No Age or Fleet Foxes?

Dilemma: Should I go to the No Age show or the Fleet Foxes show?

F Yeah! I Want My FNMTV!

I missed it. By a few years, by a generation, whatever. I missed when MTV was actually MUSIC television. For my generation, MTV has just been about The Hills, and Real World, and My Super Sweet Sixteen- not to mention the truly craptastic shows like Next and Parental Advisory. Even MTV2 is just reruns of Punk'd and Cribs. No music. I once tried to get into TRL and watch it after school everyday, but then I got sick of it because it was the same terrible music videos every day, and the hosts were annoying. I've always wanted an MTV show that actually focused on music and new videos that were interesting.

I think I found that show. On Friday nights all summer, there is a new show called F'N MTV (the FN stands for either "Friday Night" or "Feedback Now"). It's hosted by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, who I really do not care for at all, but I watched the first episode and sort of...loved it. To start with, the mix of groups who appeared, performed and premiered new videos were eclectic, so say the list. Lil Wayne and Duffy each performed their latest singles. Vampire Weekend, Shawty Lo and Boys Like Girls each premiered new videos. Katy Perry was on the commenting board, along with two other fellows who are somehow qualified to comment on music videos. The format of the show was fun and interesting, and so simple that you wonder why MTV doesn't just make all of their programming like that. It was, without a doubt, the best two hours of MTV I've ever watched.

For starters, Vampire Weekend premiered their "Oxford Comma" video, which was awesome. It's a single shot and very Wes Anderson (one of the commenting men was very happy to have made this comment of about Anderson. He seemed quite smug after mentioning it. Which made me resent the fact that I noticed it too.) and not to mention that "Oxford Comma" is a great song. BLG premiered some emo-pop video of theirs that I didn't care for because it looked and sounded like every emo-pop song/video ever.... Duffy was great performing "Mercy," Lil Wayne was better performing "A Milli". People could text their opinions of the videos as they aired and then there would be a tally of people's opinions after the video. Pete Wentz was not even as annoying as I had anticipated (granted, I anticipated 100% annoyance).

Basically, the show was pretty awesome. If they kept this the whole year I would definitely tune in. To put it in the words of one nervous hipster who sent a video of himself commenting on the "Oxford Comma" video: "It was...the best thing I've seen on MTV. Ever."

Oh and I just remembered that Lil Mama showed a video too, which was great! Yeah! F'N MTV! Yeah!

Mid-year Review- Best Albums of 2008 (so far)

I shouldn't really call these the best albums of 2008, these are just my favorites, and god knows my taste needs some sharpening. So here, in no particular order, my favorite albums of 2008, so far.

1) For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver

Just a gorgeous collection of songs, some heartbreaking, all of them perfect for listening to at night. The myth behind the album is that Justin Vernon (I'm too lazy to fact-check, but I'm pretty sure that's his name) hibernated all-by-his-lonesome in a cabin for quite some time and emerged with these soulful acoustic tunes. NPR recorded his set when he opened for Black Mountain in DC in February. That recording can be found here. Listening to it makes me all the more excited to seem him in August. Should be a great show.

2) Narrow Stairs- Death Cab for Cutie

To all of you naysayers blabbing on about how Ben Gibbard is a wimp and Death Cab sold out once they were on the O.C., please kindly shut up. Death Cab will always get flack for being to sensitive and too girly, but dammit, this is a great album. It's got more meat than Transatlanticism, the songs are catchy as hell, and I got the album a week before it released through a leak (Don't worry, I paid real money for it when it actually came out. Otherwise I would feel dirty.) and it has yet to grow stale. The instrumentals shine here more than on any of their past efforts, and Chris Walla's production job is, in a word, fantastic.

3) Nouns- No Age

What fun! That's all I can say about No Age's wonderfully cacophonous Sub Pop debut (don't get all hot and testy- I know they made albums before, hence why I specified that this is their Sub Pop debut). The punk duo sounds like their having a great time through each of the melodic lo-fi punk gems on this album. I was hooked since I heard "Eraser," and I ain't letting go. Hopefully No Age sticks around for more great releases.

4) Hold On Now, Youngster...- Los Campesinos!

This punctuation-happy twee-core outfit has to be one of the (sorry) cutest bands I've ever seen. After hearing "You! Me! Dancing!" on a podcast, I purchased the album and was addicted to their hook-filled tunes, witty lyrics and charming use of the glockenspiel. I had the opportunity to interview guitar player Tom for my zine Pop (interested in a copy? email us at popmagdc@gmail.com! woo!) and instantly fell in love. He was incredibly friendly and adorable and gushed about Pavement and had an accent. It was wonderful. **I just finished reading John Sellers's memoir, Perfect From Now On. In it, he mentions a particularly terrible album review in which the female author began by describing her immense crush on the lead singer. I ashamed to see that I just did that. My deepest apologies. This is why they don't let 16-year-old girls write for Spin.

