Hey Hey Hey Hey

So I finally went out and bought the new Kanye West cd. I downloaded the whole thing and figured I only needed a song or two but after a few more listens, it all became indispensable. Even though I had the digital files, I rarely listen to those since I don't have an iPod or anything similar so, Luddite that I am, I wanted an actual physical copy of the album. I love it. Where has Kanye been all my life? Or, where has this 808 lovin', old school soul Kanye been? I've heard some of his hip hop and liked it fine but there's something special about his newest foray in auto-tune soul searching. I've been trying to figure why I love 808s and Heartbreak so much and I think it boil down to three main points.

1. It reminds me of the soul pop I loved as a kid. There are hints of Lionel Richie and New Edition all over this album and that does it for me.
2. That unbelievably pleasing robot vocoder sound. I love robots and I love vocoders and I love the chrome emotions that saturate this record.
3. It's a concept album and I am a sucker for concept albums. If you don't know, the concept here is bitterness and sadness caused by the dual tragedies of Kanye's mother's death and the breakup with his fiancee. These events made Kanye reexamine his life of fast times, private planes and endless parties. I have nothing in common with this guy or his problems yet I find the stories compelling and his regret and raw emotions deeply affect me. When he says he had to leave his sister's wedding before they even cut the cake, I feel the sting. During the final track, "Pinocchio Story," the whoops and hollers from the crowd sound so out of place as Kanye pours out his heart screaming he wants to be a real boy. It sounds horribly cheesy and lame - Oh, poor little rich boy - but it absolutely kills me. Try opening track "Say You Will" on for size and try to tell me it's not the proper follow up to Lionel Richie's "Hello."

Say You Will - Kanye West

Opinions No One Asked For

Happy birthday, Listmaker. I just want to say how grateful I am for your years of friendship and mix making. Even though they come at a slower pace these days, I still cherish each one even when not made specifically for me. In response to your latest wonderful compilation, here is my report card. In case any readers out there haven't already downloaded their copy I say quit yer stalling and click on the link now. You'll be glad you did as the mix is full of hits and the reviews below will make a lot more sense. Now, on to the nonsense:

