only way she knows how. Willow snaps at her (typically) for being so blunt, but when she starts to tear up and talk about how much this affects her, you see how different her perception is from everyone else's. She really doesn't understand death because as a demon, it's never affected her firsthand.

20. The First haunts Angel as Ms. Calendar; "Amends."

I'd already seen season seven when I watched this episode, so I already knew about The First. I thought it was so clever and appropriate that it would manifest first as Ms. Calendar. She was prepared to make her own amends and restore Angelus' soul, but he kills her. It's such a chilling reminder that Angelus was a horrific monster, and that Angel has so much to atone for.

19. Riley meets and fights Angel; "The Yoko Factor."

A lot of my fellow Buffy watchers didn't like Riley very much, but I did. I thought he was a good, decent man, who had more to offer Buffy than any of her other suitors ever did. I still liked Angel and Buffy of all the Buffy couplings, but I always loved how Riley was like the knight in shining armor. I thought this was a fun interaction between Buffy's two love interests.

18. The Master kills Buffy; "Prophecy Girl."

The Master was such an intriguing villain; I wish they could have done more with him. Obviously the first season of the show was a little limited in what they could do, but this is my favorite scene with the Master. He lets Buffy know how she played right into the hands of the prophecy, right before he drinks her and kills her. And he lets her know it's all her own doing. "Think about that."

17. Buffy has sex with Spike; "Smashed."

This scene was so well written, directed, and shot. Buffy's in so much turmoil, and much as she hates to admit it, Spike is the only one she can turn to. It's violent, it's bittersweet, and it seems almost inevitable. I didn't like Buffy and Spike together, but it was necessary, and made sense for both of their characters.

16. Faith accidentally kills the Deputy Mayor; "Bad Girl."

Buffy could have so easily been the one to accidentally kill the Deputy Mayor. I loved the Faith going bad scenario, because although their personalities differ, it could so easily have been Buffy.

15. Buffy convinces Dawn to not reanimate Joyce; "Forever."

This is the scene that got me to start watching Buffy religiously. They were both in so much pain, and neither one knew what to do. I want for people who doubt Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting abilities to see this scene. Also, this scene allowed me to sympathize with Dawn a little more. By now, she knows that she's the Key, and she knows the entire memory of her life is a sham. Add that she just lost her mother, and her motives become understandable and sympathetic.

14. Class Protector; "The Prom."

This was such a sweet, well deserved moment. Buffy spent her entire high school career being such an outcast; so much had happened to her, and it's amazing that she could deal with it all. In this scene, she's finally recognized as someone who's made a difference. It touches me every time.

13. Buffy reveals to Spike that she was in Heaven; "After Life."

Spike really is the only person she could have confessed this to, as he is the only one who didn't help with the ressurection spell, and she knows that telling him won't make him worry in the same way that it would Dawn, Willow, Xander, etc. With her confession, a Buffy/Spike relationship becomes a real possibility, whereas before it would have been impossible to imagine.

12. Tara dies; "Seeing Red."

So unexpected, and so heartbreaking. It's the first violent, non-demon murder in the show, and it's no wonder it drives Willow over the edge, even when she'd been doing so well in her recovery. They'd only been back together for one episode!

11. Angel's one moment of happiness; "Surprise."

The Angelus scenario of season two will always be my favorite story arc. When I first saw this season, I identified so strongly with what had happened to Buffy. It's like the ultimate nightmare for a vulnerable, emotionally fragile youth. She sleeps with someone and he turns on her; he becomes evil. Her pain becomes a joke, and you can't even begin to know how she's going to have to deal with the whole thing. Buffy matures so much after this.

10. Giles gets fired; "Helpless."

It's the last thing I expected. Giles fired from the Watcher's Council?? The person who was the most stable, consistent character on the show goes through such a complete transformation afterwards. While he gets to showcase his cooler side a bit when Wesley's around, it leads the way for his "mid-life crisis," so to speak, in the fourth season. And it's fun to see how much he and Buffy have in common in the aftermath of his sacking.

9. Angel breaks up with Buffy; "The Prom."

This goes hand in hand with their last dance, but the moment where Angel finally confronts Buffy to talk about the things they both already know but are too afraid to admit to themselves or each other is so heartbreaking. They and we all know it's for the best, and it's the only way it could end peacefully. For Buffy and Angel, the whole of season three was a coming to terms that they were from two different worlds, and that in spite of their huge love for each other, there was no way it could ever realistically work out. As Joyce says in the beginning of the episode, Buffy is very mature and has had to grow up fast. But when it comes to Angel, she's just like any other romantic young adult.

8. Willow goes to the Bronze disguised as Vamp Willow; "Doppelgangland."

Probably my favorite Willow scene ever. She's so awful at trying to be bad; it's hilarious, and so incredibly endearing. It sets the tone for Willow and Anya's later animosity. And it has one of my favorite lines in the whole series: "I'm a bloodsucking fiend!! Look at my outfit..."

7. Buffy hears the prophecy of her death at the hands of the Master; "Prophecy Girl."

Another scene to turn to if you doubt SMG's acting ability. Her pain is legit, and her frustration and anger at Giles and Angel is justified. Though there have been some dire situations in the Scoobie gang this past season, none of them (purposefully, I'm sure) show the real danger in Buffy's occupation. The prophecy is not just that she might die. She will die. It's a certainty, and no one, not Angel, Giles, Willow, Xander, or Buffy can do anything about it. Up to this point, Buffy's always had someone to fall back on and help her, whether it's Angel, Giles, or her friends. This is the first time we see how truly alone Buffy will be for the rest of her life.

6. Buffy and Faith's epic battle; "Graduation Pt. 1."

Two Slayers equally skilled at fighting in an all out battle. It's a beautifully choreographed fight, not to mention that Eliza Dushku and SMG both look totally hot. This moment was foreshadowed as early as Faith's very first episode. It's one of the best of the edge-of-your-seat battles in Buffy history. And there's so much emotion in it. You know both slayers are totally conflicted; despite Faith's devil may care attitude, she respects Buffy. Despite Buffy's strong stance, she understands and sympathizes with Faith. But this is the way it had to be. You don't poison Angel and expect Buffy to just take it sitting down.

5. Buffy finds Joyce on the sofa; "The Body."

The scene was taken all in one shot. Up to this point, Joyce had been fine; she'd dealt with her sickness and was supposed to be recovering. But despite the situation, it's a universal episode that speaks to everyone. I've never seen a movie or episode of television that's dealt with death in such a realistic way. And on a show about vampires and demons, no less. Buffy's slayer powers have always been nothing less than an asset, but here is the first time where being a Slayer is of no help and no comfort. Even though Joyce had been sick, it's still such a shock. No matter what the circumstances - illness, injury, old age - losing a parent is something you could never be prepared for.

4. Angel kills Jenny Calendar; "Passion."

He doesn't even drink from her. He snaps her neck without a second thought. If there were any doubts as to the evilness of Angelus, they're completely washed away at this moment. It's the first time we see the real terror he gives his victims, and the pleasure he gets from it. You can almost see the glee in his eyes as he sets out the rose petals, pours the champagne, and positions Ms. Calendar's dead body on Giles' bed. It's the first indication that even the most beloved characters of this show are never safe. She was one of my favorites. The death of Jenny Calendar is memorialized in the opening credits of the show. It's a constant reminder that no matter how hard he tries, Angel can never, ever make up for the sins he's committed. All the characters of the show are changed after this. It's not just their schoolmates and random bystanders that are going to be the victims of vampires and the hellmouth.

