The Wigwam

Album Review Blitz

2010-06-03T10:22:00.003-05:00

Hello readers! I am way behind on my record reviews but not my listening, so I am doing to do an Album Review Blitz. I am just going to give my score for each album and maybe a one or two sentence statement. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I have listened to each of these albums start to finish at least twice.

Hold Steady: Heaven is Whenever, Rating 5.9
Two mediocre albums in a row now from one of my favorite bands The Hold Steady. "Heaven is Whenever" is a slight bit better than their last effort "Stay Positive" just doesn't please start to finish like their first three albums.

Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles II, Rating 7.4

Radio Dept: Cling to a Scheme, Rating 4.3
Don't believe the hype, I found Radio Dept. Boring, and unoriginal.

Delorean: Subiza, Rating 6.8
I was a fan of Delorean's 4 song EP "Aytron Senna" and now with "Subiza" I get a whole album of songs that make me dance. This is probably all the Delorean I'll need.

Caribou : Swim, Rating 7.0

The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt, Rating 7.3
Great singer/songwriter acoustic music. Easily comparable to Dylan. I've really been enjoying "The Wild Hunt" while driving around. I think this album will get a lot of play in the fall from me.

MGMT: Congratulations, Rating 4.1
MGMT decided to total revamp their sound and take an "Art Rock" turn on "Congratulations." Now I like me some art rock from time to time but this album feels manic and messy.

Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, Rating 6.9

LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening, Rating 9.1
Another instant classic from James Murphy. Every track on "This is Happening" is great and "Pow Pow" will be in your head for days. One of the year's best so far.

Sleigh Bells: Treats, Rating 7.8

Holy Fuck: Latin, Rating 7.2

Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts, Rating 4.2

The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards, Rating 6.8
A great rock record. I'm liking "Sea of Cowards" quite a bit more then then their debut album. "Sea of Cowards" holds my interest track to track.

The National: High Violet, Rating 8.1
"High Violet" continues to grow on me. This is no "Boxer" or even "Alligator" but another solid album. I am excited to see them live soon to see if these songs carry more energy on stage.

Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record, Rating 7.5

Album Reviews

2010-05-07T14:08:00.007-05:00

Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame, Rating 5.1

Another disappointment in 2010. “Fate” Dr. Dog’s previous album made my top 10 of 2008 leaving me very excited to hear their new effort “Shame, Shame.” I was immediately pleased with track 1 “Stranger” which was full of the Beatlesque pop vibe I loved so much about “Fate” but none of the tracks that followed kept my interest. I found my hand going to the next track button quite often on my second and third listen of this album. Sorry Dr. Dog but this album is tired.

Ghost, Meth, Rae: Wu Massacre, Rating 6.5

If Wu Tang or any member of Wu Tang puts out an album I will give it a listen. Over my 13 year relationship with the Wu I have been treated to some of the best hip hop albums of all time and some utter garbage. But there seems to always be on constant, the combo of Ghostface and Raekwon is a hip hop gold. When I heard they were releasing an album together with Method Man I was pretty excited, but for some reason it just doesn’t work. This albums has its moments like the stand out tracks “Our Dreams” and “Smooth Sailing” but the rest just falls into a “it’s just another average Wu-Tang record” category. “Wu Massacre” may be the result of too much of a good thing.

Jonsi: Go, Rating 7.2

Jonsi Birigisson, front man of Sigur Ros may be small in stature but “Go” might be the most epic sounding album of the year. Every song on “Go” is a wall of sound, filled with grandiose orchestra arrangements and synth loops. On top of all of this Jonsi’s distinct falsetto voice sweeps over every track completing the magic. Every time I listen to “Go” I see cartoon Gnomes dancing in my head, and I like it. Congrats Jonsi on creating yet another indie rock sub genre, Gnome Rock.

Sharon Jones and the Dapkings: I Learned the Hard Way, Rating 7.7

One thing I like about buying Sharon Jones albums is I know exactly what I’m going to get, amazing soul vocals backed by one of the tightest soul/funk bands in the business. “I Learned the Hard Way” is not my favorite album by Ms. Jones but it’s a great addition to her catalog. The only reason being I feel it’s a little over produced and is missing the rawness of “naturally.” If you get a chance to see these guys live don’t pass it up. It is very rare to see a band so in tune with each other.

Titus Andronicus: The Monitor, Rating 9.0

This is easily the best punk/rock anthem/civil war concept album to date. “The Monitor” is an ambitious effort from Jersey’s Titus Andronicus that succeeds it's goals. It’s full of sing-along choruses, catchy guitar riffs and rousing chants. I saw Titus do “The Monitor” in completion live a couple months ago and it made me like the album even more after seeing the passion that is behind all of these songs. This album I’m guessing will come in pretty high on my year end list. For every pus festering wound that Jersey has suffered from the show “Jersey Shore” Titus Andronicus comes in like a big bottle of Neosporin to make Jersey seem like a place I wouldn’t mind visiting.

Devotchka and Gogol Bordello @ First Ave 4/25

2010-04-29T08:21:00.003-05:00

What did you do on your birthday? Last Sunday on my birthday I took in a great live show at First Ave with my friend Luke. I've been a fan of Gogol Bordello now for 5+ years and have never gotten around to seeing them live. Seems like every time they come to town I always have another conflict.

Before Gogol took the stage we were treated to a great set by Devotchka. I was familiar with a few of their tunes and heard they are a great live show. I couldn't agree more. The set had everything, an on stage proposal, scantly clad women twirling from the ceiling and a lady in cowboy boots playing a tuba. I would defiantly see Devotchka next time they come to town.

Now time for Gogol Bordello! Imagine you get place a treadmill set at 11 for an hour and a half and you can't get off. Energy just radiates from ever member of this band. The setlist was very heavy with songs from their new album, which I hadn't heard yet so that was a little disappointing. But the more I listened there really isn't a huge difference in their songs. They are high powered and filled with la las, oi ois, hey heys and so on. So you can sing along to parts of songs you've never heard.

It was a great way to end my birthday weekend and I'm glad Luke and I finally got around to seeing them live.

jj and The XX @ The Varsity 4/9/2010

2010-04-12T10:17:00.006-05:00

First thing I noticed when walking into The Varsity Theater on Friday night was the diverse crowd of people. You had everyone from your typical hipsters to Jersey Shore fist pumpers. We hadn't been to The Varsity in a few months and it was nice to see all they've done with the place. It's turning into a great venue to see a show. Cool atmosphere.

We got there just in time to see jj. Now I am a pretty big fan of jj on CD but I was unsure what to expect live. jj's set up consisted of the singer, a laptop, a screen showing either nature videos or jj tour footage and a random surfer dude that kept walking up on stage to do who knows what. The singer sounded great but she looked bored as hell, which I'm sure she was just stoned out of her mind.