5) Mission Control- The Whigs

The Whigs are a severely under appreciated group. The trio crafts concise rock n' roll tunes with a heaping helping of The Replacements and a grungy polish. I loved their first release, Give 'Em A Big Fat Lip, and Mission Control is in no way a sophomore slump. In fact, I think the boys got better. Every song feels like the best and each sounds better when the volume is cranked. The album is solid, cohesive and balanced, yet each song can stand strongly on its own. Why the Whigs don't have more mainstream attention is beyond me. Their songs are catchy and melodic, with what I think of as widespread appeal. This is the kind of band that you just want to hang out with. I can't wait to hear what they put out next. Just writing about it makes me crave it. Off go the Talking Heads, on go the Whigs. So...good....

6) Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend

Don't you just hate when some band is hyped to the point of exhaustion after the release of one EP, and then their album finally comes out, and it is, well, a massive disappointment? And you hear they suck live, to boot? Luckily, none of that (except the "hyped to the point of exhaustion part," of course) applies to Vampire Weekend. Their debut is original (to all of you who say it's a Graceland knock-off...just let it go already), obscenely catchy, and accessible enough to put on mixes for friends (I'm not one who cares deeply about accessibility, but Vampire Weekend is much more appealing to my less musically-inclined friends than, say, Animal Collective. So it's good to have stuff like this on tap when they ask for mixes.). Overall, I love this album. It's sunny and light, and I must admit, I'm impressed that the boys were able to crank through the trenches of hype and produce an album that lived up to, if not exceeded, expectations. I've been especially excited to get it back into rotation lately, because it is such a summer album.


That's all for now, folks. I would have put My Morning Jacket up there, but I just bought it last week. While I know it will probably be in my Top 10 of 2008 list, I'd feel like a sham if I judged it a week into the purchase. Some other albums I've bought and loved include The Dodos, Fleet Foxes and Girl Talk.

I'm Baaaaaaack.

So I left this blog a few months ago for no reason in particular (I believe, "I'm too busy" was what I told myself. Meh. I waste so much time in a day that I'm never really too buys.). But. I've decided that's important to keep writing about music in order to practice to that when I'm old enough I can create the bitchinist music magazine or supervision company or TV show ever. Skadoosh. And I'm off! See you in a few. I gotta go brainstorm what to write.

OK Go w/ Bonerama- 9:30 Club, 2/2/08

Artists on the Rise

Chester French
These Harvard grads got noticed by Pharrell (yes, that Pharrell) for their ultra-catchy Beach Boys-flecked tunes. The duo's preppy style also reflects in their lyrics, such as in the earworm "The Jimmy Choo's." Their MySpace is racking up friends by the minute, and the duo (D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey) will be releasing their debut, Love the Future some time in the...future.

Jack Penate
Through his distinct Londoner accent, this jumpy new singer is gaining points through his musical similaritites to singers such as Kate Nash and Lily Allen. On his debut, Matinee, Penate's hooky and ska-tinged melodies act as the cherry on top of a lovely lyrical sundae. He's got a great falsetto to boot.

