Culture Greyhound

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

50. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

Named my favorite song of 2009, I’ve already explained how much I love this song. Even a casual reader of the blog knows how many times I’ve blared it loudly, as I’m doing right now. It never gets old. The song is littered with hooks – in the singing, in the wordless chorus, in the sampling, in the background synths. It all just works. And Passion Pit will likely never top it.

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Back in the 70’s, there was only Johnny Carson.  But since the retirement of the undisputed King of Late Night in 1992, there has been a plethora of new shows pop up, each with the same basic formula, but unique in their own way. After reading Bill Carter’s The War For Late Night, I have become addicted to late-night television all over again.  So I am starting a new series of posts dedicated to the many hosts out there currently making us laugh after prime time, analyzing one at a time.

The same night Jay Leno had his fifth anniversary special, whatever night that was, sometime in 1997 or 1998 I think, I stayed up and watched Late Night with Conan O’Brien for the first time.  I don’t know why I was watching late night TV, I imagine being bored had a lot to do with it.  Needless to say, even at age 11, I found Conan immensely funnier/smarter than Jay, and I became a member of Team Coco long before the term existed.

For the rest of these posts, with the exception of Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert, I am going to have to do some research i.e. I am going to make myself sit through a week of late night shows I otherwise would never watch.  Leno is one of them, as is Carson Daly, Chelsea Handler, and Conan’s current follow-up, George Lopez.  But I am already an avid Conan watcher and have been for many years, before his move to the Tonight Show, the shakeup resulting from that move, and his transfer to TBS.

Over the years, Conan’s entire show has made a gradual transformation from shy funnyman telling jokes and gags behind a desk to a bearded lanky veteran interacting with his audience and being sharper in his improvisation.  Of course, mainly because of his stature and appearance, the physical comedy has always been there, something you either love or hate.  His trademark “string dance” has become synonymous with the image of Conan, as has the red pompadour on his head and now, that shaggy beard he grew and kept after being fired from NBC.

Conan has a writing background, so the rehearsed bits are his strong suit, while the ad-lib banter with hit-or-miss sidekick Andy Richter (who has lost his luster since departing from Late Night and then returning for the Tonight Show) is usually spotty.  The interviews are often pretty awkward, he is not as comfortable with his guests as other hosts on the tube, such as Ferguson and Fallon, who are more conversational.

On Late Night, Conan was fresh and in his element, delivering a very weird brand of humor to a dedicated fan base, who has never really left.  His Tonight Show, admittedly, was fairly unwatchable, minus the final two weeks, where he not-so-subtly gave NBC the finger on their own network.  Conan’s transformation to 11:35 changed his brand of comedy, and he is not as sharp as we was a few years ago.  Still, with creative control of his show and no network execs telling him to “broaden” his show for a wider audience (now he is on cable performing for his true fans every night), Conan is free to roam, and roam he does.  He and executive producer Jeff Ross have found new ways to deliver comedy with a limited budget; Conan spends more time poking fun at his studio audience and breaking the fourth wall in rehearsed sketches.

Also, Conan’s reach spreads to the Web, where his production company is in full charge of the content of his show, and Conan is in command of his Twitter account.  O’Brien, who continues to be a top player in the key demographic for TV (ages 18-49), continues even on cable to be a worthy 21st century late night competitor with a very passionate following, and he shows no signs of stopping.

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

42. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

The summer of 2009 was fairly lazy and optimistic for me – Obama had just been elected, and music was particularly awesome.  I had a part time job driving around a bingo parlor lot as a “security guard” listening to satellite radio.  And that’s where I first heard “Deadbeat Summer,” the theme song to my life at that point.  I then saw Neon Indian at Monolith, ACL, and Fun Fun Fun Fest, where the show morphed from a mere electronic experiment to a full-blown chillwave dance powerhouse on stage.

The chillwave movement of 2009 was extraordinary in its remarkable presence and almost similarly immediate dissolving – the subgenre is basically dead at this point, or at least in limbo, as prominent chillwavers are trying new sounds other than the spaced-out, 80’s influenced, electro dance music that captivated us a couple of years ago.  Still, Psychic Chasms, my favorite album of that year, is a trippy, upbeat half hour of drug-induced Miami Vice fun.

