In the "Best Local Albums" category, it's no surprise that Dead Confederate sits atop the list with Wrecking Ball. Also making the list are The Whigswith Mission Control at six and Twin Tigers'Curious Faces/Violet Future at number seven. Some other pals got honorable mention, but take the time read the whole page because it also has a comprehensive list of pretty much every local release of the year, give or take a few. That should help you round out your collection...
Check out the year-end reader's survey to read some comments about what the citizens thought were the "Best Musical Moments of 2008". Comments from the Athens townfolk mentioned great shows from Bambara, Dead Confederate, Gift Horse, Pegasuses-XL, Kuroma and a lot of other bands from the list over there <---.
Isn't the internet great? When the people largely responsible for creating the music video concept and broadcasting it worldwide decided to "stop being polite and start getting real" the music video had to go somewhere, and here it is.
As my Christmas gift to you here's my top 5 music videos of the year, in reverse order.
Number 5 was created by Atlanta artist/musician Adam Bruneaufor the Deerhunter song Microcastle. This is simple and beautiful, please enjoy:
#5Deerhunter, Microcastle
The last time I saw The Buddy System live it was a while ago and they were plagued by a variety of technical issues. I think they were opening for A.Armada at the 40 Watt for the Anam Cara release party. The Buddy System rely very heavily on the visual components of their show, and that night they were having some problems with it. But when stuff like that happens to a band you just have to overlook it and give them the benefit of the doubt. Their last song, Return to Horse Mountain, rectified any set problems they had:
#4The Buddy System, Return To Horse Mountain
On November 20th Radiohead released the video for the song Weird Fishes, created by fan/artist Tobias Stretch. It's easy to gush about Radiohead, but it's amazing that a band as big and as unbelievably grand as they are can still be as fan-oriented as they have been with In Rainbows. They really just defined how you are supposed to release an album and stay ahead of industry curves and such. Tobias Stretch was one of the 4 winners of the Aniboom Animated Music Video Contest, and the animation is pretty out of sight and creepy. The videos from the other 3 winners are great too. Most important band you can hear and see live right now? I think so. It's hard to argue against it. Nightmares ahead:
#3 Radiohead, Weird Fishes
This video for Toe Jam by The BPA featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascalcould possibly be one of the most memorable music videos of all time. The BPA (Brighton Port Authority) is Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim (who always has great videos). Directed by Keith Schofield at Streetgang Films:
#2 The BPA featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal, Toe Jam
And last but most certainly not least, you can always count on Björk for great videos too. Here's the beautiful video for Wanderlust, created by Encyclopedia Pictura and choreographed by Chris Elam. My video of the year was much-hyped and I think it showed up big time:
Sometimes I take a break from my steady diet of the Gap Band, Zapp, and Kool and the Gang to give some new music a listen. Here's some of the lovely ladies that caught my eye this year. I'm sure that I am leaving a bunch out of the list, and I attribute that to a lack of fruit in my diet.
Dead Confederate Wrecking Ball Dark, kinda redneck-y, Southern Gothic, wailing, yearning rock and roll brimming with trouble just beneath the surface. I see a new rock sub-genre. Dark-neck, anyone? This would still be one of my favorites of the year even if I wasn't long-time friends with these nice fellows. A perfect album for sitting down and bonding with your great-grandfather over some snuff or chaw.
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes I'm a sucker for great harmonies mixed with beards, Bonnaroo-styled knit caps, and a lot of candles. Earnest and intimate.
Harvey Milk Life...The Best Game In Town Big drums, big cymbals, big amps, loud de-tuned fucking riffs, and Creston Spiers' distinctive vocal stylings make me happy. Very, very good.
Kings of Leon Only by the Night These guys continue to explore and diversify their sound with each album. Not content with sticking to the same old two-step southern-Strokes-ish boot kickin' dust-ups and screwing hot model chicks in Europe all of the time, Kings of Leon continue to mature into memorable songwriters with a knack for catchy hooks.
Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works Released in late 2007, I had to include this one. This is one of my favorite bands of all time ever since I saw them open for Mr. Bungle at the old Cotton Club in Atlanta. Live, it's like watching a car crash inside of a fireball inside of a tornado filled with cottonmouth rattlers for an hour. You can't take your eyes away. Bodies flying everywhere. Their former drummer, Chris Pennie, is one of my favorites. Their new drummer Gil Sharone stepped in without missing a beat and just killed it. This album furthers their genre-bending, sharp, precise, powerful attack to places yet to be traveled.