3. Buffy's ressurection - Willow performs the Spell of Osiris; "Bargaining"

It becomes apparent at the very beginning of the episode that the Scoobies are going to attempt to bring Buffy back to life. No biggie; Willow's a powerful witch, Buffy died at the hands of supernatural powers, how big of a deal could it be? Plus, it's not the first time Buffy's been brought back to life. Well, it's a big enough deal that snakes come out of Willow's mouth while she's performing the spell. With the exception of the majik she uses against Glory, this is the first time we see what a powerful witch Willow has become. This is the one season premiere that lives up to the excitement of BTVS's season finales. Plus, Willow freaking brought Buffy back to life after she was dead for like, four months.

2. Buffy dies to save Dawn; "The Gift."

In the one final moment where Dawn realizes what Buffy is about to do, it dawns (no pun intended) on all of us. But it's peaceful, and it's easy to accept. We've heard from the beginning of the series that the life of a Slayer is often a short one. Buffy (I hesitate to use this term, but whatever) sacrifices herself for Dawn not just because it's her job to save the world, but because she wants to. Most seasons of Buffy feel like they are a story arc about coming to terms with a specific thing (more than one, usually). Season 5 is about how much Buffy's love for Dawn grows. Even after she finds out Dawn's true origin, Buffy decides that the situation is nothing more than incidental. Dawn is still her sister, and no matter how annoying she can be, she wants to protect her. Dawn is an innocent; she's technically less than a year old, for goodness sake. I don't think Buffy sacrifices her life to save the world. I think she sacrificed it to save Dawn.

1. Buffy kills Angel; "Becoming Pt. 2."

This will forever be my favorite moment of the Buffyverse. While every significant Buffy moment is one where "the characters are changed forever," this one stands apart. Tellingly, right before heading to Angelus's lair, Buffy says to Whistler that she has nothing left to lose. And she's pretty much right. The love of her life is gone for good, she's wanted for murder, she's been expelled from school, she's finally had to tell Joyce that she's a Slayer, and has been kicked out of her home because of it. Willow is in the hospital, and Giles has been taken captive and tortured. She's even had to make a shady alliance with Spike, of all people. It's in this episode that we find out who Buffy truly is. After all this time, Buffy's finally set on ending it all. She knows there's no hope for Angel. Buffy makes what I have no doubt is the hardest decision of her life; Angel, not Angelus, is finally there with her. He's cured, his soul is back. But responsibility looms. She has to kill Angel, even though doing so leaves her with truly, nothing left to go on. She leaves town, and all I can do each time I watch is sit, sniffle, and marvel that more than ten years after it's debut, this show is still the best.

2009-03-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post on so many things, but I think I underestimated the amount of interest I would have in updating my blog. It's simultaneously a great deal of interest, and yet not. I have a folder in my email with links I've sent myself, and beginning drafts on at least 5 or 6 different topics. My sister has also asked that I post on a specific topic, which I'm in the process of working on (it's a pretty involved topic - it's coming soon, I swear!). Eventually all of it will find it's way in here, but for now, I would like to give a few thoughts on the music industry.

A common misconception of the free-market Capitalism supporter is that he condones and supports any and all business ventures, including lobbying for Congress, etc. This is so far from the truth. Not all businessmen are Capitalists, and many are ignorant that actions such as lobbying to Congress for tariffs, parity prices, fixed rates, etc., in the long run don't help their business, and don't help the economy. While legislators and business lobbyists (as well as just about anyone else involved in public policy - the President, environmental lobbyists, cabinet members, etc.) claim to always be looking to the future and the "long-term consequences," this is rarely the case. While they may look at one long-term consequence pertaining to the sole business to which the new hypothetical law pertains, the effects felt in other areas are almost always overlooked. Often the government will enact legislation in support of lobbyists who claim that their industry needs to be "saved." This is what has increasingly been occuring in the music industry.

The controversy over illegal downloading has been a very interesting series of events to say the least. While I'm sympathetic to the loss this has resulted in, it's important to look at this through the lens of laissez-faire and progress. Illegal downloading has been going for what, ten years roughly? Yet illegally procuring your own copy of music and (increasingly) movies is nothing new. I was recently telling my boyfriend about the 80's miniseries Anne of Green Gables, which I love. When I was little, we used to have it on tape. We taped it on our VCR off the television; on the same tape we had the Wizard of Oz and Garfield Goes to Hollywood. It didn't stop there either, we had dozens of tapes with shows and movies recorded off the TV, not to mention even more cassette mix tapes with music recorded off the radio. Everyone was doing this. This was a widespread practice, and I don't remember anyone ever making much of a fuss about it. It got me thinking about what's going on now.

Of course, there are differences in downloading music and movies from the internet, and taping them from TV or the radio. First of all, buying the tapes needed to record either on cassette or TV were still a consumer purchase, whereas internet downloading is free of any cost whatsoever (except the internet connection and computer purchase). Also, selection was limited to singles played on the radio, and movies shown on TV, whereas internet downloading is as simple as finding one of the dozens of freeshare websites, or downloading torrents with entire albums, as well as torrents of virtually any movie one can think of. It's definitely an interesting predicament. Additionally, I want to acknowledge the problems with downloading music and copyrights, royalties, etc. I sympathize. But, when we get down to the root of the problem, these things are of little consequence.

One of the things Milton Friedman discusses in Free to Choose is the rally of governmental support to industries crying out to be saved. It happens all of the time, and is certainly nothing new to our times. In fact, it's an issue that has been going on for as long as industry has existed. It sounds noble and good to save an industry from collapsing (even if it's due to increasing irrelevance - no one ever wants to admit that part). Of course we want these people to have jobs, to have security, and to make a living. But… aren't they becoming irrelevent for a reason? Think of it logically, how absurd would it be if the government had stepped in and saved the loom industry, after textiles began being produced in factories? Or if we had stepped in to save the horse and buggy after the widespread implementation of the automobile? Or transistor radios, irrelevant children's toys, floppy discs, and so on? Industries die, it's a fact of life. There is no market out there for looms, floppy discs, or transistor radios, so what would be the point of keeping it alive when no one wants it?

Capitalism has allowed our society to achieve a completely unprecidented and almost unimaginable world of luxury and ease. We can afford to live in conditions more luxurious than even kings and emperors of just a century ago. And all for working 40 hours a week. Did this luxury come around because we continued to use outdated technologies and support businesses which produced nothing of value? No, no, no, no, no. Things become obsolete, and that's all there is to it, but the way some people speak, one would think that the workers losing their jobs are doomed never to work again. But that's the genius of the market, of Capitalism, and of western society. We are constantly changing, moving, inventing, and making our lives easier. New industries open up where others die. Think of all the jobs provided by the boom of the computer industry. How many jobs have been created in graphic design, programming, retail, and even jobs made possible by the mere use of computers! It's an amazing and beautiful thing.