Time for The XX. The XX set started with a white sheet covering the stage and they were back lit projecting their silhouettes on the sheet. Extremely cool intro. The band sounded great, each song was powered by infections bass groves and sexy vocals. The light show was definitely the 4th member of that band, the lighting added a great ambiance to the evening. Mary kept joking that everyone was going to start taking off their clothes during the show, I wouldn't have been surprised if it happened. They played around 12 songs including a 1 song encore.

Titus Andronicus @ 7th Street Entry 4/5/2010

2010-04-07T09:10:00.004-05:00

While most people were tucking themselves into bed I decided to rock. A friend and I went to the 7th Street Entry late Monday night to see Titus Andronicus, a punkish/rock anthem band (is that an oxymoron?) out of New Jersey. When Titus took the stage at 11:45 singer Patrick Stickles said "let's make this the best Monday ever" and went right in to "A More Perfect Union" the first track on their new album. Titus played every song they know not leaving anything for an encore. Titus's energy was infectious, they had me bopping and singing along the whole show. Yeah it was late, loud and hot but I'm glad I went, even if I was a zombie at work the next day. I have a feeling in a few years I might be saying, remember when we saw Titus in the entry, it was cool to see them in such a small venue. I don't know if it was the best Monday ever but it sure was fun and energetic.

Spoon @ First Ave 4/2/210

2010-04-05T14:32:00.003-05:00

What an amazing start to start of the 2010 concert season! This was our second time seeing Spoon at First Ave and they did not disappoint. I will say it wasn't as good at the last time but I think that is because I am not completely in love with their newest album but they still put on a great show. Singer Britt Daniel has one of the coolest voices in rock and he sounded great. It was fun to see him really strain his voice on "Written in Reverse" live. They played about 25 songs which included a great cover of Wolf Parade's "Modern World." We were also treated with 2 encore performances. I hope the rest of the concert season keeps pace!

More Record Reviews

2010-04-01T10:56:00.005-05:00

Joanna Newsom: Have One on Me, Rating 7.7

“Have One on Me” is an ambitious 3 CD release from singer songwriter Joanna Newsom. Majority of the songs on “Have One on Me” are eight or nine minutes long and demand attention. Newsom accompanies her songs with either her playing the piano or harp. I found myself engaged more with the piano based songs. The harp songs as times got a little to RenFest for me. Newsom’s voice is often compared to Kate Bush and I couldn’t agree more. All in all a really good album, a little long but really good.

Broken Bells: Broken Bells, Rating 6.7

“Broken Bells” is a collaborative effort from Danger mouse and James Mercer, front man of “The Shins.” This album is neither great, nor bad. I guess it’s exactly what I expected a more funked up spacey Shin’s album. I’ve listened to it through a few times now and I feel like I get kind of bored with it. There are a few stand out tracks the will stay on my iPod but I’m not sure this collaboration needed to happen. I am more excited for a new Shins album.

Liars: Sisterworld, Rating 4.0

So “Pitchfork” gave Liars a “Best New Music” rating so I thought I’d check it out. I’m not sure if I’m just not hip enough to get it but I was bored from start to finish. I felt the band was trying to be weird and do something new which I respect but it just wasn’t working for me. To be honest that is the same initial thought I had about “TV on the Radio” when I first heard them and now they are one of my favorite bands but I don’t see that happening with “Liars.”

Record Review

2010-03-24T10:02:00.006-05:00

Fang Island: Fang Island, Rating 9.1

Alright get ready for a few sentences of me gushing over this band. Help me, my face just melted! Fang Island plays to all of my likes, it's like they asked me "Anton, what would you like to hear in a rock album." Lots and lots of duel guitar solos...check, finger tapping guitar licks...check, shouting choruses...check and fun...CHECK. Fang Island describes their music as "Everyone high fiving everyone." which after listening to it is pretty accurate.

Here they are playing for a kindergarden class

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUA6vWLBn8k

Record Reviews

2010-03-18T08:11:00.006-05:00

Johnny Cash: American Recordings VI Ain’t No Grave, Rating 5.0

How can you write anything bad about Mr. Cash. The album isn’t bad but I don’t think it needed to be released. “American Recordings VI” sounds like it’s all the songs that weren’t good enough to make the cut for “American Recordings V” which were both recorded in the few months between the death of June and his own. It’s hard to listen to songs about death and dying from a guy who is actually dying. I want to remember cash as the guy who “shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.”

Peter Gabriel: Scratch My Back, Rating 5.8

“Scratch my Back” is the first part of Gabriel’s cover album project the 2nd being “I’ll Scratch Yours.” Gabriel covers the likes of Bowie, Bon Iver, Lou Reed, Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Neil Young. No guitars, no bass, no drums only piano and orchestral arrangements. “Scratch my Back” is a very pretty album but it’s almost equally as awkward. I’m not sure this really needed to be made. This album is a good one to have on while you work, doesn’t take a whole lot of concentration. However there are a couple stand out songs that just too good to glance over “Flume” by Bon Iver and “The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields. Let’s hope for better when the artist’s cover Gabriel’s songs on “I’ll Scratch Yours.”

These New Puritans: Hidden, Rating 7.2

Q: What do you get when you mix Gil Evan’s-esque arrangements, Kodo style drumming, Choirs and synthesizers? A: “Hidden” by These New Puritans. This honestly sounds like nothing I’ve heard before so I have nothing really to compare it to. The first couple songs sound like they could be used on a horror movie (probably vampire based, but not like that twilight junk) soundtrack, dark and ominous. Then it moves to more of the mind of a serial killer feel through the middle, a little off but always calculated. Towards the end you feel like you just took a quaalude and you’re floating on clouds. I have a feeling this will be an album I continue to come back to.

New Format

2010-03-18T08:09:00.002-05:00

Hello Wigwam readers...All 2 of you (that might be wishful thinking). Instead of doing monthly record reviews I'm just going to post them as I write them. It will be easier for me and it creates more posts.

Are You Local? SXSW Send off @ First Ave 3/6

2010-03-08T09:00:00.003-06:00

The night started out at Pizza Luce for a litte pre show drinks and grub. Other than a little problem getting a beer, dinner was excellent as usual. A few of us headed over to First Ave to see a few local bands perform before they head down to SXSW in Austin, TX. We walked in halfway through Romantica's set and my interest was peaked and I'd like to see a full set of theirs. Good energetic alt country. The Pines took the stage next and it was a pretty boring set. I think I like them as a band but First Ave might be too big of a venue for them right now. Next up was Jeremy Messersmith who I've seen before and was just ok but this set he had a full band and sounded really good. He tried out a few new songs on us and I dug them quite a bit. The highlight of the night though was the next band Peter Wolf Crier. 2 guys, drums, guitar and singing. Good rock energy, lots off vocal looping and a pretty kick ass cover of Helter Skelter.

We left before Lookbook took the stage because it had been a long day but I would like to see them soon.