My Morning Jacket Evil Urges I'm an admitted late-comer to My Morning Jacket. My bad, dude! I thought Z was catchy as hell and then I delved into their back catalog. I eagerly anticipated this release and was pleased with the results. Their songs have a way of connecting with me down to the core, mining up emotions, whether they be bittersweet, reflective, down, or celebratory. I know in 30 years when I hear "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream," "Thank You Too!," "Sec Walkin," and "Librarian," they will bring me right back to this time in my life. Plus, we've all got those evil urges, baby.
Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping Inventive harmonies, melodies, and arrangements. Psychedelic, schizophrenic, shy and cocky all at the same time. Instrumentally fantastic. Oh, and it's funky as hell and you can dance to it. Kevin Barnes just don't give a fuck. I don't know if all men share some of the same worries, fears, and insecurities that Barnes bravely sings of. But know I do.
T.V. On The Radio Dear Science Another terrific live band whose albums continue to impress me. I'm a drummer at heart and I'm thrilled with their creative and tasteful mixture of live drumming, programmed beats, loops, bleeps, bloops, leeps?? and ambient hand claps. Kyp and Tunde sing soulfully and confidently, and the gang vocals are reminiscent of some long-ago congregation singing a familiar hymnal. Drone-y and syncopated all at once, TVOTR melds many distinct styles and elements into a one successful mixture.
Deerhoof Offend Maggie Man, oh man!! Daddy likey. Greg Saunier is a drumming powerhouse. He flows freely between Elvin Jones and Tony Williams-like blazing free-jazz chops, funk and drum & bass backbeat, and pushing and pulling the beat to the band's liking. Awesome guitar lines and inventive chording. Mix in a lot of whimsy and musical playfulness, and you get maybe a small idea of Deerhoof. I cannot do them justice. Buy all of their albums!
Dodos Visiter Johnny 5 from Dead Confederate turned me on to these guys. Mostly finger-picked or heavily strummed acoustic guitar and African Ewe-style drumming. The drummer plays on a non-traditional kit standing up without a kick drum. My arms hurt just listening to some of his beats. Pretty melodies and harmonies.
Gift Horse Demo EP Man, these guys are the biggest assholes in Modern Rock today. Rapes, bullying, theft, drug abuse, degradation, blasphemy, and rape. But I'll be damned if they don't make some great music. Hypnotic and throbbing, with melodies and lyrics floating in and out of a lush thick smoky fog of reverb. If you're looking for Vai or Satriani or any overly-note-filled fusion jam-offs, this is not the band for you. If you're not an asshole, then you'll probably like it.
Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple Cee-Lo is the shit. He is one of my favorite artists. Danger Mouse is incredible as well, and when they combine forces they make great music. They bring old-school sounds and aesthetic but still break new musical ground at the same time. Shit, you could pair up Cee-Lo with anyone (Reznor, W. A. Yankovic, my roommate Joey's cat, Wendell) and I would like it. At their last Athens show at the 40 Watt when Elf Power opened, Gnarls played a show-stopping rendition of Reckoner by Radiohead. I am in no way insinuating that Thom Yorke has a lack of soul, but Mr. -Lo put some Comeback Sauce all over that song.
The Mars Volta Bedlam in Goliath What it would sound like Dennis Chambers or Fish Fisher (2 more of my fave drummers) played drums for the Mars Volta, a band I respect for their complexity and style? With their new drummer Thomas Pridgen, now I know, and then some. Shit, dude. Serious chops. Chops McGhee. John Theodore kept Mars Volta in some seriously deep nasty grooves while he held the drum throne. I was bummed when he stopped playing with them. Now with Pridgen, it's all goooood. Track 4, Wax Simulacra, had me going over to my drums to learn some shit.
Whigs Mission Control Cheers to three local guys who have made good. 2008 was nice for the Whigs. Mission Control finds the group sounding terrific, partly due to the fact that they recorded the album at the legendary Sunset Sound Studios in L.A.. The songs are tight, simple (not in a negative way,) and catchy as hell. Good old-fashioned rock and roll. Always great to see live. And guess what? They're nice!!