1. The Searchers – Hearts in Her Eyes – I think this is how you started that first mix for me way back in 1994 perhaps? Oh how much has changed. Instead of camp counselors you are now a teacher of children and I manage adults who act like children; you are no longer making mixes on cassette with covers made of rubber cement and old report cards and instead post them as digital files with photo covers for others to print; One thing that has not changed is the viselike grip that power pop has on your soul. A-
2. Nick Lowe – Rollers Show – Maybe it’s the Republican method wherein constant repetition becomes truth but this song makes me desperate to hear the Bay City Rollers. I thought they were a much-maligned bunch of castoffs but if the Jesus of Cool gives his seal of approval, count me in. A
3. Deerhoof – Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back – I now hate Deerhoof, basketball, Dick Vitale and all music thanks to this utterly horrendous puzzler of a “song.” F
4. The Feelies – Loveless Love – You know how Ian Mackaye’s entire musical output all stems from The Minutemen’s “This Ain’t No Picnic”? Well, this song is The Technical Jed’s “This Ain’t No Picnic.” A
5. Caribou – Eli – I liked him better when he was in the Dictators but this is still lovely. Breezy like a summer's day and soft focus like a Summer’s Eve commercial. B+
6. The Dodos – Jody – Drum and Guitar duos are kind of the dodos of the music scene what with Meg White on semi-permanent hiatus and the singer from the Black Keys putting out a solo album but these dudes make me nostalgic for those ugly, awkward, flightless birds. I love the insistent strumming, clattering percussion and the out of step intro and outro on this one. Marvelous perfection. A+
7. Rodriguez – Rich Folks Hoax – What if Donovan had something to say besides moon-eyed semi-poetic nonsense? It still wouldn’t be as ass kicking as this song. So gorgeous I nearly fell over the railing of my yacht. A
8. Jacques Dutronc – Hippie Hippie Hoorah – What is making that sick sound? And I mean sick in both the old “ill” sense of the word as well as the new “illin’” meaning. B+
9. Ify Jerry Krusade – Everybody Likes Something Good – True. Very true. Even Hitler apparently had a soft spot for puppies and soaring classical music. B+
10. Young-Holt Trio – Wack Wack – At first I thought this didn’t hold a candle to the live version, and while I still love the raw insanity of that version, I’ve come to appreciate the professionalism on this one as well as the weird bowed bass/distorted vocal parts. A good song for every elementary school orchestra to learn. A-
11. The Baseball Project – Harvey Haddix – As compelling as “Hurricane” when it comes to story songs based on real life crimes that have devastating effects. Perhaps, like that story, this song will lead to an overturned ruling. A
12. John Fogerty – I Can’t Take It No More – Speaking for disgruntled baseball nerds everywhere, John Fogerty, a man who will forever be associated with the sport thanks to “Centerfield,” screams his head off about the injustices of Harvey Haddix’s lack of a perfect game acknowledgement. B+
13. Gentleman Jesse – Highland Crawler – At first I thought you were breaking the cardinal rule and including the same artist twice on one mix but then I realized this isn’t “So It Goes.” Close call there, Raphael. Is this band the Mayflies USA of the late 2000s? A-
14. Sloan – Cheap Champaign – This band deserves their almost-ran status. Their songs are effervescent and pleasing but leave little trace once they’ve trickled down your throat. I couldn’t sing you a single line from any of their songs. B+
15. Gilberto Gil – Frevo Rasgado – This could be the theme song to the creepiest children’s show ever. Creepier than anything Sid and Marty Kroft ever dreamed up. B
16. Stormy – The Devastator – Standard Issue Soul Song #23-F. B
17. The Records – Teenarama – You already blew my mind once with this song but you’ve done it again. Every time I revisit it I find a new favorite line. Currently it’s “First bra/Too far” which I think perfectly sums up the ultra-creepiness and heavy, heavy guilt this song is trafficking in. B
18. The Collins Kids – Hot Rod – From a song about teens to a song by teens. The wish for a speedy death machine is great but she knows she has to wait until she’s legal. Maybe she should hang around with the hussy from the Records song and teach her a thing or two about the beauty of patience and delayed gratification. B+
19. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Gardenia – This song is as good as any legendary Pavement gem. I like his jams but I like the short bursts of perfection too. A+
20. Alemayehu Eschete – Tchero Adari Negn – Like James Brown blessed with voodoo power and itching powder. B+
21. Jo Ann Garrett – Goin’ Man Huntin’ – An update on The Most Dangerous Game? B
22. Crooked Fingers – Your Control – Hot damn this is an amazing song. Once again relegated to the cheap seats, Eric Bachmann will not be deterred. A+
23. Bon Iver – For Emma - A beautiful song and a perfect closer. Too bad the same can't be said for Harvey Haddix. A

Revisiting the Classix: Squirrel Nut Zippers

Did the swing revival really happen or was it all a fever dream? I remember Listmaker sharing his copy of Squirrel Nut Zippers' 1995 debut The Inevitable and quickly falling in love with the sound of a bunch of North Carolinians doing the Lindy hop. I remember seeing "Swingers" and developing a serious man crush on Vince Vaughan. I remember hearing tales of an absurdly named band from out west called Cherry Poppin' Daddies and thinking that name would get them exactly nowhere. And then all of a sudden Gap ads are on tv showing squeaky clean kids leap frogging each other to the crazee sounds of Louis Prima and "Zoot Suit Riot" is somehow a national hit and the words "Cherry Poppin' Daddies" are on everyone's lips? I guess the revival really did happen but now I wonder was it all as lame as it seems in retrospect and were all these bands just cashing in on a trend?

The only group lumped into the whole "swing revival" movement that I cared about was Squirrel Nut Zippers and they never seemed to jive with all the rest of the bowler behatted dapper fellows in bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy or Royal Crown Revue. Instead of looking to Louis Prima or Cab Calloway for inspiration, they seemed more obsessed with Billie Holliday and Django Rienhardt. More gypsy jazz, less 23 Skidoo.

