It's that time of year where almost every music blog or magazine or whatever posts their Best of lists. Here is Spin magazine's top 40 albums of 09, courtesy of stereogum.com. Here are their top ten. What have you heard/have you liked/have you loved/have you hated?
You know that Animal Collective-esque Vampire Weekend track you've been dying to hear? Well, get a load of this: California English, Pt. 2 is the b-side to VW's newest single "Cousins." Althought the vinyl version of these two songs somes out December 15th (just in time for the last few days of Hannukah!), the full LP Contra comes out January 12, 2010.
Today, Something Corporate announced they will play their first show together since a brief three song set in 2006. A Youtube video has the four members holding up signs saying March 2010, Bamboozle Left, See you then!
This announcement is following a year filled with reunions: Blink 182, Pavement, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Starting Line, Phish, Blur, and, everyone's favorite Pearl Jam wannabe, Creed. All these bands who seemed to nothing more than a memory, nothing more than left for dead, are back.
Sometimes, these reunions become one-off shows (Sublime), other times they turn into full-blown tours and new albums. A break, or what every band now seems to refer to as a "hiatus," is becoming more of simply that, a break.
I remember when Blink-182 went on an "indefinite hiatus" back in 2005: I thought they were done. Stick a fork in them, and all that jazz. But all they needed was a rest and time to remember why they make music in the first place.
As much as I love Something Corporate, I doubt I will be able to make it to California in March to see them perform again. I hope they elaborate on this reunion and make it more than just a performance.
I'm curious to know your opinions on reunions and what you hope for when a beloved band seems to come back from the dead?
With a Jason Segal helmed Muppets movie in the near future, and my undying love for all things Muppets, this production by Kermit and the gang was a very pleasant surprise. I generally do not watch the new, hip Youtube vides (what the hell is Kittens inspired by Kittens?), but this one made me very happy and was classic Muppets. Enjoy!
I originally didn't want to hear anything from the new Vampire Weekend album, Contra. Vampire Weekend was the IT band last January when their self-titled debut came out (which I love/loved), but I'm a bit apprehensive of the potential dreaded sophomore slump. While I haven't heard anything besides the song "Horchata" they released last month as a free download and their first single, "Cousins," I am pleased to say I think I will love this album too. That being said, Ezra Koenig and the rest of the VW boys just released the video of Cousins (thanks, Stereogum for the heads-up). The song sounds like classic Vampire Weekend, catchy and infectous, and the video is a fun, self-satirical view of themselves.
Although it came out months ago, I've been having a difficult time going more than two or three days without listening to the brilliant, medieval-esque opera that is The Hazards of Love.
There is nothing musically genius at all about this sophomore effort, it's just a fun, mindless, auto-tuned album to play while driving to the beach, or chilling on the beach, or being in any sort of environment where water and sand make up the majority of the area.
Ahhh… Spring time! As the days become longer and my surroundings become greener, I find myself in a better frame of mind. After a winter that was marked by economic recession and national tragedies, all I want to do is escape the daily grind and enjoy all that this time of year has to offer. Maybe a nature walk through a meadow, or a hike up a scenic mountain is what I require... However, if you are not feeling as environmentally inclined as I am, but still want the satisfaction of experiencing your own seasonal rebirth, why not have a listen to Grizzly Bear’s new album Veckatimest?
Emerging from a three year recording hibernation with their third full length studio album, Grizzly Bear brings all the psych-folk and vocal harmonies you would expect, and some catchy surprises you may not have. And, just as you can count on this time of year to never disappoint aesthetically, you can look to Grizzly Bear to give you that spring in your step you have been looking for the past three months.
I had first caught wind of Grizzly Bear’s new album in late 2008 when a performance of While You Wait for the Otherswas circulating around the web. Upon first listen I was not too impressed; though, to be fair, it was a performance from a radio station and the song had not been arranged completely by the band. So, when I first listened to Veckatimest I did so with a bit of reluctance. For any of you who are not too familiar with the band I like to think of them as a bouquet of flowers with some Animal Collective, Scott Walker blossoms and a touch of Philip Glass thrown in for a nice accent. They have come to be known for their experimental nature and use of ambient noises but have still maintained classic song-writing sensabilites as the main framework for some of their songs. All that is present in Veckatimest, but this time around, the band has decided to keep things a little more upbeat and give the listener something to really focus on with a more structured body of work.
Songs like Southern Point, Two Weeks and the aforementioned While You Wait for the Others are ones that represent the more upbeat, rebirth feel that the band were going for and honestly songs that could even pass for radio singles. What really catches you on songs like Two Weeks and While You Wait or the Others, is how Grizzly Bear make their choruses explode. On Two weeks it's the piano crescendos and on While You Wait for the Others it's the backing vocal harmonies bellowed out by Ed, Chris and Christopher. On the other hand Dory and Hold Still remind you that Grizzly Bear have not abandoned their trademark ambient/psych-folk sound, but that they rather have become more concerned with developing and building off of that aspect of their music. One song that I hope doesn't fly under the radar is Ready Able. Ready Able, in my opinion, encompasses Grizzly Bear up until this point. Beautifully crafted string arrangements, vocal delivery that seems to swallow you whole and all of this while remaining true to their hip, Brooklyn roots.
The aspect of this album that I enjoyed most is its cohesiveness. Each song’s place on the album seems deliberate and helps to develop the overall feel of the album. This is not to say that it is in any way a concept album. Still, Veckatimest is an album that must be enjoyed and not just passively listend to while studying for mid-terms. With that said find a nice serene spot under a tree and really allow yourself to take some time and enjoy all that Veckatimest has to offer.
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