Trivia Win @ Mac's Industrial for the Gold Medal Merkins

2010-03-04T09:29:00.004-06:00

Mary and I met some friends at Mac's in NE for a little bar trivia. Our main mission was to beat the table of diverse nerds that have won the last four weeks in a row. We were on fire, our minds were melded as one super brain. We were fairly confident we all of our answers except for 2. Diverse nerd table = 25, Gold Medal Merkins = 29. We ended up taking 1st place with a score of 29 of 31, winning a $25 bar tab. Victory for the Merkins!

Retribution Gospel Choir @ The Triple Rock 2/20

2010-03-03T10:36:00.007-06:00

We set out to the Triple Rock to see one of the side projects of Low's front man Alan Sparhawk. It was exactly what I expected to see, loud and just like the album. It was fun to see a good smiply old rock show. No pretentious indie rockers, no artsy fartsy stuff just pure rock and roll.

February Album Reviews

2010-03-03T10:19:00.009-06:00

Los Campesinos!: Romance is Boring, Rating 7.1

Los Campesinos! Have grown up? And I don’t know how I feel about it. If “Romance is Boring” was the first album I heard by Los Camp I’d probably would have rated it higher but I know how zany and unpredictable they can be after listening to “Hold On Now Youngster.” The songs on this album are tighter and more structured which isn’t a bad thing it’s just different. I still really like this album and will have to just accept that it’s not more of the same.

Lil’ Wayne: Rebirth, Rating 3.2

Over the last year I’ve have become a Lil’ Wayne fan. His rhymes are tight and quite humorous at times. It’s a little overwhelming at first looking at his discography and figuring out where to start. Lil Wayne is a song producing machine but I’m starting to learn it’s not all great. “Rebirth” is Wayne’s attempt at a rock album. I found it lyrically and musically boring. It sounds like an out of the box rock record with Weezy singing auto tune all over it. I guess I just have to wait a couple months to the next release and hope its better.

Hot Chip: One Life Stand, Rating 8.0

“One Life Stand” has been getting a lot of play in the Hyundai recently and usually at very high volumes. The CD is a little front heavy but I’m starting to appreciate the 2nd half a little more with each listen. It also helps that the last song on the album is “Take It In” which could be one of the best songs of the year (I know it’s only February). I have a feeling that “One Night Stand” will get some attention this year but will probably receive more praise down the road, I think this is kind of a sleeper album.

Yeasayer: Odd Blood, Rating 4.3

“Odd Blood” could be the biggest disappointment of the year. I really enjoyed Yeasayer’s unique debut release “All Hour Cymbals” and have been waiting for new material from them for a while. I was extremely pleased with the song “Tightrope” which they provided for the CD “Dark Was The Night” and equally as pleased with the first single from “Odd Blood”, “Ambling Alp” which was release in December. “Odd Blood” (in my mind) had potential to be album of the year…then I heard it. The album has 3 maybe 4 solid songs on it and lacks the potential and feeling their earlier releases had. Having seen them live a couple times I had actually heard about half the songs on “Odd Blood” before it came out and they sounded great live, but on the album they come across boring and almost amateurish. I haven’t given up on Yeasayer in any means and I plan on seeing them live at the end of April.

Local Natives: Gorilla Manor, Rating 8.1

No surprise I love this album, it has all the things I like, great harmonies, unique percussion and good guitar work. I would describe “Gorilla Manor” as a rocked up Grizzly Bear album. Local Natives are a new band out of LA and you can really tell on the album they are having fun being a band. In no way does the album ever feel pretentious or forced. I having a feeling this band is going to become pretty big in the indie world and has some crossover success similar to Phoenix.

Mumford & Sons: Sign No More, Rating 2.8

Get ready, here they come…With the recent success of Fleet Foxes and The Avett Brothers we are starting to get a gaggle of bands trying to ride the folk rock wave while they can. I have to admit that I am a fan of their single “Little Lion Man” but unlike the other mentioned bands, “Sigh No More” ends at their single. I found the rest of the album to be boring and emotionless. So if this type of music is your thing than this will probably fit nicely in your collection but I don’t see Mumford & Sons having any staying power in this genre.

Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Cedar 1/15

2010-03-02T14:53:00.005-06:00

Mary and I had seen RAA a few months ago at 7th Street Entry and loved the band live. So when we saw they were coming back we were excited to see one of our favorite new bands again this time at the cedar. We were a little surprised when we walked in and the show was seated. Now I've seen both seated (Ryan Adam, Happy Apple) and non-seated (Fleet Foxes, Camera Obscura) shows at the Cedar but was not expecting RAA to be seated. We found our spot and it was actually quite nice to sit for the opener Dark Dark Dark who were kind of boring. RAA took the stage and it was immediately awkward to be seated. After the first song they mentioned that this is the first seated show they've played and said "please feel free to stand up and dance." For the next couple songs people kept standing then sitting, standing then sitting. It took about 5 songs for the cedar to collectively figure out that yes this may be acoustic but it's still a fucking rock show and finally stood up. RAA's energy is infectious and I plan on seeing them every time they are in town. I am always amazed with how good their drummer is.

January Album Reviews

2010-03-02T12:30:00.012-06:00

Vampire Weekend: Contra, Rating 8.1

Initially I was(and still am) a little underwhelmed with the first single “Horchata” which was released about a month before the release. It seemed like more of the same but more annoying vocally. But being the first big release of the year (and being a fan of their debut) I had to give the album a fair shot. First listen through I was a fan. Contra is less calculated then their debut and a better start to finish listen. The stand out song on the album in my opinion is “Giving up the Gun” which if you haven’t seen the video for yet do yourself a favor and google it.

Owen Pallett: Heartland, Rating 6.8

Heartland is defiantly a mood album for me. Pallett (formally Final Fantasy) is music arranging genius. Heartland is filled with beautiful strings loops, keyboards and airy vocals. This is not an album you’d put on in the car for your commute but more for listening to while you work or read a book. I know that is probably a huge slap in the face to say its background music but those albums are needed. I have seen him live and he is amazing, one man on stage making so much music.

Spoon: Transference, Rating 7.2

Probably my least favorite Spoon album that I own, but I really like Spoon so it’s still a good album. Transference may grow on me more though over the year. It’s a very minimal instrument wise compared to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga which seemed to have every instrument ever made on it. Stand out tracks are “I saw the light” and the gritty “Written in Reverse” If you like Spoon it’s a must.

Surfer Blood: Astro Coast, Rating 8.3

I saw Surfer Blood open for Art Brut last year before this album was out and I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t wait for the album to come out and when it did I wasn’t disappointed. Surfer Blood is a guitar driven pop rock band with a surf feel. If you are a fan of bands like Weezer or Pavement you’ll dig Surfer Blood. Even though Astro Coast came out in January this could be the summer album of the year!

Four Tet: There is Love in You, Rating 7.1

Four Tet has been around in the techno world for about 10 years but this is my first encounter with him. I really like this album, it’s not fist pumping sweaty rave music and it’s not background ambient. It finds a perfect place in between to entertain your ears. The songs start minimalistic and build and then deconstruct with layers of loops and vocals. If you are into electronic music give this one a spin, it may fit your fancy.