Alan Palomo’s post-Ghosthustler project turned him into a blog-world superstar almost overnight, as leaked tracks were consistently lauded for their unique mix of sampling (some of which are familial – his father’s compositions, popular in the 1970’s in Mexico), muddy lo-fi production, and infectious melody, even more so than his dream-house effort Vega, which he all but abandoned once Neon Indian took off.  Psychic Chasms is a perfect introduction; either you get it or you don’t, either you’re dancing or you’re scratching your head.  Of course, with toe-tapping songs like “Terminally Chill” and “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” I don’t see how anyone could resist.

Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

Neon Indian – Terminally Chill

Neon Indian – Mind, Drips

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

60. Andrew WK – Party Hard

I love how everyone initially detested this guy, as if I Get Wet wasn’t the most awesome thing they had ever heard ever.  Pitchfork, in their infinite indie wisdom, called this frat boy rock, which it probably is, in all truth, and gave it a 4.0.  Of course, years later, it made their best-of list for the decade.  Most people reneged on Andrew because you just can’t deny badassery, especially when it’s delivered in a completely earnest (but slightly exaggerated), multi-instrumental fashion.  “Party Hard” is the intro message WK seeks to deliver, and as history has shown, it’s anything but novelty.

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Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

43. Jurassic 5 – Power In Numbers

By 2002, the rap game was well aware of the J5 MCs and what they had to offer – a badass EP and the debut Quality Control had established the LA crew as a formidable presence on the scene.  They were certainly getting a lot of attention for their sound – a stripped-down, lyrics-based, old-skool approach, focusing on wordplay and intricate flow rather than heavy beats and sloppy sex rhymes.  As the group said it best on the hit “What’s Golden,” they weren’t “ballin’ or shot callin” but rather taking you “back to the days of yes-y’allin’.”  In the early 2000’s, J5 were a welcome break from the overproduced dreck that was just beginning to litter Top 40 radio (Ja Rule was still a prominent hit-maker at the time).

When their sophomore effort Power In Numbers dropped, the immediate reaction was mostly of praise, but overall the consensus was that, while darker, it certainly wasn’t as good as the previous two efforts.  I disagree wholeheartedly.  With this disc, Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, and Mark 7even demonstrated their versatile flow even further, alongside some of the finest work from the then-relatively unknown disc jockeys Nu Mark and Cut Chemist.  Big Daddy Kane shows up for the chorus-less highlight “A Day At the Races,” and Nelly Furtado, who had recently scored her first big hit “I’m Like a Bird,” appears for a commentary on complicated friendships between members of the opposite sex on “Thin Line.”  And stay tuned for the insect-infested and hilarious freestyle “DDT.”

In 2006, the crew released the lackluster Feedback and called it quits.  The majority of lyricists disappeared; Chali 2na continued to disappoint on his own, releasing a weak solo album.  Meanwhile the two scratchers in the background pursued their own projects and came up gold – both DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist are two of the present day’s finest turntable masters.  Still, some of their finest work can be found on J5’s best album.

Jurassic 5 – A Day At The Races (Feat. Big Daddy Kane & Percy P)

Jurassic 5 – What’s Golden

Jurassic 5 – Thin Line (Feat. Nelly Furtado)

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

70. Band of Horses – Is There a Ghost

The first track off Cease to Begin is a great introduction to Band of Horses’ second disc – it’s a beautiful rising track with the simple, repeated lyrics “I could sleep” and “When I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house.”  What follows is a near-flawless album that embodies the Southern spirit and indie charm this now-immensely popular group delivers.

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The trend I’ve noticed these last few years, and this is just my opinion, is the years with an Olympics (every other year) isn’t as good musically as the year prior.  2007, in my memory, was way better than 2008.  And so, unfortunately, the trend continues with 2010.  Last year was ripe with up-and-comers and a new exciting indie subgenre called chillwave.  This year was the aftermath, as most of those up-and-comers were featured on car commercials, and this year’s bright new stars were slower and more acoustic-based – Beach House and Best Coast seem to be the two critical darlings.

Not that there weren’t some great releases this year, as we will see in the next few days.  Like most years, bands got bigger and disappointed (Kings of Leon), others continued to stay at the top of their game (Kanye West), and some even managed to blow our minds with a new progressive sound (Star Slinger).  Arcade Fire was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy, an award they are sure to lose to someone less deserving, but hey, still, pretty cool, right?  Perhaps the biggest notable trend, though not surprising, is the inevitable transformation of indie into mainstream culture thanks to the festival circuit, television advertising, and TV/movie soundtracking.

