You guys got a big jump on me, so now I'm getting my revenge.
1. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – Man, they really need to put out a third album and start to burn out so I can stop singing their praises. The only weak song on the album is “Cheating On You”.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss – This is the kind of album I can really get behind, because my favorite song from it has changed a half dozen times. It has Mr. Brightside, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, All These Things That I’ve Done, Change Your Mind, On Top…great stuff.
3. Elliott Smith – From A Basement On A Hill – It doesn’t sound anything like Elliott’s other work, but it has some of the best songs he would ever record (one of which appears on #5 as well). Coast to Coast, A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity to Be Free, (Ugly Before) Pretty, Twlight, Let's Get Lost -- it's haunting from start to finish because of what seems to be a number of references to suicide, but it's a great album regardless of the aura of desperation around it.
4. Kanye West – The College Dropout – It’s faded in its greatness because his last two albums have been disappointments, but it is from start to finish a must-listen. The weakest points of the album are the skits, obviously, but the weakest actual song…I guess it’s Get ‘Em High, which I don’t like. But that’s it. Smart, slick album.
5. Various artists - Future Soundtrack For America – OK Go’s cover of The Zombies “This Will Be Our Year” is a masterpiece; R.E.M., The Old 97’s, Elliott Smith, David Byrne, Jimmy Eat World (covering GbV, no less), Fountains of Wayne, and a powerhouse song from Tom Waits – it’s one of the best compilations I’ve ever come across, and it was intended to dethrone Bush.
Honorable mention: Chris White – Forbidden Style – It’s honestly one of the best comedy albums I’ve ever heard, even if he’s refined his audience interaction immensely in the last few years, but it’s also the kind of stuff targeted specifically at me; David Cross – It’s Not Funny – vastly superior to his debut comedy CD, which was really more politics than comedy; Badly Drawn Boy – One Plus One Is One – Ok, I’m not Ryan, I don’t love everything Damon Gough’s done. But oh lord, this CD is amazing. I’d include it in the top 5, but since it’s certain to be on his and I’ve only listened to it once, I’m going to leave it here; Jimmy Eat World – Futures.
Dan's Top 5:
Thank God Muse's Absolution is disqualified because of its 2003 UK release, or else I'd be throwing fits as to where to put it. Anyway, this was probably the best year for releases in the decade, so good choice of year, Tim. Getting on with it...
1. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - Originally released in the UK in 2004, so I'm safe. For me, this is probably the best example of inventive indie music ever, and I'm sure I've sung its praises enough before so that I needn't say them again. I never find myself not in the mood for this album.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss - The fact that this album became popular and went multi-platinum has pretty much restored my faith in the musical taste of the rest of the world.
3. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - I remember first seeing an ad for this album at Crossroads, the local Blacksburg record store. It wasn't until later that I discovered how cool the album was after seeing the "Take Me Out" video. To me, it always seemed to be the counterpoint to Hot Fuss.
4. Keane - Hopes and Fears - I only truly know a few songs from it, but the single "Everybody's Changing" captured my heart that summer. Their follow-up in 2006 originally disappointed due to the awesomeness of this album, but I have since come to accept it.
5. Ambulance LTD - LP - This album contains one of the best songs ever, "Swim." All the other songs are fairly good as well, but that song in particular makes me want to write others that are like it. I also don't talk about this album enough, so what better opportunity?
Air - Talkie Walkie, Duran Duran - Astronaut, Green Day - American Idiot, Interpol - Antics, Patton Oswalt - Feelin' Kinda Patton (only left out because I felt like Ambulance LTD needed some cred), U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Zero 7 - The Space Between
Ryan's Top Five
More praise for The Killers, and some thieving from both of you guys.
1. Badly Drawn Boy - "One Plus One Is One" - Yes, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. Yes, this is a solid album start to finish. This has some excellent tracks but functions better as a solid whole. That being said, "Four Leaf Clover" is one of my favorite songs of all-time. Period.
2. The Killers - "Hot Fuss" - No argument here, I listen to any song from this album and I am immediately transported to 2004, when I listened to this constantly.
3. Kanye West - "College Dropout" - I initially ranked this lower because I for some reason was thinking this was the second album (which is actually Late Registration, of course). This is thus Kanye's best album and has some of the best hip hop (says DJ Fox-A-Mil', hip hop expert) of our time: "We Don't Care," "Jesus Walks," and "All Falls Down" are all three better than any other song on any other Kanye album (I do be tweakin' 'bout "Good Life" though).
4. Air - "Talkie Walkie" - I feel safe saying this is the best ambient French pop of the last 100 years. (I feel safe in that no one who is French reads this blog.)
5. David Cross - "It's Not Funny" - Tory got me fairly obsessed with this CD for a good period of time. I don't own too many comedy albums, but this and "These are Jokes" by Demetri Martin are probably my two favorites. "Oh, David, being a parent is so hard, it's so hard David... "Come on man, that's not hard, I'll tell you what hard is. Try talking your girlfriend into her third consecutive abortion. That's hard. That takes finesse."
Showing posts with label franz ferdinand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label franz ferdinand. Show all posts
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Top 5 Concerts You've Been To
Straightforward and strictly self-referential for a change of pace.
Ryan's Top Five
1. Badly Drawn Boy, Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (Oct. 2004) - When I put down all the concerts I've been to in print (not as many as I had thought), this one is far and away the best. First off, you have to factor in this--what are the fucking odds of A) Badly Drawn Boy coming to America to tour, B) Badly Drawn Boy coming to Lawrence, KS, and C) Badly Drawn Boy coming to my favorite venue in the world? Secondly, I definitely got my money's worth; he played his best album, "One Plus One Is One" (which had just been released), in its entirety, then they took a break, then he came back and did a full concert of older songs, then he came back for an encore. The show lasted almost four hours. By the encore, he was drunk and ranting about the upcoming election and George W. Bush. And to top it off, the opener was good, an indie band from England called Adem. My favorite concert, bar none.
2. Duran Duran, NTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA (Aug. 2005) - This was easily the biggest concert I've ever been to, and Duran Duran did not remotely disappoint. They opened with "Friends of Mine," then Simon Le Bon says hello to the crowd and screams, "IS ANYBODY HUNGRYYYYY?!" before they launch into "Hungry Like The Wolf." This strikes me as one of the coolest ways to begin a show, ever--give the public what they want. Adhering to this, they did just about every song you could want them to do, not letting their newer stuff overwhelm the act. This included my two favorites, "Come Undone" and "Ordinary World." And when he dedicated the latter to the military men and women overseas and their families left behind--Norfolk after all is a Navy town, and plenty of Navy folk were in the crowd--it actually wasn't cheesy, doubtless because the song itself is so fucking awesome. Downside: the opening act sucked. All in all though, great show.
3. Colin Meloy, Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (April 2008) - I was psyched for this concert but I'll admit I was a bit leery of an entirely acoustic set. Fortunately, this concert was pretty great, all told. He did plenty of "The Crane Wife," including kick-ass versions of "The Perfect Crime 2" and "O Valencia." He's a pretty good stand-up comedian to boot; at one point he said he didn't want to "get too footnotey, like some fucking David Foster Wallace novel." Finally, he finished by leading the crowd in a rollicking rendition (says I) of "The Mariner's Revenge Song."
