favorite albums of 2009

in no order

noche malo. muy malo

it's christmas eve and i'm in bed, drinking a beer, blogging, and possibly reverting myself back to online xbox gaming. (modern warfare 2 is just too good).

i saw avatar last night and man it was kinda good.
a bit on the silly side, script-wise. definitely a predictable story, but i kinda knew that going into it.
it looks great... yet i couldn't help but think james cameron got the idea for avatar by looking at a lisa frank trapper keeper. i mean it's a cool-looking movie... but I think if i was to have come up with a brand new world of creatures and characters, i would've probably thought of something that didn't deal w/ glow-in-the-dark forests. that's just me, though.
the action was intense, and there were definitely signs of a james cameron aesthetic (i.e. scientists, marines, guns, explosions), so that was cool.
hopefully with the money i paid to watch Avatar, James cameron will somehow find the balls to make a True Lies part 2, because let's face it: True Lies is kinda the best movie of the 90s, next to Con Air, obviously.

well here's what I got planned for tonight!
beer, pita chips w/ hummus and tabouli salad, beer, pork leg, beer, tres leches, beer, and then maybe a cookie or two.

also, I just got the Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age EP



it's pretty awesome. just a lot of mixing, noise, field recordings, and broadcast songs. really expanding the psychedelic/stereolab-ish sound to a more obscure and avant level. very cool record and i recommend it if you're either a minor fan of broadcast. or even if you're a fan of more than one artist on the Warp label.

merry christmas!

jersey shore

Let me tell you a little something about this show on mTV called Jersey Shore.
It is singlehandedly saving television from the ranks of schlocky stuff like Mad Men and 24.
Take a look at what I'm talking about:



MAN. If you're not watching this show, then you're probably one of those people that yknow have some kinda moral code, or whatever those things are. BOGUS (what?)

As you saw from the video up top, Jersey Shore is an MTV reality series (I wanna emphasize 'reality' because I really think this is authentic) about people living their lives the way they want to live it. Eight kids who live/fuck in a really shitty timeshare in Seaside Heights. They're just bro-culture personified... or guido, as they call it. The show could be seen as offensive because it displays really vivid stereotypes... but here's the thing: these people on the show KNOW that they're the stereotype. They're fuckin proud of it.

And looking at how ridiculous they are... in a sense they're kinda normal. They obviously live life by different standards: inflicting an incredible amount of damage onto their skin via tanning bed proxies, spending $10,000 a year on hair gel, taking their shirts off, plastic surgery, lip gloss (for the guys), fucking everything. I guess if you judge normality by that, then yes-- they're kinda normal.

Look they do the same things you and I do. We like to hang out with friends, flirt w/ the opposite sex, go out and drink, eat somewhere after, fuck, and shit like that.
I don't know.
I've seen the show... and not all of the characters and unlikeable. That's who they are and that's how they live. Some of them can even show hints of actual intelligence... and emotion, too.
Like one of the characters, "The Situation" (fucking guy -_-), gets really upset because one of his roommates hooked up with Sammi, the girl he was crushing on. He's insecure, man. He needs his abs to get girls. I don't know. I feel bad for the guy, sorta. Then he date rapes all of em'. And then I realize-- FUCK HIM.

good show, though.

what kinda blog is this?

I'm always debating whether this blog should be focused around things I like, as a pretty qualified indie-music meteorologist (god I wish that was a real job), or around me, in general. Like should I post blogs about my personal life? I don't know. I mean (wishful thinking) maybe this blog will skyrocket one day in being a really important, and equally relevant, purveyor of new music-- then somebody comes across an old post about a girl I like and my credibility is fucked.

Fuck it-- I think I'll leave my personal stuff for my myspace (because that's something people use, right? I'm 45-years-old)

how remixable is gucci mane?

It's a question that's lingered the music community for about the latter half of 2009.
Gucci mane's origins start in Atlanta and he's gone to jail a couple of times.
He's definitely one of my favorite southern rappers based on pure skill (if by skill, I mean pure-ridiculousness).
He's become somewhat of an oddity in the indie community, becoming kinda ironic, I guess? He would get a lot of press on Pitchfork's pages and then started getting remixed by a ton of weird-abstract electronic artists.
It started with SALEM.