Beach House: Teen Dream, Rating 9.1

It’s weird I always find it the hardest to write about albums I really like. I guess if I had to some Teen Dream up in one word it would have to be beautiful. Victoria Legrand's androgynous voice is truly dreamy and mixes so well with the music. Every song on his album is indie pop perfection. The worst thing about this album is the cover. Buy it.

Retribution Gospel Choir: 2, Rating 6.6

Low’s frontman Alan Sparhawk shows his rock side in his 3 piece band Retribution Gospel Choir. Sparhawk is not creating anything new with this album but he is producing some extremely catchy guitar loaded pop rock songs. Track one “Hide It Away” Was stuck in my head for weeks after one listen. It’s amazing how well Alan’s voice works for both Low and RGC. I’d say 50% of this album is solid and the other 50% is good.

Charlotte Gainsbourg: IRM, Rating 8.5

I’ll have to admit I did not fall in love with this album on first listen. I knew it was good but it took me a few listens to appreciate it. IRM is produced by Beck and you can really hear his styling come through on this record and he performs with Charlotte on “Heaven Can Wait.” Charlotte’s voice is not one that would win any singing competitions but she uses it well with the tracks she is given. I enjoy this album more and more with every listen.

Anton's Favorite 98 Songs of 2009

2009-12-15T21:01:00.003-06:00

Why 98 you ask...Because I said so. Songs are hard to rank just because of the sheer volume of them, but these songs are some of the ones that made my ears smile throughout the year. Makes for a pretty solid playlist too!

98. Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare – Matt & Kim
97. Relator - Pete Yorn and Scarlet Johansson
96. Never Had Nobody Like You - M. Ward
95. Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do) - Lee Fields & The Expressions
94. Pon De Floor - Major Lazer
93. Hero - Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros
92. It Ain’t Going to Save Me – Jay Reatard
91. Heavy Cross - Gossip
90. Boat Behind – Kings of Convenience
89. Eid Ma Clack Shaw – Bill Callahan
88. History – Mos Def ft. Talib Kweli
87. Pearl’s Dream – Bat For Lashes
86. Good Golly - Drummer
85. Percussion Gun – White Rabbits
84. Summer Song - YAT
83. Lisztomania - Phoenix
82. Northern Lights - Bowerbirds
81. This Tornado Love You – Neko Case
80. Fresh Air – Brother Ali
79. Keep It Getting Louder – Major Lazer
78. The Sweetest Thing – Camera Obscura
77. Repeater Beater - Mew
76. Satellite Skin – Modest Mouse
75. I Cut Like a Buffalo – The Dead Weather
74. Run This Town – Lil Wayne
73. House of Flying Daggers - Raekwon
72. Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat - Beck
71. Lalita – The Love Language
70. Come Saturday – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
69. Even in The Rain – The Fiery Furnaces
68. Collect Call - Metric
67. Give Blood – Rain Machine
66. DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes – Art Brut
65. So Far Around The Bend – The National
64. Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty) – P.O.S.
63. Actor Out of Work – St. Vincent
62. Walkabout – Atlas Sound ft. Noah Lennox
61. Epilepsy is Dancing – Antony & The Johnsons
60. Jealous of Roses - Bibio
59. And The Hazy Sea – Cymbals Eat Guitars
58. Stillness in The Move – Dirty Projectors
57. Woods – Bon Iver
56. Silver Trembling Hands – The Flaming Lips
55. Wilco (The Song) - Wilco
54. Deadbeat Summer – Neon Indian
53. 1901 - Phoenix
52. Tenuousness – Andrew Bird
51. Bear – The Antlers
50. Beach Comber - Real Estate
49. Quite Dog Bite Hard – Mos Def
48. Happy Up Here - Royksopp
47. Apollo and The Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna – Sunset Rubdown
46. VCR – The XX
45. Radio Kaliningrad – Handsome Furs
44. Hearing Damage – Thom York
43. Laura - Girls
42. Yours Truly, The Commuter – Jason Lytle
41. To Save Me – M. Ward
40. Still – Volcano Choir
39. The Wind and The Dove – Bill Callahan
38. Triumph - Wale
37. What Would I Want? Sky – Animal Collective
36. Feel it All Around – Washed Out
35. Mimizan - Beirut
34. Soft Shock – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
33. Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
32. Daylight – Matt & Kim
31. Drain The Blood – Rural Alberta Advantage
30. Ecstasy - JJ
29. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris – Morrissey
28. Deli – Delorean
27. People Got A Lotta Nerve – Neko Case
26. Revenge – Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse ft. The Flaming Lips
25. This is Not My House – Alec Ounsworth
24. Snookered – Dan Deacon
23. New Wu - Raekwon
22. Sylvia – The Antlers
21. Marrow – St. Vincent
20. The Field – Mason Jennings
19. Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandriods
18. Islands – The XX
17. Young Adult Friction – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
16. Island, IS – Volcano Choir
15. Legal Tender – Handsome Furs
14. Summertime Clothes – Animal Collective
13. Modern Girl (…With Scissors) – Alec Ounsworth
12. Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. Don’t Haunt This Place – Rural Alberta Advantage
10. Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear
9. These Are My Twisted Word – Radiohead
8. Cannibal Resource – Dirty Projectors
7. French Navy – Camera Obscura
6. Lust For Life - Girls
5. Daniel – Bat For Lashes
4. Crystalised – The XX
3. Yeasayer – Tightrope
2. Animal Collective – My Girls
1. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait For the Others

Top 5 guilty pleasure songs of 2009
5. I'm on a Boat - The Lonely Island
4. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
3. You Belong to Me - Taylor Swift
2. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
1. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Best Albums of 2009

2009-12-01T19:28:00.004-06:00

Before I started to put together this list I was thinking 2009 hasn’t been that great of a year for music, sure there have been a few stand out albums but all and all nothing too exciting. I started writing out every new album I’ve listened to this year which was 70+ albums. After weeding through the good and the bad I came up with a pretty big list of albums I thoroughly enjoyed. Looking at the list, 2009 was maybe a little more about quantity than overall quality, but that’s not a bad thing.

When deciding where to rank an album I consider the following.
· How good it is (obviously)
· How heavy of rotation it gets on my IPOD
· Will I go back to it in a couple years?
· Would I pay to see them live?

Every album on the list is an album I enjoy and would recommend. So they are not ranked from bad to great, they are ranked from good to great.

