Of Montreal? Of Course!

Of Montreal is a pretty nutty band, so I shouldn't have been so surprised when I found out that they are releasing their forthcoming album Skeletal Lamping (check the nutty album art here) in a variety of formats such as CD, vinyl, t-shirt, wall decal, sticker set and paper lamp. For those objects less inclined to store music, a digital download will also be included. Like I said, nutty. Also, nutty, if not bat-shit crazy, is Nonpareil of Favor, the first single from the album. Download the track here, courtesy of P-Fork.


Furthermore, I've decided to, in honor of this insanity, list my top five albume release gimmick/packaging


THE TOP FIVE CRAZIEST ALBUM RELEASES SCHEMES (in order)

5. Bright Eyes - Digital Ash In The Digital Urn/I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Why release a double-album when you can release two single albums on the same day? Indie-neo-Dylan-singersonger-savior-wonderchild Connor Oberst is also not above cashing in on some sweet marketing ploys. I'll admit that material is substantially different and artistically speaking, it was probably the right call...but still.

4. Nine Inch Nails -Year Zero, YEAR&()(&ZE()*_)*R_)E(*M#$%@IX@@errwhatever, Ghosts I-5, The Slip

Trent Reznor is nuts. He makes two albums in like a decade and then goes crazy and starts releasing albums on a daily basis. The crazy starts when the Rezonator leaks Year Zero on a USB drive by dropping it in a bathroom in Europe. I mean with technology being what it is, what difference does it make if you start your marketing campeign in a European bathroom. Then come a ton of viral websites that all are in weird codes and shit. Then the remix album, months later, then come the Ghosts. Part one of the 5 part, two-disc epic was released for free with the other four parts availble as a download, a two-disc set and even some crazy super expensive thing. Then comes the Slip. For free, released as a thank you to all of fans for buying the last bunch of albums. Then that was rereleased as a two disc dvd thingamabob. Nutty.


3. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

Scroll up.

2. Beck - The Information

Blank album cover and a bunch of stickers that let you design your own album cover.
Weird? Yes. Awesome? Obviously. Jams? Sick.

1. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Announced mere days before the release, Radiohead's incredible 7th LP In Rainbows was released for the price of free-ninety-nine, or how ever much you wanted to pay for it. This concept lead for other artists such as the aformention NIN, Girl Talk and plenty of other artists who have started releasing albums for free, with the option to pay. As an added bonus AmpLive made a remix album and released it for free to anyone who actually paid for In Rainbows. Like most things Radiohead does, this was as innovative as it was awesome. Oh yeah, and the album itself is just shy of perfect.

Rockdown! Pt. 2!

Unsatisfied by the initial release of Love Lockdown, everybody's favorite egoist Kanye West returned to the studio record new drums and vocals for the lead off single to his upcoming album. The changes made in the studio cleaned up elements of the song that previously sounded a little messy. Check it out. Stream it from Kanye West's blog or download the mp3

Rockdown!

Kanye West released a new single and has started leaking details about his forthcoming album. The new song is called "Love Lockdown" and it was debuted at the MTV VMA's this past weekend. The songs is a departure from pretty much all of his previous material, but I like it. Coming off of the larger than life egotism of "Stronger" and the whole Graduation album, I'm surprised but none the less, incredibly intrigued by this new direction. The song is comprised of a pulsing beat, rythmic piano and what I can only assume is a robot clone of Kanye West. Either that or a vocoder. It's weird, it's simplistic, and I like it. Check it out.
Listen to the stream on Kanye West's blog or download the mp3 here.

(BONUS: Check out Ye's sweet post on a Heath Ledger Joker action figure. What a baller. On top of the world, and he's blogging about toys. Baller.)

It's ALIVE! Best Summer Albums of 2008

Aaaand were back from a very long self imposed hiatus. I've decided to start writing this again, but I am not making any promises in terms of format. I'm just going to write what I want. If you don't like it, you can shove it. But you don't like it, you love it (thanks for that line, Rivers). And on that note I'd like to count down my top 5 Albums of Summer 08:


5. Weezer - Weezer (The Red Album)

I might like this album better than I like the Green Album. It's no Pinkerton or Blue Album, but it's pretty fun. The first four songs are incredible. The rest of the album is fun and enjoyable. A good summer jam, but nothing too legendary. Just another very solid album from a band with a very solid career. The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived shines above the rest with a seemingly endless amount of movements and crescendos, and includes a spoken word breakdown that is responsible for the quotation featured in the intro of this post.


4. Cookin' Soul - OJAYZIS (Oasis vs. Jay-Z Mixtape)

So much damn fun. Fans of either artist will enjoy the reinterpretation produced by Cookin' Soul. Although neither the best free album of the summer, nor is it the best mashup album of the summer, OJAYZIS is blast and a half. The mixtape begins with a live performance of Wonderwall by Jay-Z from this years Glastonbury Festival. From there, the hits start rolling, and there is no looking back.