The government and the business world need to face the music (pun not originally intended, but after I re-read the sentence, I realized the pun and loved it). The music industry as we used to know it is long dead. What is the purpose of scrambling to keep things the way they used to be? Whether they know it or not, the purpose is to stop progress - it's the logical consequence of their actions. Look at the changes that have gone on inside the industry as it remains. Independent music has never been so easily accessible; it's given successful carreers to countless unknown names, who have then gone on tour (increasingly where the money is) and spread their music around even more. It's been a boon to so many, many people; it's definitely made my life much happier. My life would not be the same if I didn't listen to the music I do, and I would have never have found out about a great majority of it were it not for illegal downloading. Who knows, I may not even have my beloved last.fm if not for the widespread music listening downloading has entailed. Take this even further, and you can see all the jobs made possible in support of artists on tour, the careers of the artists themselves, who probably would never have made it out of local bars and clubs (which a lot of independent artists still play, even with their newfound underground fame) without the boon of downloading. And entire websites, e-zines, etc., that have risen as a result in this explosion of music interest. When looked at through this lens, is the music industry really in trouble? It looks more like it's thriving!

Complainers inside the music industry make it seem as if they've been around forever. The truth is, the music industry ideal they refer to began with the Beatles (and on a side note not a single music artist in years has been able to repeat the success of Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, or David Bowie, let alone the Beatles; to have that kind of widespread appeal that makes one able to have a double digit platinum album - what do they expect? With the hundreds of music varieties now in popular rotation, could any one artist garner that sort of universal appeal? Coldplay and Radiohead probably come the closest, but sales wise they are just a shadow of the awesome might of the Beatles). After that, they enjoyed nearly 40 years of uninterrupted prosperity . It would indeed be frustrating to have to adjust to something so abrupt, and so detrimental to your livelihood. But isn't this what a business should expect? It's competition, pure and simple. There is no longer a market for music as it used to be. And it will be impossible to stop it. Everyone believed the end of Napster would signal the end of illegal downloading. Ten years later and it's more prevalent, easier, and faster than anyone would have believed, even in the late nineties when the internet was really taking off.

We are told that illegal downloading is wrong, that it hurts the musicians, and all the people associated with them. But as far as I can tell, the only thing that's happened in the past 10 years has been an increase in musicians, or at least the public's awareness of them. They say illegal downloading is wrong because it cuts out the middleman, though in terms much more flattering to the role of middleman (especially in the music industry, where corruption is widespread and despicable). Music hasn't stopped being made; producers, session musicians, bands, and songwriters are all getting work. People are still going on tour, providing plenty of work for stage managers, back-up dancers, costume designers, club owners, not to mention the record labels and artists themselves from ticket sales and merchandise. Vendors set up shops at music festivals that sell food and alcohol. Huge companies sponsor these festivals and increase their business.

And we haven't even looked at the numbers yet. From all reports I've seen, the percentage of people downloading illegally, versus the people still buying cd's (which seem almost laughably outdated at this point) or downloading legally via iTunes or Amazon is still very skewed. It begs the question, is illegally downloading really the cause of the music industry's collapse, or is it the scapegoat? Maybe the mainstream music industry just doesn’t produce good music anymore. And how reliable are these statistics? Black market sales are never anything more than estimates.

I saw it mentioned on some (socialist) music website complaining of the prevalence of illegal downloading (and crying for more government control) that the artists have to "peddle" merchandise at their concerts to cover costs, and a bunch of other rubbish. Let's get one thing straight. NO ONE IS FORCING ANYONE TO DO ANYTHING. If the artists or anyone else involved in the music have a problem with how their industry has to operate IN REALITY, then they have no business being there.

One thing is for certain. If the option is there, a great majority of people will opt for the free one. Maybe it's time industries adapted to what the consumers and the market are actually telling them, rather than trying to manipulate it to serve their purposes. It's impossible to base your expectations of the world on wishes rather than reality and not be dissappointed. The music industry (and I mean the music industry as an entire whole - from big record labels to the indiest and everything inbetween) needs to see reality for what it is. A market has opened up where a consumer can get his music for free. Either use the ingenuity found in the field to make something bigger and better, or shut up and shut down. The market has spoken, and there is no demand for your products the way you want to sell them. You made your choice when you lobbied and bullied to shut down Napster; rather than seeing it as the beginning of the wave of the future (which it clearly was) and jumping on the bandwagon, you chose to shut it down, somehow believing that cd's would be around forever (just like horse buggies and astrolabes are still around... wait, what?). Fighting the market only leads to catastrophe, as America should know all too well at this point. Interfere, and the consequences will come back to haunt you. If this is the kind of fight the music industry is going to put up when all people are doing is refusing their services, then good riddance. I guess you don't know as much about business as you thought you did.

The Soft Bulletin

2009-03-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

It's happened! Just when I think I'm doomed to another bored stretch of not having a current music obsession, I chance upon another gem. This time in the form of The Flaming Lips masterpiece The Soft Bulletin.

It didn't take long at all to draw me into their beauteous psychadelia. I got the album over the weekend, and listened to it for the first time on Monday while at work. It was exactly the kind of rush I hope for in newly discovered music. The songs were badly labeled, and it was out of order (two things that I hate; I'm a total nut for having an organized music library), but I fixed that as soon as I got home. I don't like to use shuffle when listening to a full album - if by chance the artist actually had the time and scope to make an album, versus a collection of good singles and filler, I like to be able to listen to it as it was intended and gain that big picture perspective of the music. But even with the initial out-of-order listening, I knew that I'd found something good. I didn't have any standout songs yet, but I knew that they were there. And the album as a whole was just so incredibly beautiful; I knew it would become one of my regular rotations. And as I expected, over the past week the album and the band have become one of my new favorites.

I had never listened to The Flaming Lips before, other than "She Don't Use Jelly" and that song they played in Batman Forever; "In Your Dreams" or something. And I'm sure there have been other unknown listens on my part. It's not like The Flaming Lips are a super obscure band.
I was very impressed, upon my initial listen, with "Race For the Prize," "Slow Motion," and "Waiting for Superman." Over the rest of the week, I've come to adore "Buggin'" (the harmonies and what sound like harp flourishes are to die for), "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," and "Sleeping on the Roof"; the latter two and "Slow Motion" probably being my top favorites on the album as a whole (so far). There aren't many pure instrumentals which I enjoy as much as songs with lyrics. There are a few instrumentals which I do enjoy as much as or even more than some lyrical songs (some random Sufjan Stevens and Cut Copy interludes, and "Lamb on the Lam" by Band of Horses come to mind). "Sleeping on the Roof" may be poised to become my most favorite one of all.

There is a recurring theme in the music. It's almost melancholy. My impression of the album was that it was about death, and how it's inextricably connected to life. The songs reference wounds, blood, death, keeping up the fight, but with each of these grim references is an accompanying reference to love. It never connotates violence, but the simple fact that death is around us, that it's a part of life, but there is still unspeakable beauty in the fight for life and love. Lead singer Wayne Coyne's tenor, almost boyish voice is a perfect compliment, adding even more depth and sincerity to the music and lyrics.

There is a great quality to the music. It's layered, but not too dense. There's a lot of reverb on guitar, which is one of my favorite effects. I had never given much thought to the term psychadelic pop before, but that's definitely what this is. It has an almost Dark Side of the Moon quality to it.