Anton’s favorite albums of 2009

Recommended
46. Mew – No More Stories are Told Today
45. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next EP
44. Matt & Kim – Grand
43. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
42. Brother Ali – Us
41. Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan
40. Bon Iver – Blood Bank EP
39. jj- jj No. 2
38. Mason Jennings – Blood of Man
37. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle
36. Lil’ Wayne – No Ceilings Mixtape
35. Washed Out – Life of Leisure EP
34. Atlas Sound – Logos
33. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
32. P.O.S. – Never Better
31. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms EP
30. Real Estate – Real Estate
29. Jay-Z – Blueprint 3

Highly Recommended
28. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
27. Wale – Back to the Feature Mixtape
26. Delorean – Ayrton EP
25. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
24. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
23. Sunset Rubdown – Dragon Slayer
22. St. Vincent – Actor
21. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There are Mountains
20. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
19. Antony and the Johnsons – Crying Light
18. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
17. Girls - Album
16. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
15. Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind EP Girls – Album
14. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
13. The Antlers – Hospice
12. Various Artists – Dark was the Night
11. Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx…Pt. 2

2009 Must Own Albums

10. Dan Deacon - Bromst

I have a feeling if Dan Deacon gets any more popular he has a good chance of putting the illegal speed narcotics business out of business. I've heard Deacon described as Hyper-pop and I couldn't agree more, I actually feel like I am losing calories listening to him. Bromst's arrangements are layers upon layers of fast dance beats, simple electronic tones, Phillip Glass-esque loops and vocal harmonies.

9. Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns

The Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) is acoustic rock done right: Heavy strumming, two part harmonies, raw vocals and amazing drumming throughout. RAA have given me a reason to be ok with the fact that Neutral Milk Hotel will never do another album, because you can hear their influence in "Hometowns.”

8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

Usually I don't like when a band that is known for their raw sound puts out a heavily produced and polished album but” It's Blitz!” is an exception. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 3rd album is synth heavy and danceable which is contrast to “Fever To Tell” which was completely guitar driven. Karen O has never sounded better.

7. Japandroids – Post-Nothing

Japandroids is a two-man rock fest. Lo-fi guitar, simple song structure and basic lyrics about stuff I can relate to. I think what I love about so much about "Post-Nothing" is it sounds like something I could make. These may sound like criticisms but Japandroids is exactly what I needed this year. An album I can put on rock out to and not have to think about it. "Post-Nothing" is like baby bears porridge, just right!

6. Volcano Choir – Unmap

Volcano Choir is Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) teaming up with instrumental rockers Collections of Colonies of Bees. "Unmap" is beautifully weird short little album that needs to be listened start to finish. Vernons voice is used more as an instrument than focusing on lyrics. Most of the songs don't have your typical verse/chorus structure, "Island, IS" being the exception. This is a hard album to write about because I feel different about it every time I listen to it. Get it and do your own review.

5. Handsome Furs – Face Control

"Face Control" is the 2nd release from husband and wife duo Handsome Furs. To be honest with you I haven't even listened to their first release but I almost don't want to because it can't possibly be better than this album. Singer and guitarist Dan Boeckner (who is also the singer of Wolf Parade) has a great and unique rock voice that give the songs a little extra something. "Face Control" is an energetic rock and roll dance party so get ready to shake a leg!

4. Alec Ounsworth – Mo Beauty

"Mo Beauty" has finally given me what I've wanted from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Ounsworth's Band), a great album from start to finish. The first two CYHSY albums were like 60% amazing and the rest just seemed like filler. On "Mo Beauty" Ounsworth heads to Louisiana to record and work with a handful of local musicians including the bass player from funk legends The Meters. If you're not familiar with Ounsworth's voice it is somewhere between David Byrne and a dying cat, you love it or you hate it.

3. The XX – XX

It's baffling to me how 4 twenty year olds can make such an incredible album. On first listen I knew "XX" was a really good album but with every additional listen I kept hearing more and more. For such a simplistic sounding album the depth in the songs are amazing. Everything about this album is chill from the soft-pop vocals, smooth bass lines and looping guitar riffs. I am extremely excited for the future of this band.

2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

I think I can safely say that no other band sounds likes Animal Collective and no other band could make an album like "Merriweather." Animal Collective’s two vocalist's voices combine perfectly like a tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwich laced with LSD. Musically Animal Collective is almost indescribable. It's mainly electronic, at times taking sounds I would probably find annoying on their own but somehow making them beautiful by adding impressive beats and those great vocals I mentioned earlier. “Merriweather” came out in January this year and I haven’t tired of it yet.

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

An all around amazing album. Perfect harmonies, inventive instrumentation and great song structure is what you are in store for. The songs "Two Weeks" and "While you Wait for the Others" are near perfect songs. I am equally impressed with Grizzly Bear live having seen them twice this year. This is one of those albums I will never tire of, whether it's 10 weeks, 10 months or 10 years from now.

Return of the Wigwam

2009-12-01T08:04:00.001-06:00

Hello all,

So I've been slacking and not updating. New updates coming soon! Including everyone's favorite, Year End Lists!

Anton

July Album Reviews

2009-09-01T08:46:00.015-05:00

Lee Fields and the Expressions: My World, Rating 7.1

I first heard of Lee Fields when he was featured on the song "Stranded" on a Sharon Jones and the Dapkings record and I really enjoyed his soulful voice. After doing a little research on Lee i found his voice has been featured in tons of songs in the 60's and 70's Soul and Funk era but never anything solo. Well 2009 is finally Lee's year. My World is a strong soul record that fits nicely into my collection. Fields' voice can goes from nice and smooth like Sam Cooke to rough and dirty like Otis. This album is was a refreshing surprise for 09.

Delorean: Ayrton Senna EP, Rating 7.2

This four song EP by Delorean is nicely put together little dance party that leave you wanting more. Good beats, good vocal loops, good guitar work and great hand claps drive Ayrton Senna. At first listen I wasn't that impressed with Delorean but I wasn't giving it the attention it needs. Listen to this on a nice stereo and good head phones and you'll hear all the layering and it makes it so much better.

The Fiery Furnaces: I'm Going Away, Rating 6.4

Too be honest The Fiery Furnaces have never really won me over. I find them interesting enough to continue to give their albums a listen and I usual find a few tracks that will make it to my iPod. "I'm Going Away" is no different. This is probably their most mainstream or "listenable" record which I know has upset a lot of true fans.

The Dead Weather: Horehound, Rating 7.9

Jack White does it again! He is the golden child. I am always a little worried when so called "super groups" are created but this one just seemed to make sense. With members of The Kills, White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age and Raconteurs how can this band not rock hard. And it does just that. White is all over this album, drums, vocals and guitar. A must for any fan of the White Stripes or The Kills.

Wale: Back to the Feature, Rating 8.1

Another great mixtape from rapper Wale. Last years "Mixtape about nothing" a Seinfeld themed hip hop album by Wale quickly became one of my favorites. This time Wale teams up with 9th Wonder and he hits it out of the park again. If he's saving his best stuff for his first official album, it scares me to think how amazing it has potential to be.

The Rural Alberta Advantage: Hometowns, Rating 8.0

Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) is the band that keeps on giving. They've given me a reason to be ok with the fact that Neutral Milk Hotel will never do another album, because you can hear their influence in "Hometowns." They've given me a reason not to have to listen to The Decemberist's again, because they are similar in style but better. Now both bands I've mentioned have singers that people tend to love or cringe when hearing them and RAA is no different. Acoustic rock done right.