4. Ben Folds Five, Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE (Oct. 1999) - The concert itself was great, but more than that, this was at 16 my First Real Concert I ever went to, you know, of music I had discovered on my own and had listened to religiously for two solid years. (See #5 for clarification of "First Real Concert.") They did a few songs from Reinhold Messner (released earlier that year) but focused primarily on Whatever And Ever Amen (one of my top 5 favorite albums) and their eponymous debut. Highlights included awesome renditions of "Philosophy," "One Angry Dwarf...," "Narcolepsy," and so on. It was all good. Side-note: Train was the opener, before they were big. I suppose I liked them then, or anyway I liked "Meet Virginia."
5. Hootie & the Blowfish, Some Nebraskan Ampitheatre, summer, I believe 1997 - OK, not the best of recollections about this one... though I know I still have the ticket stub somewhere. This, in all fairness, was the First Concert I ever went to, so I have to include it here. Actually, it's easy to laugh about Hootie & the Blowfish now, but... well OK, it was probably easy to do so then, but I was still 13 and only a few years removed from "Cracked Rear View." Hey, you know what, fuck you all, I like Hootie & the Blowfish.
All The Concerts I've Been To Follow (I am pretty sure I'm not forgetting any...):
Honorable Mentions:
- The Swell Season at the Uptown Theatre, KCMO (this is #6 if I were ranking them, great show)
- Ben Folds, the Lied Center (at KU, this was an awesome show and I suppose is tied for 6th)
- Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Lee at City Market, KCMO (would have been great if lightning didn't preclude Ben Lee entirely and persuade a skittish Rufus Wainwright to fly through his set)
- Ben Folds at some venue in Norfolk (Portside? Somethingerother? This is how much Hampton Roads is into Ben, my dad bought tickets for the three of us (him, me, Tory), we get there, and they're handing out free tickets at the door...Anyway, good show, but nothing particularly Top 5-worthy)
- Jurassic 5, Abe & Jake's in Lawrence (my only hip hop show)
- Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at the NTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA (fun seeing a Beatle. Not quite as fun seeing members of Supertramp, ELP, et. al.)
- Nickel Creek at Liberty Hall (good concert, the music's not really my cup of tea, but still)
Dishonorable Mention:
- Tonic at Harbor View in Norfolk, VA (free concert...took forever for them to get onstage...after they performed about three songs we realized we didn't really give a shit about Tonic and left, which was enjoyable. They did have good barbecue, to be fair.)
Dan's Top 5:
1. Smashing Pumpkins, The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC (Jun. 30, 2007) - The Smashing Pumpkins did a residency for a little over a week in Asheville to promote Zeitgeist. I actually managed to get two tickets (a mere $20 each) out of I'm guessing 600 per show. The greatest thing about this concert was the venue. It's essentially the size of a school gym, so I got to stand about ten or fifteen feet away from Billy Corgan. Despite only beginning to get into Smashing Pumpkins at the time, it was still an amazing set. They played "Stand Inside Your Love," "Tonight, Tonight," and of course, "1979," which is a song that's in my Top 10, if not my Top 5 Songs of All Time. I Would have liked to see a show with the original lineup (i.e., with D'arcy and James) but let's not kid ourselves - Corgan is the band (for better or for worse - I blame him exclusively for Zeitgeist).
2. Gogol Bordello, The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg, VA (October 18, 2007) - This one was a real surprise. I accepted a ticket after my roommate told me about the group, making this the first and only concert to go to where I didn't know any of the songs that would be played. For those who don't know of Gogol Bordello, the music is best described as Eastern European Gypsy Punk. Yeah, wrap your head around that. Anyway, I managed to squeeze into the front row, but of to the side, where there was no punk activity (minor crowd surfing and possible moshing took place) so I could focus on the performers. The concert ranks so high because I was right up front for an extremely high-energy show. All the performers were really into it, and I got to shake all their hands at the end of the set.
3. Radiohead, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Charlotte, NC (May 9, 2008) - I had to settle for lawn seats, but for fucking Radiohead, it didn't matter (I was in the front against the railing anyway). The band did twenty-four (24) songs and wrapped up by 11, letting me get back to Blacksburg by 2. It seemed fast at the time, but it was two-and-a-half hours. Naturally, they did their In Rainbows songs, but they also pulled a few tricks by playing songs like "Optmistic," "Exit Music (For a Film)" and "Planet Telex." The encore consisted of "Paranoid Android" and "Reckoner," and will probably be the best encore in the history of ever. My only complaint is that they didn't play any of my top three songs ("My Iron Lung," "No Surprises," "Fake Plastic Trees").
4. Rush, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA (Jun. 22, 2007) - I've only been really into Rush for under a year, and this concert really made me a die-hard fan. I knew that each member of the trio was one of the best in the world at their instrument, but I wasn't expecting this level of awesomeness. I get to say I've seen a Neil Peart drum solo live, and that makes me happy. I didn't know but half of the songs, but one of the highlights was a clip of South Park introducing "Tom Sawyer." The band really has a good sense of humor. The encore was capped with "YYZ," which took it to a whole new level of kickass.
5. Sudflood XVIII, Top of the Stairs, Blacksburg, VA (Apr. 22, 2006) - I'm going to pull a fast one and include an all-day music fest that my former band, Rex Bedlam, played in. We were originally slated to play an hour and a half, but technical issues and other bands running over time shaved our set down to about half an hour to 45 minutes. The first song, our drummer broke his kick pedal, and the second song, our electric guitarist broke a string. However, we gave it our best and even managed to cover Zeppelin's "Black Dog." Afterwards, other visiting bands (all of which were good) gave us props during their sets. Pretty awesome. Oh yeah, we also got unlimited free beer for twelve hours.
Honorable Mentions (i.e., the rest of the concerts I've been to, ranked in descending order of greatness):
Muse w/ My Chemical Romance, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD - Muse fucking rule, but because they were openers, their set was a mere 45 minutes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers with Gnarls Barkley, John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA - RHCP was really lackluster, as they played mostly newer songs (i.e., post-BSSM), but Gnarls Barkley was the shit. However, their bass was clipping because their sound levels were off, resulting in a non-ideal show.
The Last Dispatch, The Hatch Shell, Boston, MA - Dispatch's supposed final show ever. (They reunited recently at MSG for a series of benefit concerts.) Awesome music from a single band for three and a half hours, but way too many people, way too hot, and most of the fans were hippies.
ZZ Top, Ted Nugent, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA - This was my first concert ever, and I went with my dad (which, if you know my dad, is not an uncool thing to admit). It was pretty enjoyable, but Ted Nugent ruined his set for me when he avidly supported George W. Bush during some inter-song banter.
Carbon Leaf w/ Ben Lee, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - I was in the second row for this one, and I'm a solid fan of Carbon Leaf. Ben Lee was pretty good too. I expect this to be the standard for an acceptable concert experience.