I'm always happy to have good, new music. I love discovering and exploring a new sound, a new voice, a new musical technique. Just like in any industry, there has to be those producers - the ones who create and challenge and discover new ways of making melodies, changing the way we think of music. Nothing can accurately describe the effect an extremely well crafted album can have on a person. It happens when I listen to a lot of my favorite artists; I hear the bounce and pop of "Soon" by My Bloody Valentine, the epic 16 minute "Only Skin" by Joanna Newsom, the simple bassline and drumbeat of "Our Swords" by Band of Horses, or "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead (which pretty much defies description), and I feel so lucky and so blessed to be able to listen to and enjoy a true artist. Someone (or a bunch of someones) who followed a vision for a new sound, a new concept, and succeeded. One of my favorite things about Loveless and Joanna Newsom's Ys is that the artists knew what they wanted, and they didn't let their vision be affected by anyone else's opinion. Joanna Newsom knew that her album would be a little hard to swallow (it's only five songs, and "Cosmia" is the only one under nine minutes - it's about 7), but she didn't let that stop her creation. Loveless took over two stressful, only spradically productive years to create; MBV's record label even refused to work with Kevin Shields afterwards, because he was such a perfectionist. There are times when compromise is beneficial; Joanna Newsom had to work together with Van Dyke Parks to ensure the orchestra fit well with her songs and her harp, and that she fit well with them. But in the end, a very personal dream was realized. Too much compromise on an artistic work is never good; the outcome of committee thinking is never good - it's an average on an average (just think of network television). It's the artist's work, and they made it for themselves. This staunchness in holding on to one's vision is what makes these albums so great. Well, that and the superb talent of the artists.

Why so serious?

2009-03-05T19:04:00.001-08:00

Although it has really nothing to do with anything I ever post in here, I thought this was too hilarious not to share. See, I'm not always so serious.

Loveless

2009-01-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Just a general disclaimer before I begin this entry.

One of my great, constant loves in this world is music. I love music. Listening to music makes just about anything better, even waiting seven extra hours for a snow delayed flight home for Christmas. To keep from sounding pretentious, I realize that music is a very personal thing; there's no accounting for taste, and because someone enjoys listening to Fallout Boy rather than The Shins says nothing about them other than that they enjoy listening to Fallout Boy rather than The Shins. I'm not better than anyone else for listening to the music that I do, and I fully realize that. But since this is my blog, it's all about my personal opinion, which is that I listen to only the best music.

Years ago in my livejournal, I termed the year 2005 as my "musical awakening." I'd been pretty sick of all of my own music and cds for awhile, but I had never been able to take part in music downloading because we didn't have Internet at my house until Christmas of 2005 when my parents finally got high speed Internet as a family gift. In fall of 2005 two of my good friends burned several cds of music for me, and my life hasn't been the same since. Suddenly with all of this new music, I was part of a new world; the independent music scene. And it was unlike anything I had ever heard. Here were bands that slipped under the radar of popular radio and the Billboard top 100, but were still making great music that not only sounded good in it's own special pop way, but did something more. It found ways to innovate and create new sounds, to expand and redefine what music is. The more I got into these so called "indie bands," the more pronounced the difference between them and popular music became. Popular music in many ways has ceased to be innovative and creative - it's stagnant and dead. Every time I hear a song from "the new Madonna album," "the new Mariah Carrey album," the thousands of obnoxious "punk" bands that grace the "hard rock" scene (Fallout Boy, Panic at the Disco, etc, etc.), not to mention the never ending slew of post grunge rehash, I can't help but think "I've heard this exact same song about a billion times already." It's no wonder the music industry is in trouble. There are, of course, exceptions to this, as many musicians who garnered popular followings are indeed very talented and prodigious (for example: Beck). But for the most part, as a young boy in suburban Frederick, MD, popular music was a dead end. DC 101 and the other radio stations I used to listen to were pretty much stuck in their post grunge nadir (Nirvana the only worthwhile thing they ever played), and it wouldn't be until I heard radio stations in Portland that I knew bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, M83, and Band of Horses could even get radio play (which is a little odd, considering the wild success of Death Cab). Thank the lord for metropolitan radio.

My "musical awakening" only became even more pronounced as 2006 progressed and I finally had my own access to high speed Internet and file sharing clients. My music collection ballooned up to over 1,000 songs on iTunes, which had seemed so unheard of before, and inspired me to buy my 30 gig iPod, which I still use (although now it's free space has severely declined). 2007 would be the pinnacle year of my downloading and musical discovery. It was a year rich with new releases from reliable bands I already knew and loved, as well as new artists. It was also the year I went to the most live shows, including the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and the Virgin Music Festival in Baltimore.

This constant discovery of new music made each year more exciting than the next, but unfortunately for me, it peaked in early 2008. Last year didn't provide me with near the number of new artists I'd found in 2006 and 2007, and the new releases from my trusted veteran artists were, sad to say, disappointing. But what this did do, although I didn't realize it at the time, was open up the way to finding older artists and listening to albums which had already been out for awhile. One of my most notable obsessions of the past year has been Radiohead, which began with finally gaining a thorough understanding and appreciation of the musical genius of OK Computer and Kid A, which lead for a greater appreciation of just about all of their work. I've also come to really realize and appreciate the contributions of the American band, Pavement. At the suggestion of a friend, I downloaded their album Wowee Zowee in fall of 2007, and I really enjoyed it. I was already a fan of singer Stephen Malkmus's solo work. After reading more about Pavement's early days several months ago, I decided to check out their earlier releases Slanted & Enchanted, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and both quickly became favorites. Around the time I got these Pavement albums, I stumbled upon the band My Bloody Valentine.

I had heard of them before, but that name was an immediate turnoff. One hears the name My Bloody Valentine, and one automatically thinks of today's hardcore emo bands like My Chemical Romance. But nothing could be further from the truth. My Bloody Valentine is actually from Ireland, was formed in the mid-eighties, and is definitely NOT a part of the emo genre. Although I know I'd heard of them before, I first read of them this fall regarding their 1991 album Loveless. Every article I've read regarding the album has been near unanimous with praise, with many calling it one of the finest albums of the 1990s, a definitive work, and one of the best albums of all time. So like a good little music pirate, I downloaded it. The prospect of finally tackling such a critical success was very exciting, I must say.

After my initial listens, I could say that it was okay. Unfortunately just okay. Critics labeled it as part of the "shoegaze" genre (follow the link for the Wikipedia article of shoegaze - scroll down to read the definition). Shoegaze reached it's apex with Loveless and by now is kind of a dead movement (though hopefully it may be revived with success, now that MBV has reunited and will be issuing new material!); any previous experience I had with shoegazing bands ends with the sum of their parts. I was a little disappointed that the album failed to live up to my expectations, but I continued to listen to it, hoping that it was one of those albums that rewards after multiple, multiple listens. Fortunately for me, just before coming home to Frederick for Christmas, a little miracle happened.

By sheer coincidence, I happened to look at the iTunes page for Loveless, and I realized that I had the entire album out of order on my iTunes! So I quickly got to work fixing that, and began to play the album again, this time in the correct order. Within two songs, the difference was more than apparent. The brilliance of this album was finally manifested, and I haven't looked back since. It's such a layered sound, so rich, and so fulfilling. The music sounds just as amazing sitting here listening to it right now as it did just two weeks ago, when I listened to nothing but Loveless on my entire trek home. It was all I listened to at the airport, all I listened to on my seven hour wait for a snow delayed flight, all I listened to on the airplane, and all I wanted to listen to the entire way back. It's jumped about 200 plays on my last.fm since figuring out the correct track listing.

I feel like every so often I find a band that is just so life changing, I can't accurately describe it. Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Band of Horses, Radiohead, Interpol, Fleet Foxes. These all changed my life. My Bloody Valentine has done the same. I get so happy when I hear music that has this effect. I think that most people would say that they love music. I think it's important that music progresses along with everything else in our world, and hearing something so mind blowingly innovative as Loveless gives me hope that music will continue to move along, just like the ever changing technological world that has become part of everyday life. I for one cannot wait for the newly reunited My Bloody Valentine's follow up to this album, and for all the new releases of 2009.