Ever been to a hipster renaissance festival?

2009-08-11T13:59:00.009-05:00

Last Friday a friend and I went to see "Bat for Lashes" at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. This was their first stop on their 30 day US tour. They sounded great live. Natasha's voice was just as strong as it is on the album and her band sounded good as well. The show was full of songs about wizards and wolves. They played a good amount from their new album which was good for me because I find it considerably better than their first. After their US tour ends I think they head to Middle Earth.

Chicago Adventures and Pitchfork Music Fest

2009-07-31T06:31:00.016-05:00

Recently Mary and I took a nice long weekend trip to Chicago to see the city and the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. Our good friends Pete and Kelly joined us for the journey. We were pretty excited to experience Chicago seeing that Mary has never been and I've only been once when I was a child.

Thursday 7/16

We flew into Chicago and arrived in the early afternoon. We checked into the Hyatt hotel right on the loop downtown and were impressed with our room, especially since we got a steal of a deal on Priceline. $65 a night, say what! After a little travel decompression it was time to wounder the city. We walked down to Millennium Park to view the sculptures and the scenery. This is truly an amazing area, they were setting up a concert at the amphitheater and families were sitting on the beautiful lawn enjoying a picnic dinner, wine and all. After seeing "The Bean" and the spitting sculptures we walked over to Grant Park. Unfortunately it started to down pour but I think it was natures way of saying..."You are on vacation, quit walking around, look to your left...see that bar? yeah, that bar! Go sit down and have a beer, take a load off" so that is exactly what we did. By the time the glasses were empty the rain stopped (for a little while).

For Dinner we made our way over to Greek Town and had an amazing meal at Athena's. Pete having grown up near Chicago and his moms side of the family being Greek insured us that this will be some of the best Greek food we've ever had. I'd have to say I agreed. We finished the meal with some baklava and a little ouzo to wash it down.

After dinner we met up with a friend of Kelly's from law school at a bar call Wells on Wells in Old Town across the street from the Second City Theater.

Friday 7/17

We started our day with an amazing breakfast at this little place called "Orange" which came highly recommended from a couple different people. We all enjoyed our meals but we came to the conclusion that Mary had the best breakfast, the Coconut-infused French toast skewered with fresh strawberries and pineapples, topped with honey and served with coconut-mango salad. I will now be one of the people highly recommending this place!

In the afternoon we took a really cool and informative architectural cruise down the river through downtown. The cruise was about an hour and half and supplied us with some amazing views of the city and loads of history for each building. Even though it's touristy I'd recommend this tour. Heck it was Pete's 3rd time on the tour and he enjoys it every time.

After the Cruise we walked down to the Original Gino's Pizzeria for some true Chicago style deep dish. We tried a couple different pies and they were very good. Nothing but loads of cheese, sauce and crust. As usual our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we waddled our way to the train to head towards to the White Sox game.

It's no secret that I hate the White Sox but I love outdoor baseball. Unfortunately the Cubs were away so you have to take what you can get. I kind of felt like I was cheating. But all in all it was an entertaining game and I was glad to see the ballpark.

Saturday 7/18

Saturday morning was filled with shopping on Michigan Ave and State Street. We went to the State Street Macy's which used to be one of the Marshall Fields I support at work. It was fun to finally see the place after hearing about how large it is.

We met up with Pete and Kelly and took the train to Wrigleyville. I finally got to see Wrigley Field...just look at it in all it's glory...why the hell are there giant sized cut outs of Rascal Flatts blocking the iconic Wrigley Field sign...Damn. We had lunch at the Goose Island Microbrew pub. Lunch was good and the beer was better. I sampled 4 Goose Island brews that I have not tried before. The Indian Pale Ale, Summertime, Nut Brown Ale and Harvest Ale. The winner being the IPA.

Finally we are on our way to Union Park for the main attraction, The 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival!

5:15 - Yeasayer. This is the 2nd time I've seen Yeasayer now and they do not disappoint. I will continue to make it a point to see them whenever they come to town. I can't wait for the new album because I am really digging the new songs they have been playing live.

6:15 - DOOM. Alright, so I was super excited to see DOOM (formerly MF Doom) for the first time. I was very impressed with his set. Hip Hop can be very hit or miss live but DOOM sounded great. To my disappointment I later found out in the Chicago Tribune that DOOM was lip syncing the whole set...damn.

7:25 - Beirut. We found a nice relaxing spot to the side of the stage for Beirut, it was perfect for this set. Beirut's heavy instrumentation was very good live and you'd swear we were watching an outdoor concert in Spain or France. It was a nice hour departure.

8:40 - The National. What an amazing show! The crowd of thousands was captivated. I've never heard so much silence in a crowd that large before during the songs. I found myself wishing I would have seen then in Minneapolis the night before we left for this trip.

After the show we took the train back to Wrigleyville for a night cap. Just after we arrived the Rascal Flatts concert got out. The streets were flooded with drunk girls in cowboy hats and jean skirts and polo'd douche bags. We ended up finding a quite tucked away patio at a bar called "The Dark Horse" which was actually quite nice.

Sunday 7/19

Started with a nice self guided walking tour around the Wicker Park Neighborhood. We saw some cool old houses and did a little window shopping. If we could afford to live in this neighborhood I think we would.

Meanwhile, back at Pitchfork...

2:30 Blitzen Trapper. I'm a fan of their album but I don't know...I started losing interest about halfway through their set. I think a setting like The Turf Club or something similar would be better fitting.

3:20 Pharoahe Monch. Set sounded very good live. Tons of energy and he seemed to really have the crowd going. No lip syncing either like DOOM

4:15 The Thermals. Meh, I'm not mad that I watched them but would have been fine not watching them. It gave me some time to just lay down on the blanket and relax. They did a Nirvana and a Green Day cover...kind of lame.

5:15 The Walkmen. Awesome! Vocals sounded great. I would love to see these guys at a club next time they are in town. Solid set list.

6:15 M83. Now I've heard the these guys are extremely boring to watch live from a couple of my friends. Well I would have to completely disagree. They had tons of energy on the stage and looked surprised at how much people were digging them. I wish I didn't listen to my friends and gone to see them when they were at the Triple Rock this spring.

7:25 Grizzly Bear. The band I was the most excited to see. I was a little worried though since they are so harmony heavy on their albums that it wouldn't sound half as good live. Well from the first song on they sounded amazing. These guys are true musicians. I am counting down the days to their show at First Ave. I felt a little bad for them because The Flaming Lips were setting up on the other stage and they kept shooting off confetti and the crowd kept looking over to that stage taking the attention away from Grizzly Bear.

8:40 The Flaming Lips. Umm, wow. What an experience. The show starts with the band walking our through a giant trippy vagina and then Wayne (singer) walking out onto the crowd in a inflatable ball. Pure entertainment. Confetti everywhere, giant balloons and great videos playing on the screen behind them on stage. I would see these guys every time they come to town from here on out.