Hot is the album that put Squirrel Nut Zippers on the map. It still holds up incredibly well probably because it seems less like a band riding a fad and more like a bunch of young jazz freaks somehow stumbling into the national spotlight for a brief period before resuming their anonymity. This album came out in 1996 and 2 short years later when the followup Perennial Favorites was released, Squirrel Nut Zippers were a distant memory in American pop culture, handily replaced by Limp Bizkit and their mook rock brethren. I don't mourn for the short career of Squirrel Nut Zippers but I do still have fond memories of my infatuation with them and the 3 albums I have are all fantastically played and extremely listenable. They, for the most part, avoided the horn saturated silliness that tainted the neo-swing groups and that consistently works against all modern ska bands.

What I like best about this band, and this album in particular, is their restraint. Groups like The Brian Setzer Orchestra are always trying to turn it up to 11 with their squawking horns and amped up in-your-face energy but Squirrel Nut Zippers understand that they don't need to stick your head in the bell of trumpet to get you excited. Album opener "Got My Own Thing Now" is a brilliant beginning full of incredible interplay between the musicians and will get you dancing straight away without the need for a giant neon sign reading "SWING!" Along with their toe tapping, revved up numbers, they are also able to write gorgeous ballads as long as you can stand Katharine Whalen's bizarre, Billie Holliday aping vocal mannerisms. "Meant to Be" is an incredibly tender and lovely song that I can't imagine coming from any other band from the era. Squirrel Nut Zippers are a sadly underrated band tainted by the bad memories of the plastic 90s. They really captured the heart and the joy of the music of the 20s and 30s without being a cliche or a parody. More jump and jive, less of the wail.

Finally Showing Chris Martin Some Love

I've always had soft spot for radio pop but this year, even I was surprised at what I was falling head over heels for. What follows are my favorite singles of the year that did not appear on any of the albums I purchased in 2008:

Coldplay - "Viva la Vida" - For years I've railed against this band for all the reasons you can imagine plus some I made up myself but then I saw Chris Martin's appearance on Extras and I melted. I guess much of my hatred was based on the supposition that he was entirely too self-serious and that seems to not be the case. Anyhow, I was won over by the handmade clothing, the attempt to not keep cashing in on his falsetto and the utter awesomeness of this song.

Viva La Vida - Coldplay


Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" - I've already spouted off about this monstrous masterpiece but I'm still surprised by how easily it was for Kanye to win my heart.

Love Lockdown - Kanye West

Usher - "Love In This Club" - Freeky deeky. My favorite part? At 3:18 when he sings "I don't care who's watching, watching" and the piano gets all tinkly. Brilliantly stupid and stupidly brilliant.

Love In This Club - Usher

T.I. feat. Rihanna - "Live Your Life" - A gorgeous sample, robotic vocals and group chanting on the chorus are all you need to make a perfect song and this one could be 30 minutes long and I'd still want more.

Live Your Life - Feat. Rihanna - T.I.

Miley Cyrus - "Fly On the Wall" - Not the XTC cover I hoped it would be but instead an unholy Frankenstein's monster composed of a few parts rock n roll, a few parts dance pop and the creepiest chorus of the year, possibly sung by actual human flies.

Fly On The Wall - Miley Cyrus

The Dutchess & the Duke - "Reservoir Park" - The kind of effortless song that countless rock revisionists and faux-garage acts try to assemble out of put-on attitude and oversized record collections but still can't manage. Perfect for a breezy autumn day.

Reservoir Park - The Dutchess & The Duke

Wolf Parade - "California Dreamer" - Plaintive and measured at first but then he start singing about radio waves and the song gets increasingly urgent and wild, careening towards and ugly end that never comes.

California Dreamer - Wolf Parade

Shugo Tokumaru -"Parachute" - Built around acoustic guitar and glockenspiel, it's the feel-good, can't-understand-a-word-besides-the-title song of the year.

Parachute - Shugo Tokumaru

Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead" - More dance/disco outrageousness that will have you grooving in your space pants and doing the bump with the constellations. I can't describe this song's magic powers properly but it makes me want to simultaneously cry, giggle and pump my fist. Absolutely (inter)stellar.

Sleepy Head - Passion Pit

Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us" - For me, this is the hands down winner of the year. It's untouchable and gave me heart palpitations the first time I heard it. As always, the music is like attending the coolest dance at Pac Man High School but the crazy, chopped up vocals are prettier and more powerful than you'd expect from these two grubby 16 bit suckers. It still knocks me out every time I hear it but my meds now help to keep my heart from skipping a beat or three.

Untrust Us - Crystal Castles