Gucci Mane - Bird Flu (Salem Remix)



Then with HEALTH/Flying Lotus on that new ATL RMX mixtape released by Adult Swim. That mixtape in itself exemplifies this indie infatuation with Southern Rappers. Call it ironic, or whatever-- the heart of the matter is that most of the stuff is good, and that a bulk of these rappers (Gucci Mane not being mutually exclusive-- we're talking Dem Franchize Boyz, Young Jeezy, and OJ Da Juiceman) have the grime appeal... and appeal that works well with the abstract electronic/dubtsteppy/sampladelic stuff.




Even Diplo and his label Mad Decent are releasing a mixtape revolving around Diplo beats and Gucci's rough 'n' tumble lyrics. And on top of that, M.I.A. went out and said her new Diplo-produced album will sound like "Gucci Mane meets Animal Collective". Uhhh does that not sound like the best combination ever?
Diplo released a track yesterday sampling Mariah Carey with Gucci on the mic. And it sounds awesome.

Gucci Mane - Danger Not A Stranger (Diplo Remix)

So I guess this seems to be my prediction for what will be hot in 2010: the rise of indie credibility in the southern rap community.

what girls should be listening to

i feel like girls my age should be listening to a specific group of musicians that perfectly depict what it's like to be a girl at that age.
Bands that are not too abrasive, yet not too poppy, but carry a careful hodgepodge of both factors that ultimately equate and personify a girl in her 20s.
Though, if I was to make a venn diagram of stuff I like and stuff I think girls my age should like, I'd assume the ovals would overlap. Though, some of these bands I don't like too much anyway.
Maybe I should venture out in compiling songs my perfect girl should listen to.
I'm already thinking of some bands that would be on there: Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Field Mice, Pixies, Beach House, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins or anything Robin Guthrie is involved with, New Order, Pavement, Nirvana, Destiny's Child, and I guess Belle and Sebastian. I'm a little iffy on the amount of Stuart Murdoch involvement any project has.

had a good night last night

i tweeted about it saying it was Panda Bear karma.
last art basel i was supposed to see panda bear/no age and i was rejected because, at the time, i was under 21.
well this year i'm 21 and i'm drunk.
went to this yuppie nike art show because atlas sound was playing.
bradford cox is responsible for some of my favorite music and he never comes to miami. so this was rad.
went and saw him perform. he was sporting his best street performer/troubadour, harmonica and all.
got to meet and him. we talked for a bit. really nice guy.
saw ali from the vivian girls and talked to her. i had met her before and she recognized me. we talked for a bit about music and art.
it was nice.
she's following me on twitter and that's cool as fuck.
had some wine, mini-burgers, and beer.

i had been studying my ass off all week for final exams.
i deserved it.

real reality-type stuff #2

nobody has ever thrown me a surprise party.
and believe me i've always wanted one, but it's not the kinda thing you ask for.
you kinda just have to wait for someone to do it for you and hope in anticipation that this is the lucky year.
each year i try to hint to people that i want one, but it seems to never work.
even then, though, i'm always anticipating it so it won't ever be a surprise.
i feel like even if i'm thrown a surprise party, the surprise element will be absent.
surprise parties and me are just not meant to be.
maybe there are people in life who are surprise party-prone and some who never had surprise parties written for them in their life-book. (because that's something people have?)

i'm in quite a dilemma, right?
not really. who cares.

real reality-type stuff #1

there are these little "idiosyncratic" (*wink* *sighs*) situations in life that happen to just about everyone. some would call them seinfeldian or "larry david moments", but to me, they're just real reality-type stuff. so, i'm making a series of blogs posts, (not necessarily back-to-back) showcasing little moments that go on in life that, I feel, everyone can relate to. beginning with this one:

so there's this guy in my class who is sorta snobby, pretentious, overly-witty, and full-of-himself, and i've never really taken a liking to him. but i've been in the class with the guy for a whole semester already and along the way we've both agreed on some things, and shared a couple of laughs. he's snobby, but at the same time i can tolerate it, to an extent. whatever. i found his facebook one night and i don't remember if i added him. but i convinced myself i did? i thought i did, but maybe i didn't. point is, him and i are not friends on facebook. i go to his page today and it said (ADD FRIEND). so here's what could've happened:

a) i could've requested to be his friend and he declined, which is lame.
or
b)i never requested anything

point is, i don't want to confront him about it. if he declined and i go up to him asking about the whole situation, that'll be awkward. he'll be like, oh i didn't wanna be your friend. WEIRD and DOUCHEY, bro.
if i never requested him and i still confront him about not adding me i'll just look like a huge pussy trying to seek out a friendship on a dumb website.
and if he declined my request, but i'm not certain if i requested to be his friend and i try adding him, he'll just think: "this fucker is adding me again? fuck him: NO. AGAIN."

weird situation.
so basically i just can't be friends with this kid on facebook. i've arrived at some kinda paradox where the internet meets reality and there's some kinda strange hodgepodge of awkward.
sorry, bro-- looks like we can't be bros after all because of i forgot something.

what do you suggest?

Best Albums of the Decade

I've been following the flow of decade-end top albums lists and find myself disagreeing with about half of their selections. Now I've been given the arduous endeavor to sum the whole decade up. In other words, I'm summing up my entire music catalogue and tastes into one list. I'm summing up my pre-pubescent/adolescent/teenage/college years. I'm not sure if you're going to get a good look at my tastes because a lot of the albums on this list I haven't listened to in more than a year. My state of being is in the "current" so if I was a dumb enough to conjure a top 10 list of the decade, most of the albums would be from either 2008-2009. But leaving that aside was tough, hence It took me two weeks to come up with this so here it is, in no order:

1. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People



No band did more for indie-rock in the 00's than Canada's own Broken Social Scene. Bold? Yes. Before "You Forgot It In People", BSS dabbled with post-rock and ambient song textures. The songs were beautiful little nuggets, well-suited for indie-film soundtracks than your stereo player They were tame and very modest instrumental songs working with electro-acoustic tendencies and minimalism. They were playing with the same type of soundscapes Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Sigur Ros were playing with.

But "You Forgot It In People" marked a growth. It was a move from introverted long-songs to anthemic tunes for a generation. It gave BSS a voice... actually more than one. Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, Amy Millan, etc. They are indie-rock personified: a rag-tage collective of musicians willing to experiment and produce something different with each others' help. Broken Social Scene is here to stay and perfectly summed up my childhood: teen angst, youthful abandon, and a life with the people you love. We're all in this together.

2. Panda Bear - Person Pitch



Panda Bear never really did anything new. It's not like sampling old songs was some new-found innovation. It's a beautiful artifact that from afar seems pretty frustrating to me: keeping up a tempo and having to deal with copyright and permits. But what made Person Pitch a distinct jam was how it exerted a feeling of sunshine and joy that's forgotten in our post-9/11 world. The Animal Collective member used the samples, not as the primary, but as background for his voice. The Brian Wilson comparison is tired but makes sense. For some reason, I see baby boomers and modern hipsters really bonding over this album. A record that plays with Beach-Boys arrangements of old and techno sensibilities of new.

3. TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes



Brooklyn will always serve as a beacon for indie-rock creativity and experiments. If you want to find inspiration and live in a community of musicians, just walk down the Williamsburg neighborhood. TV on the Radio evolved from this NY borough and their album Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes recalls Brooklyn better than most bands. Many argue the Young Liars EP is their strongest effort, but it seems Desperate Youth is their most misunderstood. It's the harshest they'll ever sound without coming off too abrasive or melancholy. Songs like "King Eternal" and "Bomb Yourself" paint a pretty vivid picture of the world in Brooklyn's eyes. Not to mention Sitek's production is heavy and loud, emphasizing bass and electronics. It was a mid-2000s triumph.

4. M.I.A. - Kala



M.I.A. is a really strange person. I feel she used to be some kinda political blogger who was given a Casio drum machine and a microphone. If you follow her on twitter or read her blogs, you'll see she writes in CAPS. I'm guessing she's upset about something. She went on Bill Maher to talk about the Tamil Tigers and came off a bit ditzy. Her lyrics aren't really too complex, yet they're said with such ferocity and anger that it resonates. Kala is probably the angriest I've ever seen her and if she wouldn't have appeared on television or in magazines, I would be really intimidated by her. Kala marked a transition from the simple electro-bass aesthetic used on Arular, to a more a global African/Carribean perspective. With the help of Diplo, Switch and Timbaland on the production tip, M.I.A. made a rough and abrasive dance record with tons of genre variety including dub-step, reggaeton, dance-hall, grime, and house. It's my go-to club record.