As the years progress, I too find my musical tastes to favor the more popular sounds, akin to how they were when I was in grade school.  I attribute this to the simple fact that, thanks to the spotlight the Internet shines on deserving artists, popular music is getting better, though old mediums like FM radio would have you believe otherwise.  Sure, there’s still plenty of shit out there, but the kids’ ears are being exposed to more sounds than ever before, and that’s never a bad thing.  Much like the revolutionary period of the grunge/alternative wave of the early 90’s, it’s not uncool to like what you hear on a Kia commercial.

In an oversaturated world of media, the term “selling out” doesn’t really mean anything anymore.  Exposure is always a good thing in this day and age, even if it’s used to move a product.  Just my .02….anywho, I hope you’ll join me for the next couple of weeks as I count down my favorites in music from 2010.  Here’s what the blog posting schedule looks like:

Jan. 1 – Quarterly Review
Jan 2. – 10 Best Videos
3 – Top Tracks 200-151
4 – 150-101
5 – 100-51
6 – 50-21
7 – 20-1
8 – Top Remixes
9 – Honorable Mention Albums
10 – Top Albums 50-41
11 – 40-31
12 – 30-21
13 – 20-11
14 – 10-1

Enjoy, and here’s hoping 2011 rocks hard.

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

44. Radiohead – In Rainbows

Released in October 2007 digitally (for a price of your choosing) and physically dropped on New Year’s Day 2008, In Rainbows was the end of the longest gap in between albums for Radiohead.  Whether you agree or not, the album is generally credited with establishing a new business model for a crippling music industry, offering a “pay what you want” scheme for the digital copy, exclusively from the band’s website.  It seems fitting that Radiohead would do this; they had just split with EMI, and In Rainbows was their first album not on a major label.  This idea has been adopted by many independent artists since the media storm surrounding the inventive self-leak.  But what In Rainbows is remembered for is not necessarily what makes it great – it is, for a group like Radiohead, quite shockingly amorous.

Thom Yorke once described the mood and lyrics of In Rainbows as “seduction songs,” and it’s hard to argue with that.  For the most part, the album is softer, more down-tempo, and, well, more romantic (in a weird Radiohead kind of way) than anything they’ve ever done.  Take the piano chords and easing texture of the sensual “All I Need,” or the creeping crescendo of “Videotape.”  Even songs that channel the 21st-century electronic-noodling side of the British group, such as “15 Step” and “Nude,” are less raw and foreboding than the highlights of Kid A and Hail to the Thief.  Meanwhile, the guitar-based Bends and OK Computer-era tracks, referring to “Weird Fishes” and “Reckoner,” show maturation, and, lyrically speaking, poetic contemplation.

With 2011 fast approaching, the talks from Johnny Greenwood are already aplenty regarding a follow-up to this fantastic disc, one of Radiohead’s best hands down.  And as their track record shows, in terms of ingenuous marketing as well as growth in musicianship, we can expect something completely different and amazing all at once.

Radiohead – 15 Step

Radiohead – All I Need

Radiohead – Reckoner

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

80. The White Stripes – Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

The opening track from White Blood Cells squeals to life, Jack White’s guitar screeching into a staple new-blues riff before Meg pounds in and all hell breaks loose.  For many, it would be the first we would hear from this Detroit duo, and first impressions have a lasting impact.  Jack and Meg needn’t worry – they certainly got our attention.

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This year I made the big move from Lubbock to Austin, and the transformation has done wonders for my live music fix.  I should have been writing down all the awesome bands I saw this year (and the years before, for that matter) but alas, hindsight, she is 20/20 once again.  I think this post covers the highlights more or less, however.  There’s plenty of great live music I saw this year that I’m leaving out, but after the jump, in no particular order, are twelve of the best shows I witnessed in 2010, eleven of them right here in the Live Music Capital of the World.

And for the record, I wanted to put the Sleigh Bells show on here, as fun as it was once they finally started playing, but everyone who attended knows Beauty Bar is at fault for that show’s omission.  What a disaster.

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