Sudflood XIX, Top of the Stairs, Blacksburg, VA - Overall, most of the bands were boring, but Carbon Leaf was there, and I found out that they did the show for free (proceeds this year went to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund). They also signed my copy of Echo Echo.
Ben Folds, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - This concert makes me suspect that Ben Folds hates, for some reason, the state of Virginia, Virginia Tech or even me personally. He seemed really detached from the audience, and even forced us to listen to him start "Gracie" about five or six times because someone in the audience "woo"-ed in approval. (He neared completion of it twice, only to start it over.) What a douche.
O.A.R. w/ Michael Franti and Spearhead, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - I think I was in the front row for this, but let's be honest, O.A.R. sucks. Spearhead was pretty cool, though.
Tim's Top 5:
Ryan jumped the gun on this one, I'm pretty sure the Springsteen show I'm going to 7/27/08 will be #1 and I suspect the Pearl Jam show (and maybe, god willing, R.E.M.?) in June may crack the list, so I was holding off.
1) 4/00 - Guided by Voices with Sense Field at The Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE - I was probably the only person watching Sense Field, but they became one of my favorite bands after the concert -- and shortly after the concert had to abandon their hopes of ever releasing their album with Warner Bros. and it became the abortive effort that was released on Nettwerk and scored them 15 minutes of fame with "Save Yourself". Then GbV put together a greatest hits concert that captured the era of GbV at its finest -- this was right after Do The Collapse, so they didn't have the stuff from Isolation Drills, but it led them to get the best of the Fading Captain Series and favor stuff from Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand instead of the most recent album. The only drawback is one that would follow GbV for years, their steadfast avoidance of material from Mag Earwhig!, which was and still is, my favorite GbV album hands down.
2) 6/13/03 - Pearl Jam with Idlewild at the Mid-American Center, Council Bluffs, IA - Bu$hleaguer on the Riot Act album...boring. Bu$hleaguer live -- played in the heart of Republican country -- unparalleled in awesomeness. This is the concert that made me think Riot Act was one of Pearl Jam's greatest albums, even though only me and four other people own it. I don't think I'm wrong. They closed with Rockin' in the Free World, which is definitely the chosen song to end Pearl Jam shows, they covered The Police's Driven to Tears, The Clash's "Know Your Rights" (both have since become favorites of mine) and unfortunately Crazy Mary (a song which I have no affection for). It was really an amazing show, no Katowice, Poland, but amazing nonetheless.
3) 7/28/07 - The Old 97's with Ha Ha Tonka at The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA - I'd seen the Old 97's the night before on the Rockin' on the River cruise in New York but discovered they had a show far closer to me the next day. They ended up playing three encores -- one with Rhett by himself playing a couple of solo songs and a cover of the Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation", then the band returned to join him for a couple more Old 97's tracks. After half the club had left, they came out and played two more songs, both of which were unrecognizable at the time. The venue was astounding for a middling college town in the middle of Amish country, and the crowd really seemed to know their work much more than the NYC crowd. Ha Ha Tonka was an entertaining enough band, more on the side of country than alt-country, but they waited at the back of the show to watch, which is the true sign of an opening act that deserves some respect. I've meant to get their album for a long time now. I should really get around to it. There were still a couple of songs I'd have killed for them to play (seriously, "Nite Club" and "If My Heart Were a Car" warrant playing), but it was an exhaustingly amazing show. I drove the long trip home having absolutely no regrets about seeing them for a second time in two days.
4) 4/06 - Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie at Barton Hall, Ithaca, NY - The venue was awful for acoustics, I had absolutely nothing to drink (thank you, Cornell University), but the two acts were amazing. Franz Ferdinand went through the vast majority of their material, but still managed to hold things back that I'd forgotten were awesome; Death Cab played a good sampling of their material, even though I was unfamiliar with 90% of it at that point. I owned Plans within the week and have since developed an appreciation for their work as a whole.
5) 7/07 - The Police with Fiction Plane and the Fratellis at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA - Sure, it might as well have been pre-packaged, because The Police played only two sets during the entire reunion tour (Philadelphia warranted the long set at least), but they reminded me that there was a period before I was really sentient that Sting used to actually, you know, be kind of cool. And rock. They really put together a great show, the venue wasn't bad, and the beer flowed freely. Definitely one of the highlights of my employment thus far. You know, other than all the "law" stuff.
Honorable Mention: Ben Folds with The Divine Comedy at Seven Flags Event Center, Clive, IA - This was on the Ben Folds and a Piano tour after Rockin' the Suburbs, before he went off the musical deep end and became dead to me forever. The audience interaction seemed fresh (it wasn't, as you learned from the live album, it was all a scripted show with the same banter at every stop), and the music was awesome; Smashing Pumpkins with Fountains of Wayne at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE - My first concert still warrants mention, although I knew so little of either of these bands' work when I went to the show that it really cut into the awesomenss; Snow Patrol with OK Go and Silversun Pickups at Tweeter Center, Camden, NJ - the headline act wasn't what I went to see, but they put together a good show, OK Go played most of their catalog and Silversun Pickups are as solid a second opening act as I could envision. Venue wasn't particularly good.
Ryan's Top Five
1. Badly Drawn Boy, Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (Oct. 2004) - When I put down all the concerts I've been to in print (not as many as I had thought), this one is far and away the best. First off, you have to factor in this--what are the fucking odds of A) Badly Drawn Boy coming to America to tour, B) Badly Drawn Boy coming to Lawrence, KS, and C) Badly Drawn Boy coming to my favorite venue in the world? Secondly, I definitely got my money's worth; he played his best album, "One Plus One Is One" (which had just been released), in its entirety, then they took a break, then he came back and did a full concert of older songs, then he came back for an encore. The show lasted almost four hours. By the encore, he was drunk and ranting about the upcoming election and George W. Bush. And to top it off, the opener was good, an indie band from England called Adem. My favorite concert, bar none.
2. Duran Duran, NTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA (Aug. 2005) - This was easily the biggest concert I've ever been to, and Duran Duran did not remotely disappoint. They opened with "Friends of Mine," then Simon Le Bon says hello to the crowd and screams, "IS ANYBODY HUNGRYYYYY?!" before they launch into "Hungry Like The Wolf." This strikes me as one of the coolest ways to begin a show, ever--give the public what they want. Adhering to this, they did just about every song you could want them to do, not letting their newer stuff overwhelm the act. This included my two favorites, "Come Undone" and "Ordinary World." And when he dedicated the latter to the military men and women overseas and their families left behind--Norfolk after all is a Navy town, and plenty of Navy folk were in the crowd--it actually wasn't cheesy, doubtless because the song itself is so fucking awesome. Downside: the opening act sucked. All in all though, great show.
3. Colin Meloy, Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS (April 2008) - I was psyched for this concert but I'll admit I was a bit leery of an entirely acoustic set. Fortunately, this concert was pretty great, all told. He did plenty of "The Crane Wife," including kick-ass versions of "The Perfect Crime 2" and "O Valencia." He's a pretty good stand-up comedian to boot; at one point he said he didn't want to "get too footnotey, like some fucking David Foster Wallace novel." Finally, he finished by leading the crowd in a rollicking rendition (says I) of "The Mariner's Revenge Song."