Bangers and Nash

As the latest chanteuse to emerge in a wave of notable singer-songwriters from Britain (i.e. Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse), Kate Nash's debut Made of Bricks is a pleasantly original and enjoyable listen.
Like Allen, Nash croons in a distinctly London accent, and although on the verge of cloying, Nash pulls it off by balancing the saccharine and the snark. On her hit single "Foundations" (which peaked at #2 on the UK singles chart) Nash shares a slice of life profile of a crumbling relationship in a comical yet grounded style. Nash precedes the catchy refrain of "I know that I should let go but I can't," with the lines "I'd rather be with you friends, mate/Cause they are so much fitter." And while the infinite Lily Allen comparisons can, will, and have been drawn, Nash's appeal and independence lies within her ability to self-deprecate. In "Foundations," aside from plainly dissing her boyfriend, Nash also admits that she herself is "childish." Another example of Nash's tendency to belittle and embarrass herself comes in the cheery and lyrically conversational "We Get On." "I conducted a plan/ To bump into you most accidentally/ But I was walking along/ And I bumped into you much more heavily than I'd originally planned/ It was well embarrassing and/ I think you thought I was a bit of a twat," she muses. In many of her songs, her stream-of-consciousness rants are hilarious and relatable, and feel like excerpts from her diary.
However the exceptions to this rule can be awkward and confusing, such as the love-story attempt "Birds," which, melodically, is sweet and tame, but upon further lyrical inspection, is contrived and cumbersome. Another mistake on Made of Bricks is the unnecessary album-opener, "Play." The lyrics: "I like to Play/ I play all day in my room/ I like to play." And that's it. The track is a random and out-of-place sampling of gawky vocals and grating instrumentals.
Luckily, for the rest of the album, Nash pulls herself together. On the standout "Pumpkin Soup," Nash finds herself in the midst of a delightfully danceable and radio-ready hop. The melodramatic "Skeleton Song" is an especially good track that climaxes in a well-choreographed melee of instruments. Swan song "Merry Happy," which just may be the best song on the album, is where Nash shows the most promise. Although it takes the whole album to reach it, the track is the perfect junction of her best elements. It is a bittersweet, catchy tune that sets Nash apart from her contemporaries and justifies her placement at the apex of UK charts.
Produced by Paul Epworth (whose other credits include Bloc Party and Babyshambles), Made of Bricks is a trendy success. It is hooky and unabashedly poppy, with a funny and light-hearted attitude that ought to propel Nash into the stateside charts like the rest of her Fem-Brit Brigade.

Top tracks: "Mouthwash," "Merry Happy," "Pumpkin Soup."

Tiny Masters of Today

Step aside, Hannah Montana. Kid rock has found a new home on the recently released album "Bang Bang Boom Cake," by the low-fi wunderkinds Tiny Masters of Today. And when I say wunderkinds I don't mean fresh-faced and just graduated from college. I mean fresh-faced-until-they-hit-puberty and not-quite-graduated-from-junior-high. The brother-sister duo of Tiny Masters of Today, Ivan and Ada, are 13 and 11, respectively, and these punk revivalists are not only signed with indie label Mute, but they have David Bowie's seal of approval (the Duke called their music "genius").

With no song clocking in at over three minutes, TMOT's debut is loud, raucous punk-rock that embraces its influences while maintaining appropriately youthful lyrics. Punk staples such as the Ramones can be clearly noted as the base upon which TMOT model their tunes, in structure as well as a generally anarchist theme, as seen in the anti-Bush ode, "Bushy." On the majority of their album, though, Ivan and Ada stick with simple and ornamental lyrics, serving only as tidbits to yell and assert their ability to rock. The siblings are neither wordsmiths nor maestros, and they don't pretend to be. However, what they lack in chops they make up in energy. Each song is as boisterous and blusterous as the next, with crunching guitars and frizzy yelps that bleed and fuzz into each other with a raw home-taped aura.

Despite the fact that Ivan and Ada could carry the album themselves, they enlisted a few alternative A-listers to help them out on "Bang Bang Boom Cake." The Moldy Peaches's Kimya Dawson donated her utterance to two anthems, including the anti-brand "Trendsetter," in which the Peach chants of the foibles and wrongs of following the crowd. This piece in particular seems geared toward the impressionable classmates of the Tiny Masters. Other guests stars include Karen O and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gibby Haynes, and Fred Schneider. Each of these rock stars of their own rite seem to recognize and respect the Tiny Masters's talent and potential, and each gives their blessing through their cameo.

While their young age could seem like a gimmick, the sibling's attitudes and energy prove that they are more fresh than forced, and one never feels the sense of a show-biz parent by their shoulder. "Bang Bang Boom Cake" is a fantastic punk-rock debut, from the first yelp to the last power chord, and if, like fine wine, these kids grow better with age, then we have a great future in store for rock n' roll.


Thanks for reading this. It is a semi-draft, and I'm looking for suggestions to fix the opening paragraph. Thoughts?

Lilith Fair 2.0

Within the past six months there has been a huge wave of piano- or acoustic-driven female singer-songwriters polluting the airwaves, Grey's Anatomy episodes, and commercials. In this post I will dissect the talent and promise of a four of the most prominent.