Monday 7/20

Fly home...Sad

June Album Reviews

2009-07-10T11:15:00.009-05:00

Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca, Rating 8.5

The Dirty Projectors are yet another great experimental rock band out of Brooklyn, NY. I swear creativity must flow through tap water there. "Bitte Orca" certainly doesn't fall short of creativity and it demands your attention. Dirty Projectors have 3 amazing singers two female and one male that make some really interesting harmonies. I have a feeling people will give this album one listen and dismiss it. Some of my favorite new bands took a few listens to fully appreciate and then love it such as TV on the Radio and Yeasayer.

Mos Def: The Ecstatic, Rating 8.2

Mos Def's debut release "Black on Both Sides" is and amazing album but every since then Mos Def is not doing it for me...then came "The Ecstatic." Mos Def uses music from all over the globe on "The Ecstatic" from India to Iraq to Mexico and American funk. His laid back flow keeps you engaged though the whole album. This could be the hip hop album of the year.

Regina Spektor: Far, Rating 6.0

More of the same from Regina, piano driven quirky songs (including one where she sings like a dolphin) and a strong voice. A few of these songs will make the iPod but all in all not a great album.

Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer, Rating 7.6

Yet another "Wolf Parade" side project. I don't know if these dudes in "Wolf Parade" know what it's like to make bad music, seems like everything they touch is gold. "Dragonslayer" is filled with long epic rock songs that just pull you in. This is one to play loudly in the car, you'll be so sucked into the songs you'll be at your destination before you know it.

Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue, Rating 8.0

This album was a nice surprise from a DJ/producer I've never heard of before. "Ambivalence Avenue" can easily be summed up as an elctro-folk-funk-dance album, haha. An easy listen from start to finish. "Bibio" has the same feel as "Air" or lighter elctro groups. I'd put this album to read a book but might have to get up between chapters to dance.

Wilco: Wilco (The Album), Rating 7.7

Well the name of the album kind of says it all. Wilco's new album almost feels like a journey through their career. Listening to "Wilco (The Album) I find my self saying "oh this song is very "Being There" or I could hear this track on "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel." I'd give this album to someone who was looking to get into Wilco and tell them to let me know there favorite songs. From that I'd be able to tell them what era of Wilco they might more. All in all a solid effort by Wilco, not their best album by far but one of the better ones.

May Album Reviews

2009-07-10T10:37:00.021-05:00

St. Vincent: Actor, Rating 8.5

"Actor" is like no other album I've heard before, and I love it. Annie Clark really shows her unique instrumentation on this album. My favorite song "Marrow" Starts with a flute/clarinet flurry and then all of the sudden you are like "when did NIN get a female singer?" Distorted sax, violin and guitar take over to a heavy beat. Then you move to a song like "The Party" which has a nice singer songwriter feel and showcases Annie's voice. I am a big fan of St. Vincent and this album, give it a shot!

Peaches: I Feel Cream, Rating 6.6

What I love about Peaches is I know exactly what I am going to get when I listen to her albums, dance grooves with dirty in your face lyrics. "I Feel Cream" falls right in suit. This album is probably her best as far as production goes and is well rounded from start to finish. "Talk to Me" is a great tune and is possible the first Peaches song that has been able to receive radio play.

John Vanderslice: Romain Names, Rating 7.1

To me John Vanderslice is one of those artist where I'll listen to their album, really like it, move on to a different album and for get about them. I find myself checking my iPod whenever Vanderslice comes on to see who it is because I really like it. Maybe I haven't given Vanderslice the listening time he deserves. "Romain Names" is a solid example of how good of a singer/songwriter Vanderslice is and his instrumentation's are light, bouncy and fun.

White Rabbits: It's Frightening, Rating 7.3

Produced by the lead singer of Spoon Britt Daniels it's easy to hear the similarities and influences of Spoon on "It's Frightening." This percussion heavy album is fun to listen to and has some great heavy pop tracks on it. But I usually find myself about half way through the album wanting to put Spoon on, which isn't a bad thing. If you are a fan of Spoon I am 90% sure you will like this album.

Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter, Rating 7.1

"Yours Truly, The Commuter" is the first solo album from Grandaddy's lead singer Jason Lytle. To be honest I hear very little difference between Lytle's solo stuff and Grandaddy which is fine with be because I was bummed when I heard they broke up. I find Lytle's music very cosmic sounding, like it could almost be an alternative sound track for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown, Rating 3.0

It came out, I don't care, it will win lots of grammys.

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest, Rating 9.4

An all around amazing album. The best Grizzly Bear album and they make really good albums. Perfect harmonies and great song structure. The songs "Two Weeks" and "While you Wait out for the Others" are near perfect songs. This is one of those albums I will never tire of, whether it's 10 weeks, 10 months or 10 years from now.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Rating 8.7

"Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" reminds me of when I listened to The Stokes "Is This It?" for the first time. It's nothing new but it's done so well it sounds it stands out on it's own. I wouldn't be surprised to see a handful of bands to have that "Phoenix" sound just the we got a bunch of Strokes sound-a-likes in the early 2000's. Every single song on this album could be a radio single, it's that good. Pop-rock can't be done much better than this.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Dark Night of Soul, Rating 7.5

This album that may never be released due to legal disputes with EMI but is available to stream and download online. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse bring together a collection a indie stars such as Jason Lytle, Wayne Kramer (Flaming Lips), Iggy Pop, Black Francis (Pixies) and Julian Casablanca (The Strokes) to sing over their music. Not a great album but a good album. It's a fun mash up of a lot of great artists, it's worth a listen.

April Album Reviews

2009-07-10T09:17:00.017-05:00

Hold Steady: Positive Rage, Rating 5.2

As much as I love The Hold Steady and as much as I love seeing The Hold Steady live, a live Hold Steady album really disappoints. I'm not really surprised either. Seeing The Hold Steady live is an experience, one I think everyone should go through sometime in your life. You get to see 5 great musicians that absolutely love what they do and they pull the crowd right into it with them. This experience does not carry over to a live album. True fans put it in you collection just to have, others stay away.

Bat For Lashes: Two Suns, Rating 8.3

If you are fan of artists such as PJ Harvey, Bjork, Kate Bush and early Tori Amos, Bat For Lashes is right down your alley. This album caught me by surprise. I wasn't familiar with the band but thought I'd give it a shot. First listen I was hooked. Amazing voice and some intense dark grooves. The Track "Daniel" will probably be somewhere in my top 5 tracks of the year.

Prince: Lotus Flow3r/MPLSound, Rating 2.1

Hmmm, where do I start. I am a huge fan a of Prince (who isn't). I've even been patient with he last few releases because embedded between a bunch of mediocre songs there are some gems. but this double CD could be the worst material I've every heard from Prince. To be honest I couldn't find a song on either album that keep my attention all the way through before skipping to the next tune. Prince, I would like to tell you the same thing I told Ryan Adams, Fans don't care about the quantity of music you release, it's the quality that keeps us coming back.