4. Ben Folds Five, Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE (Oct. 1999) - The concert itself was great, but more than that, this was at 16 my First Real Concert I ever went to, you know, of music I had discovered on my own and had listened to religiously for two solid years. (See #5 for clarification of "First Real Concert.") They did a few songs from Reinhold Messner (released earlier that year) but focused primarily on Whatever And Ever Amen (one of my top 5 favorite albums) and their eponymous debut. Highlights included awesome renditions of "Philosophy," "One Angry Dwarf...," "Narcolepsy," and so on. It was all good. Side-note: Train was the opener, before they were big. I suppose I liked them then, or anyway I liked "Meet Virginia."
5. Hootie & the Blowfish, Some Nebraskan Ampitheatre, summer, I believe 1997 - OK, not the best of recollections about this one... though I know I still have the ticket stub somewhere. This, in all fairness, was the First Concert I ever went to, so I have to include it here. Actually, it's easy to laugh about Hootie & the Blowfish now, but... well OK, it was probably easy to do so then, but I was still 13 and only a few years removed from "Cracked Rear View." Hey, you know what, fuck you all, I like Hootie & the Blowfish.
All The Concerts I've Been To Follow (I am pretty sure I'm not forgetting any...):
Honorable Mentions:
- The Swell Season at the Uptown Theatre, KCMO (this is #6 if I were ranking them, great show)
- Ben Folds, the Lied Center (at KU, this was an awesome show and I suppose is tied for 6th)
- Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Lee at City Market, KCMO (would have been great if lightning didn't preclude Ben Lee entirely and persuade a skittish Rufus Wainwright to fly through his set)
- Ben Folds at some venue in Norfolk (Portside? Somethingerother? This is how much Hampton Roads is into Ben, my dad bought tickets for the three of us (him, me, Tory), we get there, and they're handing out free tickets at the door...Anyway, good show, but nothing particularly Top 5-worthy)
- Jurassic 5, Abe & Jake's in Lawrence (my only hip hop show)
- Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at the NTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA (fun seeing a Beatle. Not quite as fun seeing members of Supertramp, ELP, et. al.)
- Nickel Creek at Liberty Hall (good concert, the music's not really my cup of tea, but still)
Dishonorable Mention:
- Tonic at Harbor View in Norfolk, VA (free concert...took forever for them to get onstage...after they performed about three songs we realized we didn't really give a shit about Tonic and left, which was enjoyable. They did have good barbecue, to be fair.)
Dan's Top 5:
1. Smashing Pumpkins, The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC (Jun. 30, 2007) - The Smashing Pumpkins did a residency for a little over a week in Asheville to promote Zeitgeist. I actually managed to get two tickets (a mere $20 each) out of I'm guessing 600 per show. The greatest thing about this concert was the venue. It's essentially the size of a school gym, so I got to stand about ten or fifteen feet away from Billy Corgan. Despite only beginning to get into Smashing Pumpkins at the time, it was still an amazing set. They played "Stand Inside Your Love," "Tonight, Tonight," and of course, "1979," which is a song that's in my Top 10, if not my Top 5 Songs of All Time. I Would have liked to see a show with the original lineup (i.e., with D'arcy and James) but let's not kid ourselves - Corgan is the band (for better or for worse - I blame him exclusively for Zeitgeist).
2. Gogol Bordello, The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg, VA (October 18, 2007) - This one was a real surprise. I accepted a ticket after my roommate told me about the group, making this the first and only concert to go to where I didn't know any of the songs that would be played. For those who don't know of Gogol Bordello, the music is best described as Eastern European Gypsy Punk. Yeah, wrap your head around that. Anyway, I managed to squeeze into the front row, but of to the side, where there was no punk activity (minor crowd surfing and possible moshing took place) so I could focus on the performers. The concert ranks so high because I was right up front for an extremely high-energy show. All the performers were really into it, and I got to shake all their hands at the end of the set.
3. Radiohead, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Charlotte, NC (May 9, 2008) - I had to settle for lawn seats, but for fucking Radiohead, it didn't matter (I was in the front against the railing anyway). The band did twenty-four (24) songs and wrapped up by 11, letting me get back to Blacksburg by 2. It seemed fast at the time, but it was two-and-a-half hours. Naturally, they did their In Rainbows songs, but they also pulled a few tricks by playing songs like "Optmistic," "Exit Music (For a Film)" and "Planet Telex." The encore consisted of "Paranoid Android" and "Reckoner," and will probably be the best encore in the history of ever. My only complaint is that they didn't play any of my top three songs ("My Iron Lung," "No Surprises," "Fake Plastic Trees").
4. Rush, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA (Jun. 22, 2007) - I've only been really into Rush for under a year, and this concert really made me a die-hard fan. I knew that each member of the trio was one of the best in the world at their instrument, but I wasn't expecting this level of awesomeness. I get to say I've seen a Neil Peart drum solo live, and that makes me happy. I didn't know but half of the songs, but one of the highlights was a clip of South Park introducing "Tom Sawyer." The band really has a good sense of humor. The encore was capped with "YYZ," which took it to a whole new level of kickass.
5. Sudflood XVIII, Top of the Stairs, Blacksburg, VA (Apr. 22, 2006) - I'm going to pull a fast one and include an all-day music fest that my former band, Rex Bedlam, played in. We were originally slated to play an hour and a half, but technical issues and other bands running over time shaved our set down to about half an hour to 45 minutes. The first song, our drummer broke his kick pedal, and the second song, our electric guitarist broke a string. However, we gave it our best and even managed to cover Zeppelin's "Black Dog." Afterwards, other visiting bands (all of which were good) gave us props during their sets. Pretty awesome. Oh yeah, we also got unlimited free beer for twelve hours.
Honorable Mentions (i.e., the rest of the concerts I've been to, ranked in descending order of greatness):
Muse w/ My Chemical Romance, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD - Muse fucking rule, but because they were openers, their set was a mere 45 minutes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers with Gnarls Barkley, John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA - RHCP was really lackluster, as they played mostly newer songs (i.e., post-BSSM), but Gnarls Barkley was the shit. However, their bass was clipping because their sound levels were off, resulting in a non-ideal show.
The Last Dispatch, The Hatch Shell, Boston, MA - Dispatch's supposed final show ever. (They reunited recently at MSG for a series of benefit concerts.) Awesome music from a single band for three and a half hours, but way too many people, way too hot, and most of the fans were hippies.
ZZ Top, Ted Nugent, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA - This was my first concert ever, and I went with my dad (which, if you know my dad, is not an uncool thing to admit). It was pretty enjoyable, but Ted Nugent ruined his set for me when he avidly supported George W. Bush during some inter-song banter.
Carbon Leaf w/ Ben Lee, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - I was in the second row for this one, and I'm a solid fan of Carbon Leaf. Ben Lee was pretty good too. I expect this to be the standard for an acceptable concert experience.