Torche Meanderthal Loud, lumbering, concussive, ass-kicking metal/rock and roll. Oh yeah, and dude sings, too! Steve Brooks expertly lays on the poppy melodies over the loud sludge, for the perfect combination of shampoo and conditioner.
Popo Go Popo is three very tall brothers: Zeb, Shoaib, and Hassan Malik from Philadelphia. They toured with Dark Meat and spent an extended amount of time in Athens this year. My co-worker at Taco Stand, Tim Schreiber, recorded this album in his kitchen, super econo. At first I didn't know what to think of it. But thanks to Tim playing the album and rocking out to it EVERY DAY AT WORK FOR A MONTH, it has really grown on me. I hear something new in it every time I listen. Zeb has a cool-ass voice.
I can't wait to see what's in store for us all in 2009! Hopefully plenty of this:
Inspired by Matt, here's my top 20 albums of 2008, in absolutely no particular order. These are albums from bands that make the Rebel Forces list of links and that are actually doing something around here, in my own humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of other good local releases that I did not get my hands on, but here's what I got. Some of these were released in 2007, but they were late in '07 so back off. ___________________________________________________________________
Dead Confederate, Wrecking Ball Released: 9/16/08 on TAO/Razor & Tie Key Tracks:Wrecking Ball, Start Me Laughing, Yer Circus
___________________________________________________________________ The Whigs, Mission Control Released: 2/5/08 on ATO Key Tracks:Like A Vibration, Production City, Sleep Sunshine
___________________________________________________________________ Kuroma, Paris Released: 6/1/08 Key Tracks:Alexander Martin, I Was The Rat, Searching For A Sheep Listen to it here.
___________________________________________________________________ Modern Skirts, All Of Us In Our Night Released: 10/3/08 (Nationwide January 20, 2009) Key Tracks:Radio Breaks, Soft Pedals, Chanel
___________________________________________________________________ Pegasuses-XL, The Antiphon Released: 2/26/08 on The Ernest Jenning Record Co. Key Tracks:Marathon Mansion, Atmospheric Skull, Drugs For Change, Intermurals Keep an eye out for a new one in early '09.
___________________________________________________________________ Deaf Judges, All Rise
Released: 9/26/08 on Emerald City Ruins Key Tracks:Space Cadet Setlist, Nuevo, Short Term Memories
___________________________________________________________________ Twin Tigers, Curious Faces Violet Future Released: 6/10/08 Key Tracks: Golden Days, Watershed, Red Fox Run
A.Armada, Anam Cara Released: 12/22/07 on Hello Sir Key Tracks:The Moon Shifts The Sea The Sea Shapes The Shore The Shore Shakes The Sand The Sand Sinks The Ship, Fall Triumph, Into Days & Nights & Years & Months This counts. Once again, sorry for the pic.
________________________________________________________ Bambara, Bambara Released: 7/6/08 on Emerald Weapon Key Tracks:Native Tongue, Shake, Snakes In Our Hair
Russian Spy Camera, Mutiny in the Kitchen With Knives Released: 3/2/08 Key Tracks:Pixels In Your Soup, This Town Has Placed A Curse On Me, Hotels, X's Over Eyes Download it for free. It's legal, I swear.
The N.E.C., Million Minks Released: 9/10/07 Key Tracks:Only One You Know, Witness, Why Don't You Stay? This counts too. Keep an eye out, they've got a split out and a new one coming in January '09.
Olympus Mans, Shelf Life Released: 12/9/07 Key Tracks:Pictures From The War, I'm In Love With A Comeback, Sucker
___________________________________________________________________ Harvey Milk, Life...The Best Game In Town Released: 6/3/08 on Hydra Head Key Tracks:Death Goes To The Winner, Motown, Skull Socks & Rope Shoes
___________________________________________________________________ Lazer/Wulf, The Void That Isn't Released: 9/22/08 Key Tracks: Sacrilicious, Lagarto
Phew! That is a fine year for Athens bands. If anyone can think of any good stuff that I left off then please help me out. This is in no way meant to encompass all of the material coming from the Forces. Also I would like to apologize for the formatting of this post. Posting something with this many pictures is alot like trying to transcribe a Bach prelude by ear in real time. So I hope it looks okay on your screen.