Best Music of 2008

2008-12-13T18:11:00.001-08:00

I was going to wait a little longer to make my Best of 2008 music list, but I doubt there will be much more of interest coming out in the next few weeks. Last year I did a post of top 10 albums of 2007 in my livejournal, but unfortunately, I don't think there have been enough good releases this year to fill up a top ten. I guess it doesn't matter too much, since if I were to make a list of my top music of 2007 now, it would be a lot different than when I made it last year (for starters, The Shepherd's Dog probably would have topped my list instead of Sound of Silver) - taste changes. I imagine it will be the same with the list I made this year; come December 2009, my opinion of 08 music will have changed as well. Also, I've been listening to a lot of older stuff this year - but they'll get their mention at the end of the entry. So here it is!

Best Albums of 2008

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

So this was pretty much a no brainer. I'm sure it will be topping a lot of other people's best of 08 lists, but it's a very, very well deserved title. Although they've disappeared from my daily repertoire a little more in the last few months, this album was a complete smash hit. I thoroughly enjoy every single song on here. I still remember the day I first listened to the album. I listened to "White Winter Hymnal" about thirty times, as well as the initial run through of the rest of the album while I was at work. For the next several months, Fleet Foxes was my raison d'etre. After getting past the beauty of "White Winter Hymnal" I was surprised to find that pretty much every other song had the same listenable quality. "Ragged Wood," "Sun It Rises," "He Doesn't Know Why," "Your Protector," "Blue Ridge Mountains," and... well, yeah, all of them. When informing Adam via text of how he HAD to start listening to these guys, he replied asking for a description of the sound. I think that I came up with a pretty good one: imagine a perfect mix of the guitar based indie of The Shins and Band of Horses (not to mention the vocal similarities of Foxes's lead singer and Ben Bridwell of B of H), with the hauntingly beautiful harmonies of Grizzly Bear, and the Appalachian sound of some of Joanna Newsom's best work. It's easily the most rewarding listen (and re-listen) of the entire year.

2. Feed the Animals - Girl Talk

For anyone unfamiliar with Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis), he is a mash up artist/DJ. But instead of mashing up two songs with similar keys and complimentary tempos, imagine a whole album of mash ups. An album of mash ups with tracks of not just two songs, but twelve songs, fifteen songs, twenty songs all spliced together. A drum beat from "Umbrella" by Rhianna, and samples of Ying Yang Twins and Vanilla Ice, leading into Jay-Z's "Roc Boys," to the guitar riff of Radiohead's (masterpiece) "Paranoid Android." And that's just the first minute and a half of the 5th track. This is typical Girl Talk. Feed the Animals was more of the same, and when looked at objectively it's not very different at all from 2006's Night Ripper. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Feed the Animals is filled with moments of pure pop perfection spliced with even more pop perfection, and it leaves the listener almost at a breaking point. But it never becomes too much. What normally turned me off to mash ups (before it became more of a legitimate musical endeavor at least) was it's typical inclusion of rap, which I don't care for, and the fact that the songs being mashed didn't always sit comfortably together in my ears. This is never a problem with Girl Talk. He's truly a master of what he does. There's something for everyone, no genre is left untouched. Some dutiful fans have even taken the time to dissect the entirety of Feed the Animals (and Night Ripper) on Wikipedia, so you can see exactly how many samples are contained in these 16 tracks. Styx, The Carpenters, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Radiohead, Rhianna, of Montreal, Metallica, Queen, The Band, Procol Harum, Missy Elliott, Avril Lavigne, The Cranberries, Kelly Clarkson. The list literally goes on and on. His masterful mix of Air's "Sexy Boy" and Britney Spears' "Gimme More" might be one of the most sonically satisfying 30 seconds of the entire year.

3. In Rainbows - Radiohead

I took advantage of the free download Radiohead offered for In Rainbows last October, so I had the album before it's December 31st, 2007 physical release date. But, as I've said, 2008 did not offer me the musical selection of 2007. So here it is on my list. I wasn't able to fully appreciate In Rainbows when I first got it. It took a thorough understanding and appreciation for Radiohead as a band (see end of entry) before I really took a shine to it. But after getting really into OK Computer and Kid A and seeing the innovation and skill that Radiohead has been continuously bringing to the music scene for the last two decades, I couldn't stop listening. In Rainbows is the "return to form" that everyone was waiting for from Radiohead, and they fully deliver. In Rainbows manages to recall the spirit of their rock roots on The Bends and OK Computer, as well as the experimental electronica of Kid A and Amnesiac, and it's pop sensibility makes it the perfect follow up for the anti-pop, Hail to the Thief. I finally saw (or heard) reason this year, and I'm so so so glad for Radiohead. With the current situation in the music industry, it's pretty much a given that the successes of classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and David Bowie will not be repeated. But I truly believe that when it comes to talent and innovation, Radiohead are their successors. Everything they've ever done is great, and In Rainbows has showed me that they are nowhere near finished.

4. In Ghost Colours - Cut Copy

I'm fairly certain that the reason I didn't find as much to like about this year's music is because I missed a lot of it. For whatever reasons. I missed this release at first. In one of our music trading sessions, I gave Adam some Cut Copy that I had downloaded and put on my flash drive. He texted me one afternoon while at work and told me that he was really enjoying listening to Cut Copy. I had given In Ghost Colours it's initial two or three cursory listens, and I remember liking what I heard. It became another album that I would put on, and not even focus on what the individual songs were. After the encouragement from Adam, I listened to the album some more, and it quickly became one of my new favorites. I love this album because it manages to throw me back to 80's synth, but also give a rich look at the future. I believe that electronica is definitely the new frontier in music, and I'll be looking to Cut Copy for developments.

5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

I knew there would be a backlash against Vampire Weekend. Just like I know there's one in the works for Fleet Foxes. People say it was over hyped, and that it was a thoroughly average album. I thought that at first but not really in a negative way. It was an album I would put on and listen to the entire way through. Sometimes albums like that seem average at first, but there's a reason a whole album is tolerable. If the individual songs are consistently good enough to listen to the album from start to finish, then in my opinion, that's not average. It's spectacular! It's been a year long process, but I've really come to love Vampire Weekend.

6. The Mixtape Volume 1 - The Hood Internet

Not a proper album, but my list would definitely not be complete without it. The Hood Internet is a group of two mash up DJs from Chicago, and so far this year they've released three mixtapes on their website (www.thehoodinternet.com - go figure). The first was definitely the best, although the second has it's moments; I haven't listened to the third yet. The Hood Internet doesn't do the multiple songs like Girl Talk, but they do wonderful melds of indie favorites and mainstream tracks. Architecture in Helsinki vs Snoop Dogg ("That's the Whirlwind," which is probably my favorite), Dizzee Rascal vs Cyndi Lauper, R.Kelly vs Broken Social Scene, UNK vs LCD Soundsystem. All under three minutes, but all awesome.

7. Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos!

I was taken with their Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP last year, and their release this year was one I was most looking forward to. During it's trial phase on my iPod, I was initially let down because none of the songs were as immediately catchy as the ones I fell in love with on the EP. But when I began to develop my playlists this spring, instead of always just listening to albums, I threw on a few songs from this album. I have one main playlist (Obsession for Andrew - the songs I like to listen to the most), and several others with more definite themes. After giving Hold on Now, Youngster... a more thorough listen, I began to hear the real gems of the album. They're a charming band, even if a little chaotic. I just got their latest release from this fall (two albums in one year? ambitious!), and I'm hoping I'll find even more to love about Los Campesinos!.