Sudflood XIX, Top of the Stairs, Blacksburg, VA - Overall, most of the bands were boring, but Carbon Leaf was there, and I found out that they did the show for free (proceeds this year went to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund). They also signed my copy of Echo Echo.
Ben Folds, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - This concert makes me suspect that Ben Folds hates, for some reason, the state of Virginia, Virginia Tech or even me personally. He seemed really detached from the audience, and even forced us to listen to him start "Gracie" about five or six times because someone in the audience "woo"-ed in approval. (He neared completion of it twice, only to start it over.) What a douche.
O.A.R. w/ Michael Franti and Spearhead, Burruss Hall Auditorium, Blacksburg, VA - I think I was in the front row for this, but let's be honest, O.A.R. sucks. Spearhead was pretty cool, though.
Tim's Top 5:
Ryan jumped the gun on this one, I'm pretty sure the Springsteen show I'm going to 7/27/08 will be #1 and I suspect the Pearl Jam show (and maybe, god willing, R.E.M.?) in June may crack the list, so I was holding off.
1) 4/00 - Guided by Voices with Sense Field at The Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE - I was probably the only person watching Sense Field, but they became one of my favorite bands after the concert -- and shortly after the concert had to abandon their hopes of ever releasing their album with Warner Bros. and it became the abortive effort that was released on Nettwerk and scored them 15 minutes of fame with "Save Yourself". Then GbV put together a greatest hits concert that captured the era of GbV at its finest -- this was right after Do The Collapse, so they didn't have the stuff from Isolation Drills, but it led them to get the best of the Fading Captain Series and favor stuff from Alien Lanes and Bee Thousand instead of the most recent album. The only drawback is one that would follow GbV for years, their steadfast avoidance of material from Mag Earwhig!, which was and still is, my favorite GbV album hands down.
2) 6/13/03 - Pearl Jam with Idlewild at the Mid-American Center, Council Bluffs, IA - Bu$hleaguer on the Riot Act album...boring. Bu$hleaguer live -- played in the heart of Republican country -- unparalleled in awesomeness. This is the concert that made me think Riot Act was one of Pearl Jam's greatest albums, even though only me and four other people own it. I don't think I'm wrong. They closed with Rockin' in the Free World, which is definitely the chosen song to end Pearl Jam shows, they covered The Police's Driven to Tears, The Clash's "Know Your Rights" (both have since become favorites of mine) and unfortunately Crazy Mary (a song which I have no affection for). It was really an amazing show, no Katowice, Poland, but amazing nonetheless.
3) 7/28/07 - The Old 97's with Ha Ha Tonka at The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA - I'd seen the Old 97's the night before on the Rockin' on the River cruise in New York but discovered they had a show far closer to me the next day. They ended up playing three encores -- one with Rhett by himself playing a couple of solo songs and a cover of the Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation", then the band returned to join him for a couple more Old 97's tracks. After half the club had left, they came out and played two more songs, both of which were unrecognizable at the time. The venue was astounding for a middling college town in the middle of Amish country, and the crowd really seemed to know their work much more than the NYC crowd. Ha Ha Tonka was an entertaining enough band, more on the side of country than alt-country, but they waited at the back of the show to watch, which is the true sign of an opening act that deserves some respect. I've meant to get their album for a long time now. I should really get around to it. There were still a couple of songs I'd have killed for them to play (seriously, "Nite Club" and "If My Heart Were a Car" warrant playing), but it was an exhaustingly amazing show. I drove the long trip home having absolutely no regrets about seeing them for a second time in two days.
4) 4/06 - Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie at Barton Hall, Ithaca, NY - The venue was awful for acoustics, I had absolutely nothing to drink (thank you, Cornell University), but the two acts were amazing. Franz Ferdinand went through the vast majority of their material, but still managed to hold things back that I'd forgotten were awesome; Death Cab played a good sampling of their material, even though I was unfamiliar with 90% of it at that point. I owned Plans within the week and have since developed an appreciation for their work as a whole.
5) 7/07 - The Police with Fiction Plane and the Fratellis at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA - Sure, it might as well have been pre-packaged, because The Police played only two sets during the entire reunion tour (Philadelphia warranted the long set at least), but they reminded me that there was a period before I was really sentient that Sting used to actually, you know, be kind of cool. And rock. They really put together a great show, the venue wasn't bad, and the beer flowed freely. Definitely one of the highlights of my employment thus far. You know, other than all the "law" stuff.
Honorable Mention: Ben Folds with The Divine Comedy at Seven Flags Event Center, Clive, IA - This was on the Ben Folds and a Piano tour after Rockin' the Suburbs, before he went off the musical deep end and became dead to me forever. The audience interaction seemed fresh (it wasn't, as you learned from the live album, it was all a scripted show with the same banter at every stop), and the music was awesome; Smashing Pumpkins with Fountains of Wayne at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE - My first concert still warrants mention, although I knew so little of either of these bands' work when I went to the show that it really cut into the awesomenss; Snow Patrol with OK Go and Silversun Pickups at Tweeter Center, Camden, NJ - the headline act wasn't what I went to see, but they put together a good show, OK Go played most of their catalog and Silversun Pickups are as solid a second opening act as I could envision. Venue wasn't particularly good.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Top 5 Current Favorite Bands/Artists
Defined however you like, but within reason...though The Rolling Stones may technically tour again, for example, I wouldn't rate them here. (Not only for that reason, but you get the idea.) Ditto Paul McCartney. I guess what I'm trying to say is, no old folk. Ben Folds would probably be the oldest on my list.
P.S., Stole this idea from Tory, who had it a while back.
1. Badly Drawn Boy - It's actually kind of difficult for me to explain my love affair with Badly Drawn Boy. More than any other artist, he makes albums before songs. I listened to One Plus One Is One a few times and couldn't find many memorable singles, but upon repeated listens, I began to love every individual track for its contribution to the whole. My favorite songs: "Four Leaf Clover," "The Shining," "Minor Incident," "Something to Talk About," "Born in the UK," "Silent Sigh," "Fewer Words," et. al.
2. Muse - Feels wrong ranking them this low because they kick so much ass. I guess, if they follow Black Holes up with something close to as awesome, they might be my favorite band of all-time.
3. Ben Folds - In the long run I like Ben Folds more than almost everyone else, of course, but if I'm being truthful to the "current" point, I have to put him third.
4. The Decemberists - OK, now I feel comfortable ranking them, after legally (in an illegal sort of way) getting their albums online. I've listened to The Crane Wife in one of those patented ryan-obsessive sort of Musey, Badly Drawny Boyey-type ways lately. Everyone had successfully convinced me that they were lyrically talented, but what's taken me by surprise is their musicality. These songs rock--try listening to "The Perfect Crime 2" without jamming.
5. Sufjan Stevens - Narrowly defeats The Flaming Lips, probably because At War With The Mystics wasn't as good as Yoshimi (a really tall order). I'm in love with Illinoise. I've never thought of seriously using this adjective, but his lyrics really are "haunting." It takes some talent to pull off a mournful song about John Wayne Gacy and make it personally relevant ("And in my best behavior, I am really just like him / Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid").