The Album: A dying expression of creativity? A sonic dodo? Perhaps sometime in the sooner-than-you-think future. Or perhaps only a wilting Phoenix that will rise from the ashes to confirm to the human race that no one song can stand alone--ever.
There's so much that goes on in a year that I can say with 100% confidence I am forgetting a LOT of music (which also tells me I need to better organize my music collection). Nonetheless, here are the ten I came up with in the span of 45 minutes whilst staring at the wall.
Beach House: Devotion To give credit where credit is due, I did not know a thing about this band until they appeared on the Gift Horse top friends (where I would I be without the brilliance of Tom?). Devotion makes me want to live out of a car and cruise the highways between Arizona, Nevada, and California for the rest of my life. What I mean by that, I can't clearly express. I just have to leave it at that.
Beach House also shows me what it would be like if Chan Marshall was the lead singer of The Zombies and they all went in on a Holy Grail.
Cat Power: Jukebox
Speaking of Chan Marshall, her early 2008 release Jukebox was something I had to stumble upon later in the year. Her cigarette charred, stained glass voice is enveloping. To be very cliche, she doesn't just sing the words, she honestly does live them out every time she performs. A highlight of the year was seeing her performance at Bonnaroo streamed online. Below is a clip of her covering "I Feel" by The Hot Boys. Her drummer is also noticeably hammered.*
*To his credit the drummer is Jim White, the extremely talented Australian drummer of The Dirty Three.
Colour Revolt: Plunder, Beg, and Curse
I was in New Orleans for Halloween and missed their set by an hour. I was in Athens the next week and was right on time. Their performance is one of my top shows of 2008 (if such a list might be conjured). Please listen to this album from a handful of very talented Oxford, MS gents.
Department of Eagles: In Ear Park
I've talked enough about this band. Here's the album if you haven't had a chance yet:
Dead Confederate: Wrecking Ball
I was very eager to hear what these guys had put together in a little studio in Austin. And I can't say enough how much I love this album. The mix is perfect, the songs are steady and as a whole, Wrecking Ball evokes exactly what this band is about.
Mr. Doughty continues to turn his solo acoustic musings into full-band tracks of pure enjoyment. Sure, it's pop. But it's GOOD HONEST pop. It's not trying to be anything else than what it is. Doughty isn't looking for Billboard charts and he's not looking for the approval of the Brooklyn hipsters. He's writing the music that comes out of him, pure and simple. The kind of free-filter oozing of aural beauty that is unique to every musician. The trick is to stop thinking about what you should write, and write what is there to be written. Doughty has that down pat.
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
Another top performance of 2008. And enough people are throwing reviews out, that I'll just assume you know what I know.
I love M. Ward and I've had the hots for Zooey Deschanel since "Elf". OF COURSE I'll listen to their musical collaboration! Paste Magazine has named Volume One as their Album of the Year. I'm very much looking forward to the promised Volume Two. Also, check for M. Ward's new solo release in '09.
This was a gift for my significant other, which I rightly burned onto my computer before giving to her. How can you beat Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck and Co. "plucking up" (just made that up, i swear) some scholarly bluegrass with a significant dash of the contemplative. Not to mention you can learn some Chinese! In all seriousness however, this is a great headphone album. And you can't beat Abigail's voice. Seriously I will be really mad.
Widespread Panic: Free Somehow Lastly, but not least-ly, my dear employer. This is not a plug, just a fucking good album that the hippies will never understand. I've said before that this is John Bell's best vocal effort to date. It is also the studio debut of Jimmy Herring with the band. And it would have been Terry Manning's (producer) attempt at "Wall of Sound-ing" the band, had the band not been like "WTF" to the early mix. I was able to get a listen to that first mix and let's just say all the doo-wops and string-soaked tracks were taken down from eleven. Top tracks from this album include "Angels on High", "Dark Day Program", "Her Dance Needs No Body", "Already Fried", and "Up All Night". Support you local blogger's salary and buy a copy...okay this is a plug.
Well, that does it. One through ten. I encourage all the Rebel Forces regulars to jump on in to this list business.