5. The Strokes - Is This It?



It seems like New York City, in general, was a source of inspiration for many indie-rock bands in the 00s and the pivotal one that comes to mind was the Strokes. Their debut "Is This It?" sat as some kind of weird landmark for rock. Watching them live, you'll be fooled as to how bored they actually are with their music: a group of NY lads standing around strumming and drumming their instruments with little to no showmanship. But that's the type of attitude they resurrected with their brand of hipster 60s and 70s resurgent rock. A reckless abandon that kick-started indie-rock back to fruition when it was down. Is This It? is arguably one of the most important albums of the decade.

6. Ghostface KIllah - Supreme Clientele



I had trouble deciding which Ghostface album was superior this decade: Supreme Clientele or Fishscale? Fishscale was a nice little album about cocaine and robbery that had Tony Starks at his most nonsensical via stream-of-consciousness. It was fun, and above all totally awesome. But Supreme Clientele had Ghost at his most confident. It really felt like his album. His solo debut Iron Man was about as much his album as Only Built For Cuban Linx was to Raekwon; they were both two sides of the same coin. Supreme Clinetele was truly Ghostface Killah's album and he had fun with it, complete with Iron Man cartoon clips and a sharp tongue. Also, Nutmeg is probably the best song to start with on an album.

7. Arcade Fire - Funeral



I feel like all the music released this decade was a response to September 11th. Funeral by Arcade Fire definitely felt like an album you can mourn to. With it, the band introduced the most original sound this decade: a blend of baroque pop, chamber orchestrations, and shout-out punk. At the time, I didn't think much of the album because I hadn't really dealt with any deaths. But soon after a relative of mine died, Funeral made perfect sense. Honestly, this is the best album of the decade because it paraphrases this bittersweet 10-year period in less than an hour.

8. Kanye West - Late Registration



Jon Brion multi-instrumental production? Check. A plethora of guest spots including Cam'ron, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z, Nas, and Paul Wall? Check. A seven minute-long, progressive rap song about retrospection and success? Check. Seriously, Kanye West's Late Registration is the best hip-hop album of the decade. Up to that point, he really only flaunted his production chops, which he had on lock. In terms of rhyme, he could really only add "mayonnaise-colored benz / I push miracle whip" to his resume of amazing lines. Though, songs like "Gone" and "Drive Slow" had him at his most creative and most clever. Kanye West hasn't really shown any sign of slowing down, minus the whole Taylor Swift thing, though I feel West is constantly experimenting. The guy is about as consistent as Animal Collective, meaning he is never consistent. He's constantly growing, and whether that means he is evolving into an egotistical narcissist or a maniacal genius, you can't really deny his importance in the 00s.

9. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow



You can blame Zach Braff or Natalie Portman all you want for making The Shins a household item. In reality, there are a lot of people who still don't know who they are. Chutes Too Narrow is The Shins' sophomore LP and it's exemplary indie-pop leaning more towards the pop. James Mercer is a master at writing traditional pop records but Chutes stands out next to their first record Oh, Inverted World, which relied on atmosphere rather than song structure. Chutes moves with a precise hand and each song never fails. You, also, can't deny their indie gateway appeal, which definitely had sway over me and my fellow youth cohorts.


10. The Avalanches - Since I Left You



If you're feeling overly pessimistic or sad after listening to Funeral, then pop in Since I Left You by The Avalanches and watch your day go from overcast to ridiculously shiny. An album pieced together by samples taken from television shows, old records, and field recordings-- it's a giant jigsaw puzzle with a picture of a animals, cartoons, and friends dancing at a beach party. The whole frustration with sample-clearing I talked about on Person Pitch is multiplied by a hundred with this record. Strangely enough, the The Avalanches haven't released a sophomore album to accompany this gem, yet Since I Left had a glee about it that's hard to recreate.