Honorables: The Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley (like Muse, a good follow-up would affect their rank), Coldplay ("You know why you're gay? Because you like Coldplay."), Fiona Apple
Dan's Top 5:
I'm going to interpret this as both "bands that are active" as well as "bands that I've been listening to within the last month or so." That's the only way I'm going to be able to narrow it down to 5.
1. Muse - Dan's Musefest 2007 is about out of gas, as I've been listening to Muse for quite some time. However, with GH III coming out and featuring Knights of Cydonia, I will most likely again take up listening to them nonstop, while being quick to point out that "I was into them before GH III came out."
2. The Decemberists - Probably the band for which I have to do the most listening work, but I'm really looking forward to it. I only "know" about a handful of songs, but I've never heard one that I dislike.
3. Damon Albarn's Latest Project - I figure this includes Blur (recently reunited), Gorillaz, and The Good The Bad & The Queen. I've listened to every "artist," and they're all good. I'm looking forward to whatever he releases next, and I'm almost guaranteed to buy it without listening to it first (which is what I did for TGTB&TQ).
4. Belle & Sebastian - This is only based off one album, but it was good enough for me to probably get their next one, whenever it's released.
5. Starsailor - I have two albums, but in all honesty have only listened to three songs. Again, they're a band I like, but I just need ot work on getting to know them.
Honorable Mentions: Radiohead (only unranked because they've had no new album in a while), The Go! Team, Doves, Gnarls Barkley
Tim's Top 5:
Having now taken a solid nine months to respond to this, I have a little more hindsight to celebrate, but oh well. That said, I don't think my list will have changed. Since my initial list all involved bands who had put out fewer than three albums except The Old 97's, I've just decided to set that limit.
1. Franz Ferdinand - They may never release a third album, but I'm so enamored with the first two that they still make the top 5. They're British, they're good with writing lyrics and making references to things that make me feel British (ah, Terry Wogen, how you make me feel British)
2. OK Go - I love these guys. I don't care about the videos that got everyone into the band, it took me forever to appreciate them on any level, but now that I do, I'm hooked. Oh No is one of my favorite albums of the last decade, and their debut has a few songs that I consider indispensable. Throw in the connection to NPR and attempting to dethrone Bush...and I can't believe I'm putting them at 3.
3. Arctic Monkeys - Both their debut album and the follow up are dynamite albums and they've already mastered the art of the non-album single with "Leave Before the Lights Come On". They're not strictly a singles band, which makes them absolutely essential to this list.
4. The Killers - All right, I gave up on Sam's Town, only to come around and find it to be a masterpiece, even if it's not Hot Fuss. Sawdust was underwhelming, but they're a young band to be putting out a B-sides disc, and it still has some very solid material. Hot Fuss is one of the most consistently great albums of the decade and Sam's Town has some indispensable tracks, including the title track and Bones.
5. Nine Black Alps - Their first album is a masterpiece, one of the best things Rob Schnapf has ever done, and he's one of the greatest producers of all time (see earlier list). The second album is less wonderful, but still quite good.
Honorable mention: The Decemberists have put out more than three, hence they don't get #5, but they still should count. Kanye West, though he loses me more with each album. The Bravery's last album would get mention, but I didn't think much of their debut. Interpol interests me. The bands I would have put in here don't seem "current" enough -- The Old 97's are almost as old as Pearl Jam, Jay-Z is old, Muse isn't that old, but they've put out five albums, Death Cab is pretty vintage, even if I didn't get into them until Plans.
P.S., Stole this idea from Tory, who had it a while back.
1. Badly Drawn Boy - It's actually kind of difficult for me to explain my love affair with Badly Drawn Boy. More than any other artist, he makes albums before songs. I listened to One Plus One Is One a few times and couldn't find many memorable singles, but upon repeated listens, I began to love every individual track for its contribution to the whole. My favorite songs: "Four Leaf Clover," "The Shining," "Minor Incident," "Something to Talk About," "Born in the UK," "Silent Sigh," "Fewer Words," et. al.
2. Muse - Feels wrong ranking them this low because they kick so much ass. I guess, if they follow Black Holes up with something close to as awesome, they might be my favorite band of all-time.
3. Ben Folds - In the long run I like Ben Folds more than almost everyone else, of course, but if I'm being truthful to the "current" point, I have to put him third.
4. The Decemberists - OK, now I feel comfortable ranking them, after legally (in an illegal sort of way) getting their albums online. I've listened to The Crane Wife in one of those patented ryan-obsessive sort of Musey, Badly Drawny Boyey-type ways lately. Everyone had successfully convinced me that they were lyrically talented, but what's taken me by surprise is their musicality. These songs rock--try listening to "The Perfect Crime 2" without jamming.
5. Sufjan Stevens - Narrowly defeats The Flaming Lips, probably because At War With The Mystics wasn't as good as Yoshimi (a really tall order). I'm in love with Illinoise. I've never thought of seriously using this adjective, but his lyrics really are "haunting." It takes some talent to pull off a mournful song about John Wayne Gacy and make it personally relevant ("And in my best behavior, I am really just like him / Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid").
Honorables: The Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley (like Muse, a good follow-up would affect their rank), Coldplay ("You know why you're gay? Because you like Coldplay."), Fiona Apple
Dan's Top 5:
I'm going to interpret this as both "bands that are active" as well as "bands that I've been listening to within the last month or so." That's the only way I'm going to be able to narrow it down to 5.
1. Muse - Dan's Musefest 2007 is about out of gas, as I've been listening to Muse for quite some time. However, with GH III coming out and featuring Knights of Cydonia, I will most likely again take up listening to them nonstop, while being quick to point out that "I was into them before GH III came out."
2. The Decemberists - Probably the band for which I have to do the most listening work, but I'm really looking forward to it. I only "know" about a handful of songs, but I've never heard one that I dislike.
3. Damon Albarn's Latest Project - I figure this includes Blur (recently reunited), Gorillaz, and The Good The Bad & The Queen. I've listened to every "artist," and they're all good. I'm looking forward to whatever he releases next, and I'm almost guaranteed to buy it without listening to it first (which is what I did for TGTB&TQ).
4. Belle & Sebastian - This is only based off one album, but it was good enough for me to probably get their next one, whenever it's released.
5. Starsailor - I have two albums, but in all honesty have only listened to three songs. Again, they're a band I like, but I just need ot work on getting to know them.
Honorable Mentions: Radiohead (only unranked because they've had no new album in a while), The Go! Team, Doves, Gnarls Barkley
Tim's Top 5:
Having now taken a solid nine months to respond to this, I have a little more hindsight to celebrate, but oh well. That said, I don't think my list will have changed. Since my initial list all involved bands who had put out fewer than three albums except The Old 97's, I've just decided to set that limit.