8. Microcastle - Deerhunter

I'm still in the beginning stages of fully exploring this album, but I really enjoy it so far. It's a big step up from Cryptograms, their release last year, which I thought was way too boring of a listen, even though it had its good moments. Microcastle shows them developing their sound into something I would actually listen to on a regular basis. It was released with a second disk which I haven't gotten yet, but from what I've heard, it's also very good. I'll be listening to this a lot more as we get into 2009, and I'm really excited to see Deerhunter develop. I think that they will have a lot more to offer in the future, and the difference I've heard between the snoozer Cryptograms and the dynamic Microcastle, has made them definitely a band to watch out for.

Honorable mentions: In Ear Park - Department of Eagles, Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair, Oracular Spectacular - MGMT, The Singer - Teitur, At Mount Zoomer - Wolf Parade

It would have been nice to have an even ten albums. I guess I've been kind of harsh on the releases of this year, but even though I've enjoyed other artists, fewer albums have made an impression on me this year than last year. But that's why I've been looking forward to doing a top singles list. Since I don't ever listen to the radio, I don't know what songs actually qualify as "singles," but in my world, these are the top singles of 2008.

1. Becky - Be Your Own Pet: hands down, no other song has given me such a rush this year. I'm honestly appalled that this song wasn't released on their Get Awkward LP this year - it's inclusion makes it a much more satisfying album to listen to. It's more of what I loved about Be Your Own Pet (lovED because they broke up this year; a truly tragic loss for the music industry); the lyrics are direct and speak for themselves (not to mention hilarious), Jemina Pearl performs with her trademark nuclear bomb energy, and the instruments are sharper and more precise than on their first release. Like my number one song of last year, Innocent Bones by Iron & Wine (still arguably my favorite song ever), I can definitely see myself singing Becky's praises well into my future.

2. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes: had it not been for Becky, this would have been my number one for sure. It's a simple song; it works almost like a round, though not quite. I'm sure if I were to sing this with others who knew the lyrics though, it would make an excellent round. 2008 was definitely the year of Fleet Foxes, and this song surely stands as the crowning achievement of the album. Of course, the others on the album aren't far behind, but this song defined my musical life this spring and summer.

3. Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie: I really liked Transatlanticism, and I really like Plans. I was disappointed that I found Narrow Stairs so boring. But this song definitely stands out as a gem. Strong guitars, and Death Cab's trademark storytelling lyrics. A girl gets married to a man she doesn't love, but it ends with singer Ben Gibbard telling her he understands, and would have done the same if in her shoes. It's a really strong piece of music, and gives me a little more faith that Death Cab can still crank out the catchy pieces of heartfelt heart-on-sleeve pop music they're known for, and that I love.

4. Lights and Music - Cut Copy: I love when music builds up to a breaking point and just overflows into sonic bliss. I love the tension and excitement that comes with a build up, and the feeling of just letting go when it reaches the tipping point. This song does that so well. The lyrics are simple "lights and music are on my mind, be my baby one more time," but it's a perfect accompaniment to the tension and release of the verse chorus structure of the song.

5. Bodysnatchers - Radiohead: I love how Radiohead can have a song that feels like more than one song, but still feels like just one song. Like Paranoid Android. Bodysnatchers fits this as well, and I love it.

I'll be doing the same thing with this list as the one I made last year; I described some reasons for why the first five songs were good, why I liked them, etc., and then just listed the rest, with explanations for the ones where I had a specific thing to say. And since I listened to so many mash ups this year, I have a separate section for those. It's pretty much impossible to decide which Girl Talk tracks are my favorite, so I just have ones for The Hood Internet.

6. Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes
7. My Year In Lists - Los Campesinos!
8. The Singer - Teitur
9. Womanizer - Britney Spears: you knew it was coming. This song struck me as kind of forced and repetitive when I first heard it, which really made me question if Britney was ready for her big comeback. But the more I listened to it, the more and more I liked it. Way to go Britney; I never doubted you for a second.
10. I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me - Annie: OMG, I've been waiting for Annie's follow up to her virtually flawless album Anniemal for what seems like forever. Unfortunately, the release has been delayed till early next year, but this single gave me hope for the content of her next issue. This song is everything I love about Annie.
11. Mansard Roof - Vampire Weekend: this was another one of those perfect album openers.
12. Out There On the Ice - Cut Copy
13. The Kelly Affair - Be Your Own Pet
14. Blind - Hercules and Love Affair: I was really glad Kristine encouraged me to revisit this album, because I love this song.
15. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend
16. Nude - Radiohead
17. Time to Pretend - MGMT: the lyrics come off as trite, but this song is fantastic. When the rest of the song can make up for what would be sub par lyrics, it becomes not trite, but precious.
18. Graveyard Girl - M83: how could I not include a song about a graveyard? It helps that it's a pretty good song too.
19. Soldier's Grin - Wolf Parade
20. Kids - MGMT

Honorable mentions: Boston - Vampire Weekend, L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold, Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats - Los Campesinos!, Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes, House of Cards - Radiohead, Electric Feel - MGMT, Circus - Britney Spears, You'll Find a Way - Santogold, Call it a Ritual - Wolf Parade, Agoraphobia - Deerhunter, In Ear Park - Department of Eagles, Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead, You Belong - Hercules and Love Affair, Melodies & Desires - Lykke Li, 15 Step - Radiohead

The Hood Internet mash-ups (in no particular order - it's hard to pick a favorite): That's the Whirlwind (Architecture in Helsinki vs Snoop Dogg), I'm Shinin' Like a Crystal (The Pack vs Crystal Castles), Girls Just Wanna Fix Up (Dizzee Rascal vs Cyndi Lauper), Stuntin' Like Black Rock (Birdman & Lil' Wayne vs Black Rock), Cyborg Umbrella (Rhianna feat. Jay-Z vs Menomena vs M83), Some Cut Like a Knife (Trillville feat Cutty vs The Knife), I'm a Flirt (Shoreline)(R.Kelly feat T-Pain, T.I. vs Broken Social Scene).

My other list of 2008 music:

1. Joanna Newsom - my introduction to Joanna by Adam last fall continued well into this year, and hasn't really abated at all. I listened to lots and lots and lots of Joanna Newsom this year.
2. Radiohead - winter and spring of this year, I began to listen to Radiohead a lot more. I really liked OK Computer already, which I finally got last fall, but this year they really took me for a ride. I couldn't get enough Radiohead.
3. The Avett Brothers - my good friend Lydia and her sister Alex introduced me to the Avett Brothers (pronounced Ay-vett) at the very end of last year. At first, I only liked a few songs, but (with help from Adam, who I shared them with), I gave them a second try in the spring. We recruited his brother Gabe and mother Colleen into them as well, and as my birthday present, Gabe and Adam and I all went to see them perform in last August.
4. Guster - I only have Ganging Up on the Sun, but Guster is an integral part of this list. I listened to a lot of them this summer. Satellite and Ruby Falls in particular. It sounds so juvenile, but for a couple of weeks, Ruby Falls was like a narration.
5. Pavement - I've had Wowee Zowee since last fall, and I loved it, but this year I finally got Slanted & Enchanted, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Not much to say, other than that I LOVE Pavement.
6. Rogue Wave - I'd heard of them several times before downloading their discography this past summer. I gave them the first listen and liked what I heard, but I didn't go back and give it the all important 2nd-5th listens to see which tracks really stuck out. But when iTunes debuted Genius this fall, a lot of their songs came up on shuffle. I really got into them after going back again and listening to their albums.
7. Belle & Sebastian - I've listened to a TON of Belle & Sebastian this year.
8. Interpol - this past winter and spring was all about three bands for me. Radiohead, Architecture in Helsinki, and Interpol. Mostly I listened to Turn on the Bright Lights. The entire album is beautiful, haunting, and a little melancholy. It was a really good album to have by my side this year.
9. Architecture in Helsinki - I know a lot of people who really love Architecture in Helsinki. I liked them, but I didn't see how you could love them. Until this spring.
10. Britney Spears - as many of you already know, I was already a big Britney fan before this year. But I hadn't listened to her very much in the past few years. For some reason this past summer I got in a Britney mood, and the mood hasn't completely disappeared since then. It doesn't hurt that I finally got Blackout, and Circus just debuted. Blackout, which by all logic should have been absolutely horrible, is probably her best album of all.
11. Band of Horses - the relative simplicity of Band of Horses is what draws me in every time. Our Swords is one of their most simple songs, but it's probably one of my favorite songs ever.
12. Pinback - I haven't been listening to them as much lately, but for the amount that I listened to them this winter and spring, they definitely deserve a place.