Colbie Caillat
Sounds like: Jack Johnson, hold the Hawaiian funk, let chill on a Californian beach. And, um, the female counterpart of her male counterpart Jason Reeves.
Publicity: Became a MySpace sensation beginning about a year ago, garnering thousands of friends. Many noticed the stark contrast between Caillat (pronounced Kah-lay) and the usual MySpace chart-toppers, which spanned the extremes of emo-pop outfits like Panic! at the Disco and sex-bomb personalities like Tila Tequila. Her single "Bubbly" was featured as a Single-of-the-Week on iTunes when it was released. Recently toured with fellow disciple-of-Jack Johnson, Brett Dennen.
The Good: Relaxed, laid-back, summery acoustic tunes, perfect for, erm, relaxing and laying back in the summer. Caillat's voice is soothing and deep, and lyrically, she knows exactly what her audience wants, and conveys each word with youthful sincerity. Just think about how her lyrics for "Bubbly" have popped up on virtually every female's Facebook profile.
The Bad: Despite knowing how to appeal to her audience, and believing fully in every word she croons, her lyrics are either hopelessly generic (My feet are stuck here against the pavement/ I wanna break free/I wanna make it) or painfully cutesy (It starts in my nose/Makes me crinkle my toes/Wherever you go/I always know/That you make me smile). And although her melodies are catchy and enjoyable, they can grow bland after multiple listens.
Verdict: Colbie Caillat is here for now, and as long as her head stays in the same songwriting mindset, she will continue to appeal to her core audience. However, she'll have to spice things up if she hopes to gain new fans.


Ingrid Michaelson
Sounds like: A less indie, less-orca (as in the whale)-ish Regina Spektor.
Publicity: Her single "The Way I Am" was featured in a recent Old Navy commercial, "Keep Breathing" was showcased in ultimate hit-maker Grey's Anatomy's season 3 finale. Currently touring with Matt Nathanson.
The Good: Her lyrics are witty and to-the-point, as displayed in "The Way I Am" (If you are balding/I'll buy you Rogaine). As she once said, she tries to fit as much message into as few words as possible. Her voice is a less-accented, yet otherwise dead-ringer, variation on Regina Spektor's. Also, on Ingrid's albums, she has perfected the balance of pretty, mournful Grey's Anatomy-closers and pretty, upbeat ditties. Also, she has great taste in music herself.
The Bad: Ingrid's feature in the Old Navy commercial, and the following success of "The Way I Am" may have slapped her as a one-hit wonder too early. If she wants to continue on a road of success, she'll need to prove her abilities by showcasing her other songs, whether by touring or selling the rights.
Verdict: Currently Ingrid is stuck in the middle of an odd spectrum. She is too mainstream (especially with the massive "The Way I Am" success) to appeal to an indie crowd, and yet to quirky to gain lots of radio play. She needs to choose which path she'd rather head down, and then head down full-speed, before her moment passes.


Sara Bareilles
Sounds like: A piano-driven, pop-rock princess, a sort of female Jon McLaughlin.
Publicity: "Love Song" was an iTunes single of the week, she is prominently featured in a DirecTV (?) commercial.
The Good: You can't get catchier than Sara. Everywhere I go I am followed by hundreds of earworms humming the hooky chorus of the ubiquitous "Love Song" (It's up to you whether this is a good or bad thing). Her tunes are layered, major-chord-drenched odes to love with too just enough sugar to not feel guilty about loving them. Her lyrics are fun and entertaining, if not wildly original. On "Fairytale," Bareilles reworks Snow White and other classics to display a humorous annoyance in men, and in "Love Song" she tells a lover that she won't write him a love song purely because he asked for one.
The Bad: Although Sara's melodies are ridiculously catchy, many find annoyance in her hooks and refrains. Remember Daniel Powter, and his hit "Bad Day?" I wouldn't be shocked if Bareilles and her "Love Song" ended up in the same graveyard.
Verdict: In this fad of pop-rock femme songwriters, Sara Bareilles seems to be at the vanguard. And if it truly is a fad, she could be gone in a year or two.


A Fine Frenzy
Sounds like: The aforementioned Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, plus elements of the Watson Twins, and a heaping helping of melancholy.
Publicity: Was a free single on iTunes, toured with Brandi Carlile.
The Good: Frenzy is clearly talented. She has a strong voice, and a knack for lyricism and tunes that are emotional enough without losing her pop fan-base. Also, she's got enough quirk and not enough commercial use to retain at least some indie cred.
The Bad: Despite her talent and appeal, many of her melodies are too melodramatic and drippy, such as "Almost Lover," in which, despite her delicate and gorgeous voice, she moans too desperately to gain sympathy.
Verdict: If A Fine Frenzy stops listening to Morrissey and starts listening to more, um, positive music, there is some real potential for her talent. She already has widespread appeal, she just needs to, first of all, utilize it, and, second of all, not sound so frail when rejoicing about her lover (as in "You Picked Me").


LINKS
Colbie Caillat
Ingrid Michaelson
Sara Bareilles
A Fine Frenzy

Rufus Wainwright Live @ 9:30 Club, Dec. 21

Fantastic show, as expected. It was Rufus solo; just him and his piano (and guitar). He had a great set, and his voice was top notch, as was his snarky sense of humor.