1. Franz Ferdinand - They may never release a third album, but I'm so enamored with the first two that they still make the top 5. They're British, they're good with writing lyrics and making references to things that make me feel British (ah, Terry Wogen, how you make me feel British)
2. OK Go - I love these guys. I don't care about the videos that got everyone into the band, it took me forever to appreciate them on any level, but now that I do, I'm hooked. Oh No is one of my favorite albums of the last decade, and their debut has a few songs that I consider indispensable. Throw in the connection to NPR and attempting to dethrone Bush...and I can't believe I'm putting them at 3.
3. Arctic Monkeys - Both their debut album and the follow up are dynamite albums and they've already mastered the art of the non-album single with "Leave Before the Lights Come On". They're not strictly a singles band, which makes them absolutely essential to this list.
4. The Killers - All right, I gave up on Sam's Town, only to come around and find it to be a masterpiece, even if it's not Hot Fuss. Sawdust was underwhelming, but they're a young band to be putting out a B-sides disc, and it still has some very solid material. Hot Fuss is one of the most consistently great albums of the decade and Sam's Town has some indispensable tracks, including the title track and Bones.
5. Nine Black Alps - Their first album is a masterpiece, one of the best things Rob Schnapf has ever done, and he's one of the greatest producers of all time (see earlier list). The second album is less wonderful, but still quite good.
Honorable mention: The Decemberists have put out more than three, hence they don't get #5, but they still should count. Kanye West, though he loses me more with each album. The Bravery's last album would get mention, but I didn't think much of their debut. Interpol interests me. The bands I would have put in here don't seem "current" enough -- The Old 97's are almost as old as Pearl Jam, Jay-Z is old, Muse isn't that old, but they've put out five albums, Death Cab is pretty vintage, even if I didn't get into them until Plans.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Top 5 Debut Albums...
Tim's Top 5:
Sure, eventually your favorite band figured it out, but what about their first album? We'll count solo debuts, so Ryan can slot Rockin' The Suburbs in his list right at the outset. We're also talking about the first album, so R.E.M.'s debut is Murmur, not Chronic Town.
1) Big Star - #1 Record - It's almost disingenuous to call this a fantastic debut album, because it constitutes such a high percentage of their work and Alex Chilton was a grizzled veteran of The Box Tops before he joined up with Bell, Hummel, and Stephens for this, but it remains one of my all-time top five albums. The India Song is bad. Downright bad. Everything else on this album is an absolute essential. I couldn't possibly listen to this album enough.
2) The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - There's something about punk that makes the first album the best, whether it's the Ramones, the Dead Kennedys or here, The Sex Pistols only real album (I refuse to recognize the disastrous Great Rock n' Roll Swindle, which might be the most aptly titled album I own. Pretty Vacant is a top 100 track, Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, Anarchy in the UK, No Feelings, all of the songs are so good as to almost rid them of their punk sensibility. The fact is, anger isn't supposed to sound this good.
3) The Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker - A great album. Period.
4) Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - Darts of Pleasure, Michael, and 40' are awesome. I didn't mention those before.
5) The Killers - Hot Fuss - It's easy to dismiss this as just an over-produced album that spawned a couple of hits, but its best stuff barely even got noticed until Sam's Town was on the horizon and Brandon Flowers had his bigger than Jesus moment. Mr. Brightside is the kind of endorphin releaser that this world needed to reintroduce synthesizers into the collective consciousness, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine is the best police interrogation set to music, and All These Things I've Done is a sprawling orchestra of what's left of the shambles of rock music. Change Your Mind and On Top beat almost anything that any other active band's ever done, and they're barely even worth mentioning. It needs time to age before I christen it a masterpiece, but it's getting there.
*I'm so tired of almost mentioning this album that I'm just mentioning it...6) Kanye West - The College Dropout - "If this is your first time hearing this, you are about to experience something so cold, man." Kanye is an egomaniac whose second album was disappointing, but the debut was top-notch when it took the time to break away from guest appearance after guest appearance. "We Don't Care" is one of my favorite songs period, regardless of genre, and the rest of the album is almost as good. Whether you think Bush cares about black people or not, this is a rap album that is literary, authentic, and identifiable. The fact is, college students can see where he's coming from a lot more than Dr. Dre on The Chronic. And what's more, his live performance was just as good.
Others that warrant mention: Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, The Clash - The Clash, R.E.M. - Murmur, Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
Dan's Top 5:
1. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin: "Good Times Bad Times," "Dazed and Confused," "Your Time is Gonna Come," "How Many More Times"... Not only is every song good, but the album was not that of a one hit wonder, but rather that of a band with true staying power.
2. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album): Easily the best this band ever achieved, with trace remains of greatness on their follow-up, Pinkerton (see "El Scorcho," "The Good Life".) After hailing this as one of the best ever 90's albums, there's no way I can exclude it here.
3. The Killers - Hot Fuss: Singlehandedly made people remember what was cool about music before it sucked. Not really a bad song on here, and if you disagree, just look at how bad Sam's Town was. I fear this band is destined for the "One Hit Wonder" bin, but damn, this was a great album.
4. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere: Pretty much hip hop that is so good it has to be classified as alternative. The downside is that it's much too short, and some songs are hit and miss. We need more "Boogie Monster" and "Transformer," less "Online."
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike: I only rank this so low because the band have yet to release a second album, making me a bit uncertain as to their future. Anyway, the most original band in the modern era, which is ironic, since half of their music is based on samples.
(Very Honorable mentions: Boston - Boston, Duran Duran - Duran Duran, Keane - Hopes and Fears, Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Let me preface my list with, I hope I make sense, I've had 3 hours of sleep in the last two days and I've been up for 23 hours now.
1. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - I wouldn't put this at the top of my personal favorites, but it's impossible to top the level of rocking in this album: Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Are You Experienced?, Hey Joe, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary, Fire. It's like they started out with a Best Of.
2. John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - Not his best solo album, but this one really set him apart from The Beatles--in very specific terms in the song "God": "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." This one really set the tone for his ensuing solo career which, I'll admit, I have a predilection for. John Lennon was pretty good at music. Notable songs (they're all good): God, Working Class Hero, Mother, Love, Look At Me.
3. Weezer - Weezer (blue) - For all the reasons listed in this entry by others, in previous entries by myself and others, etc. It's just a really fucking good album from start to finish.
4. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five - After Whatever and Ever Amen, this is their best album--and it actually comes close to WAEA. Notable songs: Jackson Cannery, Alice Childress, Boxing, Philosophy, Underground (the live version not on this album is superior. It's also superior live).
5. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - As Jack Black would say, "Kind of a new one..." that I've slipped in with some old safe ones and Ben Folds. It was either this or The Clash for me--I like The Clash more, obviously, but I like their later stuff more than this specific album. So I have to go with GB, who I really think have done something special with this debut.
Honorable mentions: The Clash - The Clash, Coldplay - Parachutes, Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3am, Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs, Postal Service - Give Up, OKGo - OKGo, Beach Boys - Surfin' Safari (you know, kind of).
Tory's Top 5:
1) Damien Rice - O - Before this album he was in the band I believe called Juniper or Juniper Tree or something. A band in which he didn't sing. Once he left and began singing he threw everything he had at this little ten song album. Transcendent. There are no notable songs as I would consider every song brilliant.
2) Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Once again, everything I've said about this album before. All notable songs.
3) Bright Eyes - A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-97 - Not every song on here is a definite keeper, however it is definitely not a failure and it shows the roots of his ingenious writing and raspy/whiny singing. Notable songs: Saturday as Usual, A Celebration Upon Completion.
4) Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash - One of the greatest musicians of all time. He proves he never had a down note in his whole career beginning with this debut album that features such notable songs as Cry, Cry, Cry, Folsom Prison Blues and Walk the Line.
5) Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk - Excellent. They are as good now as they ever were, and this album is proof. Notable Songs: State that I am in and Baby Girl.
Sure, eventually your favorite band figured it out, but what about their first album? We'll count solo debuts, so Ryan can slot Rockin' The Suburbs in his list right at the outset. We're also talking about the first album, so R.E.M.'s debut is Murmur, not Chronic Town.
1) Big Star - #1 Record - It's almost disingenuous to call this a fantastic debut album, because it constitutes such a high percentage of their work and Alex Chilton was a grizzled veteran of The Box Tops before he joined up with Bell, Hummel, and Stephens for this, but it remains one of my all-time top five albums. The India Song is bad. Downright bad. Everything else on this album is an absolute essential. I couldn't possibly listen to this album enough.
2) The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - There's something about punk that makes the first album the best, whether it's the Ramones, the Dead Kennedys or here, The Sex Pistols only real album (I refuse to recognize the disastrous Great Rock n' Roll Swindle, which might be the most aptly titled album I own. Pretty Vacant is a top 100 track, Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, Anarchy in the UK, No Feelings, all of the songs are so good as to almost rid them of their punk sensibility. The fact is, anger isn't supposed to sound this good.
3) The Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker - A great album. Period.
4) Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - Darts of Pleasure, Michael, and 40' are awesome. I didn't mention those before.
5) The Killers - Hot Fuss - It's easy to dismiss this as just an over-produced album that spawned a couple of hits, but its best stuff barely even got noticed until Sam's Town was on the horizon and Brandon Flowers had his bigger than Jesus moment. Mr. Brightside is the kind of endorphin releaser that this world needed to reintroduce synthesizers into the collective consciousness, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine is the best police interrogation set to music, and All These Things I've Done is a sprawling orchestra of what's left of the shambles of rock music. Change Your Mind and On Top beat almost anything that any other active band's ever done, and they're barely even worth mentioning. It needs time to age before I christen it a masterpiece, but it's getting there.
*I'm so tired of almost mentioning this album that I'm just mentioning it...6) Kanye West - The College Dropout - "If this is your first time hearing this, you are about to experience something so cold, man." Kanye is an egomaniac whose second album was disappointing, but the debut was top-notch when it took the time to break away from guest appearance after guest appearance. "We Don't Care" is one of my favorite songs period, regardless of genre, and the rest of the album is almost as good. Whether you think Bush cares about black people or not, this is a rap album that is literary, authentic, and identifiable. The fact is, college students can see where he's coming from a lot more than Dr. Dre on The Chronic. And what's more, his live performance was just as good.
Others that warrant mention: Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, The Clash - The Clash, R.E.M. - Murmur, Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
Dan's Top 5:
1. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin: "Good Times Bad Times," "Dazed and Confused," "Your Time is Gonna Come," "How Many More Times"... Not only is every song good, but the album was not that of a one hit wonder, but rather that of a band with true staying power.
2. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album): Easily the best this band ever achieved, with trace remains of greatness on their follow-up, Pinkerton (see "El Scorcho," "The Good Life".) After hailing this as one of the best ever 90's albums, there's no way I can exclude it here.
3. The Killers - Hot Fuss: Singlehandedly made people remember what was cool about music before it sucked. Not really a bad song on here, and if you disagree, just look at how bad Sam's Town was. I fear this band is destined for the "One Hit Wonder" bin, but damn, this was a great album.
4. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere: Pretty much hip hop that is so good it has to be classified as alternative. The downside is that it's much too short, and some songs are hit and miss. We need more "Boogie Monster" and "Transformer," less "Online."
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike: I only rank this so low because the band have yet to release a second album, making me a bit uncertain as to their future. Anyway, the most original band in the modern era, which is ironic, since half of their music is based on samples.
(Very Honorable mentions: Boston - Boston, Duran Duran - Duran Duran, Keane - Hopes and Fears, Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Let me preface my list with, I hope I make sense, I've had 3 hours of sleep in the last two days and I've been up for 23 hours now.
1. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - I wouldn't put this at the top of my personal favorites, but it's impossible to top the level of rocking in this album: Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Are You Experienced?, Hey Joe, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary, Fire. It's like they started out with a Best Of.
2. John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - Not his best solo album, but this one really set him apart from The Beatles--in very specific terms in the song "God": "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." This one really set the tone for his ensuing solo career which, I'll admit, I have a predilection for. John Lennon was pretty good at music. Notable songs (they're all good): God, Working Class Hero, Mother, Love, Look At Me.
3. Weezer - Weezer (blue) - For all the reasons listed in this entry by others, in previous entries by myself and others, etc. It's just a really fucking good album from start to finish.
4. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five - After Whatever and Ever Amen, this is their best album--and it actually comes close to WAEA. Notable songs: Jackson Cannery, Alice Childress, Boxing, Philosophy, Underground (the live version not on this album is superior. It's also superior live).
5. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - As Jack Black would say, "Kind of a new one..." that I've slipped in with some old safe ones and Ben Folds. It was either this or The Clash for me--I like The Clash more, obviously, but I like their later stuff more than this specific album. So I have to go with GB, who I really think have done something special with this debut.
Honorable mentions: The Clash - The Clash, Coldplay - Parachutes, Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3am, Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs, Postal Service - Give Up, OKGo - OKGo, Beach Boys - Surfin' Safari (you know, kind of).
Tory's Top 5:
1) Damien Rice - O - Before this album he was in the band I believe called Juniper or Juniper Tree or something. A band in which he didn't sing. Once he left and began singing he threw everything he had at this little ten song album. Transcendent. There are no notable songs as I would consider every song brilliant.
2) Tenacious D - Tenacious D - Once again, everything I've said about this album before. All notable songs.
3) Bright Eyes - A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-97 - Not every song on here is a definite keeper, however it is definitely not a failure and it shows the roots of his ingenious writing and raspy/whiny singing. Notable songs: Saturday as Usual, A Celebration Upon Completion.
4) Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash - One of the greatest musicians of all time. He proves he never had a down note in his whole career beginning with this debut album that features such notable songs as Cry, Cry, Cry, Folsom Prison Blues and Walk the Line.
5) Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk - Excellent. They are as good now as they ever were, and this album is proof. Notable Songs: State that I am in and Baby Girl.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Top 5 Albums Since 2000
This is pretty basic, but most of my standard go-to "best albums" (Dark Side of the Moon, Weezer, OK Computer, most Peter Gabriel albums) are excluded from consideration. And hey, who says music sucks nowadays?
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
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