Top singles that I listened to that weren't from this year - ones listed on my Singles of '07 list won't be on here - in no particular order:

Satellite, Ruby Falls - Guster: these two songs, perhaps more than any of the others on any of these lists, have so much personal meaning and significance attached to them.
Sprout and the Bean, Peach, Plum, Pear, Swansea, the entirety of her album Y's - Joanna Newsom
Paranoid Android, Airbag, Optimistic, The National Anthem, Subterranean Homesick Alien, Electioneering, Let Down, Fitter Happier - Radiohead
PDA, NYC, Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down, Say Hello to the Angels, Obstacle 1 - Interpol
Maybe You Can Owe Me (this might be the only one to tie with the Guster songs in personal meaning), Frenchy, I'm Faking, Do the Whirlwind, Nevereverevereverdid, In Case We Die (Pts 1-4), Heart It Races (which would have made my top singles of 07 list, had I known about it then) - Architecture in Helsinki
Step On Inside, Priest, Poet, & Pig - Vietnam
Will You Return?, Die, Die, Die, Paranoia in Bb Major, Pretty Girl From Chile, Shame, I Would Be Sad, The Weight of Lies - The Avett Brothers
Break the Ice, Gimme More, Piece of Me, ... Baby, One More Time, Slave 4 U, Toxic, Everytime - Britney Spears
Our Swords, Wicked Gil, Monsters, No One's Gonna Love You, The First Song, Ode to LRC - Band of Horses
Nourishment Nation, Lake Michigan, Harmonium, California, Publish My Love - Rogue Wave
Grounded, Summer Babe, Cut Your Hair - Pavement
If You Find Yourself Caught In Love, Step Into My Office, Baby, Act of Apostle, Piazza, New York Catcher, Asleep on a Sunbeam, If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Music and making lists are two of my favorite things. I can't wait to see what happens in next year's music scene. I think what added most to my disappointment this year is that a lot of artists I liked already came out with boring follow ups to their previous awesome releases. I was really looking forward to releases from CSS and Tilly and the Wall, but they were both really boring. I was looking forward to Black Kids' debut album, but it wasn't really good. I was kind of disgusted by the treatment Pitchfork gave it - tearing it down in that way just because they could, even though they were a huge part of the Black Kids hype. I got the album anyway, just to decide for myself if it wasn't good (it wasn't good), but I thought what they did was just... really immature. But whatever, it's Pitchfork, and pretentious is what they do best. It's still my best source for finding new music, but I've been learning to take what they say with a grain of salt.

The case for drug legalization

2008-12-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

I was on one of my economic sites today, The Ludwig Von Mises Institute, (Ludwig Von Mises was the frontrunner of Austrian economists - the father of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory) and I found an article that ran on AFP about how tomorrow (December 5th) will mark the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. Full article here.

It was a short article which basically served to re-inform me of the reasons for the enactment and repeal of prohibition. As most people already know, it was enacted by conservatives as a "noble experiment" to "enhance democracy and the political process, reduce crime and corruption, improve health, reduce addiction." It was a moral crusade against those sick of seeing the family wages blown on alcohol by abusive drunk husbands and fathers. A noble experiment indeed, and I mean that sincerely. Alcoholism is a horrible affliction, and trying to reduce and eliminate its existence is noble. Unfortunately, the crusade only half worked. Through most of the country, drinking levels did decline, and so the experiment was in that instance successful. However, it is also common knowledge that prohibition gave rise to enormous amounts of bootlegging and organized crime in larger, urban communities like New York, Chicago, etc. Prohibition was repealed in 1933, a consequence of the stock market crash. The government needed something to tax, and repealing prohibition finally put a little extra money into the incredibly stagnant economy.

As I said, from a moral point of view (and coming from a non-drinking family) I can understand why prohibition was a good idea, in theory. From a libertarian point of view I see why it was such a horrible idea. First and foremost, it was a gross violation of an individuals right to his own pursuit of happiness. It reminds me of being in elementary school and having the entire class receive punishments for the acts of a few obnoxious individuals who misbehaved for a substitute teacher. It caused many people to commit illegal activities in buying, consuming, manufacturing and transporting an illicit substance, and undermining the law is never good for anyone. It allowed for organized crime to grow, to spread it's evil influence not only across major cities, but to form links across the entire nation and grow in power. Prohibition was like communism; great in theory, but it doesn't work, and the negative effects far outweighed the benefits. I say, as I'm sure many, many, many others have said, thank the lord it was repealed.

Unfortunately, our society hasn't totally learned it's lesson from the failed experiment of alcohol prohibition. I present to you the case for drug legalization - specifically marijuana.

The term "war on drugs" was first used by President Nixon in 1971 (on a side note, must we really use the term "war" for everything? The war on terrorism, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on the environment - no wonder it always feels like the world is about to end). Since then, the United States has spent billions of dollars each year fighting drug trafficking, consumption, and possession not only in our own country, but in countries all over the world. The website Drug Sense gives us a "war on drugs clock" showing the amount of money spent at each government level on the drug war for just this year. The site provides other statistics on arrests due to drug possession and trafficking (771,172 arrested for cannabis possession), as well as incarcerations. As with prohibition, I can understand the drug war from a moral perspective. Drugs ruin lives, so it would be right to prevent people from using them. However, it all goes back to my abhorrence of being told what to do by the government. Instead of allowing us to use our own judgement when presented with the opportunity to use (or abuse) drugs, the decision has been taken away and made for you. You are told what's best for you.

I have faith in my own ability to stay clear of the kind of drug use that would ruin my life, and I believe that most people would be able to say the same. The main argument I would present in defense of drug legalization is that were it legal, it would not take away the social stigma of being a drug addict. When prohibition was repealed, it didn't become okay for a person to become an alcoholic, just because liquor was legal once again. The website Blogcritics has an excellent essay on the case for drug legalization, which I would urge everyone to check out. It's very clear and astute, giving the reader a short but thorough rundown of the cons of the drug war. Many of my opinions on the subject are probably better articulated there.