3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

When the first song of an album released in mid July has a chorus that exclaims "We're gonna build somethin' this summer!" you know your in for some good old fashion summer jams. Although it's no Boys and Girls In America, Say Positive is an incredibly good album. Hitting on many of the very themes and ideas that define summer, this album is a great summer soundtrack for excessive amounts of drinking, smoking, grilling, roadtripping and well, building shit. Over-all, Stay Positive is more than just a great summer album, it is easily one of the best albums of the year and a worthy follow-up to the nearly perfect predacessor.


2. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals

You do the math:

Every fun song you've ever heard

- The songs that appear on Night Ripper

+ Summer

x The best mash-up artist I've ever heard

= Feed The Animals

'Nuff said.


1. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III

Club jams? Check. Social and politcal commentary? Check. Guest appearances galore? Check. Song about being an extra-terrestrial? Check. Best Summer Album of 2008? Hell yes. Tha Carter III, in addition to being probably the best album of the year and perhaps one of the best rap albums of all time, it's one of the most fun rap albums I've ever heard. This album's balance of style and substance is unparelled. It's original, vicious, funny, poignant and above all, brilliant. From where I'm sitting, there is only one song on this album that doesn't have the potential to be a real hip-hop classic. Coming in at a whopping 77 minutes, this album does two things that rarely happen in the world of rap: live up to hype, avoid fluff. I say this as a music listener/critic who used to think Lil' Wayne was a talentless hack: Tha Carter III is one of the best albums I've ever heard, and it is most certainly the Best Summer Album of 2008.


Peace.

Best of 2007

Top Albums of 2007

1.    Radiohead – In Rainbows
2.    The National – Boxer
3.    Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
4.    Battles – Mirrored
5.    Justice - Cross
6.    Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War
7.    Kanye West – Graduation
8.    Interpol – Our Love To Admire
9.    Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
10.    Feist –The Reminder
11.    Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist
12.    BSS Present Kevin Drew – Spirit If…
13.    Mark Ronson – Version
14.    Bruce Springsteen – Magic
15.    LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
16.    Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
17.    Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
18.    Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
19.    The White Stripes – Icky Thump
20.    Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass
21.    Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
22.    Rilo Kiley – Under The Black Light
23.    Britney Spears – Blackout
24.    Lily Allen – Alright, Still
25.    Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris
26.    Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ships Even Sank
27.    Explosions In The Sky – All of a Sudden I miss Everyone
28.    M.I.A. – Kala
29.    Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger
30.    Kings of Leon – Because of the Times


I'll post songs soon.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Shins: Wincing The Night Away

It is hard to believe that it has been over two years since Natalie Portman, Garden State and the Shins all teamed up to change our lives. Since then, the indie popsters have found their way onto countless myspace profiles of kids who were hopelessly in love with the band and who longed to one day hear a third song of theirs that was not on the G State soundtrack. Honestly though, I like totally was into them like a year before that movie came out. Like totally. I discovered The Shins at my local library on a cd rack containing what must have been at least twenty(!) cds. Lord only knows how their sophomore album, Chutes Too Narrow, found its way into that library. I was intrigued by the albums opening claps and subsequent 'woo!', but I knew I was onto something when I first heard So Says I, again largely because of the infectious 'woo's that adorn the song's crescendo.

And now The Shins are back in 2007 to change more lives with a fuller more developed sound. The album opener, Sleeping Lessons, serves as a perfect bridge between the old and new Shins. Bubbling with intimacy and what actually sounds like bubbles, Sleeping Lessons transitions from the soft closeness that made the band famous to a rollicking indie rock anthem. Once the songs kicks into gear, the group finally converts vast potential into a fully realized dynamic sound.

From their, the familiar vibe of previous albums presents itself but with a little more of everything. The hooks and harmonies reach a little farther, the guitar goes a little bigger and louder, and general cohesiveness of the band is stronger than ever before. The single, Phantom Limb is one of the best examples of this, opening with a fuzzy bass line, and slowly adding new concepts to the familiar sounds of their previous material. It culminates in a cool drive that is reminiscent of indie pop chieftains, The New Pornographers. Yes, I called them chieftains, but anyone who has heard Twin Cinema will have a hard time disagreeing with me. Generally, Wincing the Night Away is not surprising, but solid and enjoyable. If you enjoy lighthearted and twinkling indie pop, you will have a hard time not liking this album.

Best of 2006

Top Albums of 2006

It is only fair that I warn you that this is one of the more bizarre mixes of music I have ever seen on one list before. These range from experimental noise rockers to mainstream pop. I like what I like and I make no excuses. I only ask that you give everything a chance before you decide it's bad. If you do, then you might be surprised at what you hear.

20. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
19. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
18. Cursive - Happy Hollow
17. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
16. Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
15. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
14. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
13. Jenny Lewis - Rabbit Fur Coat
12. M. Ward - Post-War
11. Beck - The Information
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
9. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
8. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
7. The Killers - Sam's Town
6. Asobi Seksu - Citrus
5. Dashboard Confessional - Dusk & Summer
4. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time

3. Girl Talk - Night Ripper

The first time I heard Girl Talk, I just about fell out of my desk chair three times during the first song. It's suprising enough to hear Boston, Ludacris, The Verve, Oasis and the Ying Yang Twins mentioned in the same article. Now, imagine hearing them mixed together on the same track. The 42 minute album runs together as a giant seamless musical dance smoothie of just about every popular song of the past three decades. Aside from the beats and the occasional other addition, Night Ripper is entirely comprised of samples and yet despite this fact, it doesn't take long to realize that Girl Talk possesses just as much, if not more, talent and vision than the artists he borrows from. Every since I purchased it, this cd has accompanied me to just about every party I have attended and no one has been disappointed yet. Night Ripper is a party in your ears. If you've heard it, you know what I mean. The attention span of each movement is roughly comparable to the average five year old; the same series of beats and samples are rarely present for more than 30 seconds. The best moments on the album come when you hear two or more songs mixed together that you thought would never mix and the whole becomes so much more that the sum of the parts. The Frankenstein version becomes more than a novelty and it begins to sound as though this is how it was supposed to sound in the first place. I think that Girl Talk meant to send a message at the end of the album to not only his listeners, but to his musical contemporaries and followers as well. The album fades out to the sound of Girl Talk's original synth lead and a loop of Trillville's words "You can neva' eva', neva' eva' get on my level". Arrogant? Possibly. Correct? Absolutely.

2. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

This band has just about reached the 'can-do-no-wrong' and The Crane Wife is only further proof of this fact. After last years fantastic Picaresque, the bar was set high for the bands fourth full length album. But it doesn't take long to realize that The Decemberists have morphed into a bigger and better band in the past year. The Crane Wife is full of sprawling rock epics, with two songs exceeding ten minutes and the rest playing out with such richness that they sound like classics upon the first listen. The album is definitely very bookendish in its quality with the best tracks being the first and last two, and the worst being When the War Came which is placed right in the middle. All three movements of title track are stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking and give lead singer Colin Meloy the opportunity to showcase his incredible storytelling ability. Any discussion of this album would be incomplete however without mentioning the final track: Sons & Daughters. The song opens with a slow organ and then stacks on guitars, vocals, more vocals and a whole slew of intricate instrumentation. The song builds up with three vocalists singing a round before finally shifting gears and vaulting into an epic chant of "Hear all the bombs, they fade away" that gives me chills every time I hear it. If you are looking for a the great indie rock anthem of 2006, this is it.

1. Mates of State - Bring It Back

I just can't help myself. I am such a sucker for songs or bands that have girls and boys singing together. And don't even get me started on upbeat pop music. Mix these two elements and you have my favorite album of 2006: Bring It Back. I liked this album the very first time I heard it back in March and it took me the entire rest of the year to slowly realize this is so much more than it lets on. It is simply amazing what two people, with only their voices and a small handful of instruments can create. Granted, they are able to create a much richer and more layered sound in the studio, but it is still just the two of them doing it and the results are just breathtaking. Everything from the way their voices bounce of each other to the quirky organ lines and unconventional song structure help elevate the Mates of State from married pop music duo to a completely different level. If you've never heard them, all I can say is that you are in for a treat. Due to the nature of the band, most of the songs center around the marriage and it is utterly heartwarming. The song Punchlines kicks and screams all the way up to the plateau of transcendent indie pop while other songs like Nature and the Wreck and Running Out are so honest and full of love that it really does make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to listen too. Bring It Back is this band a their best, and because of the wide dynamics and the completeness of beauty that is created by love and music, this album is my favorite of 2006.


Top Tracks of 2006

20. The Flaming Lips - Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
18. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
17. My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words
16. Girl Talk - Ask About Me
15. M. Ward - Chinese Translation
14. Ghostface Killah - The Champ
13. Dashboard Confessional - Stolen
12. Fergie - London Bridge
11. Asobi Seksu - Nefi+Girly
10. Muse - Kinghts of Cydonia
9. Mates of State - Punchlines
8. Secret Machines - Lightning Blue Eyes
7. Rihanna - SOS
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh)
5. The Killers - When You Were Young
4. Jusin Timberlake - SexyBack
3. Band of Horses - The Funeral
2. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
1. The Decemberists - Sons & Daughters