In many instances, the current drug war represents the past repeating itself. It is the prohibition of our times, and the two share many, many similarities. One of the key reasons prohibition was such a bad idea was that it gave way for the incredible growth of gangsters and organized crime. The same has happened with the drug war, except the consequences are a lot farther reaching. While liquor could easily be manufactured within our borders, many high demand drugs do not come from the United States. Take cocaine for instance. Cocaine is the second most popular recreational drug, with marijuana taking first. In transporting cocaine from it's South American origins, we have not mafia gangsters, but international drug lords. Drug legalization would stop these horrible people in their tracks. To quote Tom Donelson, author of the above linked essay "Conservative Case for Drug Legalization,"

"The drug war has strengthened organized crime and allowed international crime families as well as terrorist organizations to use the drug trade as a means to raise money. Billions of dollars reach the coffers of many criminal organizations and this money produces seed money to corrupt public officials and undermine law enforcement. This also happened during alcohol prohibition when gangsters received funding to expand their empires. Legalization of drugs would reduce cash to terrorist and criminal organizations and make it easier to police these illegal corporations."

Drugs are not something to be taken lightly, and neither are those who distribute them. If drugs were available legally, distributors (as well as consumers) would have set laws to follow and obey, allowing for safer consumption and distribution. Not to mention all of the underlings of the drug lords finally being freed from their mass amounts of corruption.

A product of being brought up in the public school system is that on many levels, you are unfortunately misinformed of basic concepts and topics - namely about drugs in health class (and economics, but I won't get into that here). While I have nothing against our school system (I believe that I received a very good education at all of my schools from Kindergarten to senior year), as I have grown older I have realized that many of the things I was told about common drugs weren't necessarily untrue, but definitely highly misleading. In school we were taught that marijuana was considered "the gateway drug." Through my health education I came to one conclusion, using marijuana would inevitably lead to using cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, crack-cocaine, meth, etc. By this "gateway drug" description, marijuana has been hyped up to be just as bad as hard core drugs. This description has the intent of scaring people away from trying cannabis, but I believe that it has the opposite effect. Many, many, many teens will be offered marijuana, and many will partake. It's part of the experimentation that goes on in your late teens and early twenties. The first time I smoked marijuana, it was unlike anything I had expected. I didn't hallucinate, I didn't see smiley faces and rainbows everywhere; I didn't "trip balls" like I was expecting to. Although marijuana is technically a hallucinogen, it does not produce the mind altering effects that one would expect it to if they've never tried it; while it obviously changes how you think, feel, and act, it is not on the level of say, LSD. Anyone who has tried it, and anyone who has looked at the statistics knows that the dangers of marijuana are comparably low to those of other drugs (including alcohol). When one tries marijuana and comes to this conclusion, it would be easy to assume that more hard core drugs are also as highly sensationalized, and not as dangerous as they really are. This is why marijuana has become the "gateway drug." We are so mislead as to it's effects and dangers, when a user learns this for himself, he sometimes assumes that it is this way with all drugs. Due to the nature of marijuana (not that dangerous), the marijuana trade, and it's unrightful inclusion with harder drugs, it is assumed that profits from marijuana traffic can be included with those of hard drugs in funding terrorist organizations. This is also a fallacy. Unlike coca plants (the source of cocaine), marijuana can be grown with ease in local settings. The profits don't often make their way into that of Colombian drug lords. In short, marijuana as "the gateway drug" is a self fulfilling prophecy. And the idea that pot trafficking adds to terrorist funds is perpetuated by gross misinformation.

During prohibition, beer and wine were not big sellers. The demand was for hard liquor, which consequentially paid the bootleggers more. Drug prohibition has seen the same results. While marijuana and cocaine are still the most popular of recreational drugs, we've seen a shift to the use of harder, more dangerous drugs. When I was in elementary school I remember attending assemblies where we would have motivational speaker types expound on the dangers of drug use, and I remember number one on the list of most dangerous being crack-cocaine. I graduated from elementary school 13 years ago, which isn't all that long ago, but I can't remember the last time I heard something more than cursory about crack. Now we have meth. If the war on drugs continues, I guarantee that a drug worse than meth is right around the corner. Were drugs to be legalized, I think that the legal availability of considerably less dangerous drugs would eliminate the need for ones like crack and meth. If it were easy and legal to buy marijuana, I believe that many users of harder drugs would make the switch. Not to mention that you wouldn't have to pay black market prices. Legalized drugs (particularly marijuana) would be a great deal cheaper. Being able to purchase more weed would discourage the use of the harder, more expensive stuff.

And there are obvious economic benefits to drug legalization, and clearly, now is the time to reap them. I saw the comedy-documentary "Super High Me," starring comic Doug Benson (well known among comics for his love of weed), this past spring. The premise of the movie was, you guessed it, based on "Super Size Me." Cameras followed Benson around for 60 days; the first 30 he did not use any marijuana at all, and the last 30, he smoked weed consistently throughout the day. The movie was interspersed with facts about marijuana, medicinal marijuana laws, government involvement in the drug war, and one thing that I found most interesting, the profits of the marijuana market in America. Of course, since drugs run on the black market, official numbers don't exist, but the industry netted an estimated 14 billion in marijuana sales. That's a lot of money. That's revenue that the government could be taxing. Instead, they'd rather spend over 47 billion combating it.

Some will say that legalizing drugs will see an increase in their consumption. This is true. It's only logical that if were drugs were to be legalized their consumption would go up, but this would not be exponential growth; it would level off. If drugs were legal, it doesn't mean that everyone would be inclined to buy and use them. It reminds me of a particularly facetious Simpsons quote from Reverend Lovejoy "once something has been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral." We all know that this is not true. It goes back to my first point - legalization would not take away the social stigma of being a drug user. And it's not like we don't have available data to predict the outcome of drug legalization. We all know that drugs in the Netherlands have been greatly decriminalized, yet they have 60% the drug use of America.

The always brilliant South Park did an episode "My Future Self 'n' Me" which portrayed marijuana in it's usually insightful, hilarious light. Stan and Sharon Marsh hire an actor to play their son Stan's future self, a loser who got caught up in drugs and alcohol and dropped out of school, to scare Stan into staying the straight path. The "I've learned something today" segment consisted of Stan finally telling his son the truth about marijuana.

Stan Marsh: "Well Stan, the truth is, marijuana probably isn't going to make you kill people, and most likely isn't going to fund terrorists. Well, son, pot makes you feel fine with being bored, and it's when you're bored that you should be learning some new skill, or discovering some new science, or being creative. You smoke pot you may grow up to find that you aren't good at anything"

And there you have it. The simple truth. People smoke pot for the same reasons they drink alcohol - because it's fun. But when this fun gets in the way of being a productive human being, it becomes a problem. Most people know this, and it should be up to us to decide whether or not it's something we want to partake of.

I would be neglecting my self imposed blog responsibility if I didn't mention the one con I would have in the case of drug legalization. Or, more accurately the one stipulation I have for drug legalization. If drugs are legalized, it needs to be done in a way that keeps responsibility on the individual. I am a believer in individual rights, so I believe it should be up to us if we want to use drugs. With rights come responsibilities, and it is the users responsibility to make sure drug use doesn't take over their life. What I mean by that is, if drugs are legalized, it needs to be done in a way where drug producers and distributors will not be held accountable if the consumer becomes an addict. We don't need a repeat of the lawsuits against McDonalds and the tobacco companies.

I hope that everyone this weekend will celebrate our freedom to drink alcohol, if not by consuming it, then by acknowledging that it is our right to drink it responsibly. I also hope that with the economic downturn of our country, the government can come to see the (wasteful) error of it's ways and decriminalize drugs.