Metric: Fantasies, Rating 7.0

Have you ever listened to an album by the band "Stars" and go "Man, I wish this was better. They have the right idea but just can't pull it off"? if so, buy Fantasies by Metric. If you have no clue what I am talking about, buy Fantasies by Metric. You'll like it. It's a great pop album that sounds like it's had it's corners bent a little.

Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw, Rating 6.2

Jigsaw is a whole new feel from British rapper Lady Sovereign. SOV's debut album was a good hip hop album filled with some great tongue in cheek lyrics backed with contagious beats. On Jigsaw SOV takes a more dance/club turn. I would say Jigsaw has 3 or 4 solid tracks the will make the iPod and be played loudly at a party.

Bill Callahan: Sometime I wish I were an Eagle, Rating 8.0

Let me start out by saying this album won't be for everyone. Callahan's voice is one of those you embrace or you hear it once and your done with it. For me his low dark voice fits the instrumentation on this album so well. Each song is a great story pulls you in and then after you are done with it you say "I'm glad Bill is like this so I don't have to be."

Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career, Rating 7.9

Camera Obscura is probably best summed up as great pop music. I thought My Maudlin Career was decent on first listen but the more I listen to it the more and more I enjoy it. At times it has 50's girl group sound to it but then on the next track might go a little country or maybe a ballad. I hate to say this but Camera Obscura might make me start listening to Belle and Sebastian...eek.

March Album Reviews

2009-04-01T08:20:00.021-05:00

Dan Deacon: Bromst, Rating 8.9

Cymbals Eat Guitars: Why There Are Mountains, Rating 7.8

Cymbals Eat Guitars is a new group out of New York. At first listen I was like, alright another guitar heavy indie rock band but the more I listened the more I was impressed. I haven't put my finger on it yet but Cymbals Eat Guitars has something extra. Great guitar work and I love the singer. If you like Deerhunter, Pavement, Sonic Youth and bands of that type you will definitely enjoy this. I have a feeling good things are going to happen to this band.

Handsome Furs: Face Control, Rating 9.1

Face Control is the 2nd release from husband and wife duo Handsome Furs. To be honest with you I haven't even listened to their first release but I almost don't want to because it can't possibly be better than this album. Singer and guitar player Dan Boeckner (who is also the singer of Wolf Parade) has a great and unique rock voice. Dan supplies some catchy guitar riffs while his wife plays synths and handles the drum machine. Face Control has a very good chance at making my top 5 of the year.

DOOM: Born Like This, Rating 7.4

DOOM (aka MF Doom) has one of the most distinct voices in rap but on the same level of like Ghostface or Raekwon I usually have no idea what the hell he is rapping about. I can only describe it as if you were to listen to Einstein talk about physics for and hour, you know it's really amazing stuff but you have no idea what he is saying. But it doesn't matter, the beats are awesome and his flow is on point. If you are going to listen to MF Doom for the first time I'd suggest the album Madvillainy.

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone, Rating 7.5

Middle Cyclone is full of amazing vocals and catchy tunes. I am finding my self going to Neko Case before other similar artists when I am in the mood from some good singer/songwriter rock. I'd put her above the likes of Lucinda Williams and Jenny Lewis. Some highlights of the album are "This Tornado Love You" which is a love song sung from the prospective of a tornado and "People Got A Lot Of Nerve" which is one of the catchy songs of the year.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!, Rating 7.2

Usually I don't like when a band that I am a fan of that is known for their raw sound puts out a heavily produced and polished album but It's Blitz! is an exception. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 3rd album starts out synth heavy and danceable which is contrast to Fever To Tell which was completely guitar driven. The guitars haven't gone away by no means but more instrumentation has been added for a fuller more complete sound.

Mastodon: Crack the Skye, Rating 7.0

In no way am I a "metal head" but I defiantly respect it and enjoy it when it's done right. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often. Metal has been plagued with a bunch of unoriginal douche bands that I think spend more time on thinking what disgusting band name they can come up with instead of the music they are making. Mastodon is just good classic metal. I'd almost categorize Mastodon as prog metal, intricate guitar work, at time King Crimson like vocals and they are not afraid to do 10+ minute songs. If you are looking to try Mastodon for the first time, listen to Blood Mountain.

Who would have thought an ass kickin' could be so fun!

2009-03-31T08:33:00.002-05:00

The mighty Manchester Divided took to the pitch last Thursday night for my first ever soccer game. I started out in goal and it didn't take long to realize we were way out of league. I probably successfully stopped 6 or 7 shots but managed to let 8 by me. Needless to say that was probably the last time I will play goalie. I was getting frustrated with myself and was starting to get let down that as much as I wanted it to be soccer just wasn't the sport for me. But once I got out of the goal, my attitude changed. I was having a blast out there. I had a nice header for an assist on our one goal we scored thanks to the golden foot of Joe. Other than that I didn't really do anything special but run around a lot but it was a really good time. We ended up losing 14 to 1 but that didn't really matter to anyone. We all seem eager to improve and keep having fun. I can't wait until our next game.

The Day Before the Big Game

2009-03-25T08:56:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow will be my first soccer match and I am getting super excited, and a little nervous. I picked up some new bad ass looking shin guards by Adidas. I tried on my whole uniform the other day with all my new gear and took a look in the mirror. I was hoping to see something that looked like David Beckham but nope it was just me with goofy looking shins and red shoes.

I still haven't done any actually soccer training or drills, haha. I plan on taking care of that business just minutes before the game. but I have dropped 13 pounds in the last two months, which is short of my goal but I feel healthy. I am sure I will be hating life once the game starts and realize how much running is actually involved but we'll see.

Check back on Friday for a recap of the match and to hear if this soccer thing is for me.

February Album Reviews

2009-02-27T07:40:00.025-06:00

Lily Allen: It's Not Me, It's You, Rating 6.2

Lily Allen's sophomore album "It's Not Me, It's You" falls a little flat compared to her debut album "Alright, Still." There are some strong tracks throughout the album that I really enjoy but there are also just some plain silly tracks. Allen's lyrical focus on this album is a lot more serious and political then "Alright, Still" but for some reason it just seems like a weird resource for these opinions. I'm sorry Lily, it's not you, it's me. I plan on leaving most of the tracks on my ipod and will enjoy them as them come on random but I don't ever see myself saying, "I really want to listen to It's not Me, It's You right now."

M. Ward: Hold Time, Rating 7.7

I don't know what it is but for some reason I want to be M. Ward. Maybe it is his incredible guitar skills, his soothing voice, his overall style or maybe it's just the fact that he is in a band with Zooey Deschanel. As far as "Hold Time" goes, it's not a great album or musically ground breaking in any way but it makes me smile and tap my toes. "Hold Time" seems like it will be the perfect album for this upcoming spring. The songs are fun and make me happy so that is why this album got a 7.7.

Various Artists: Dark Was The Night, Rating 8.8

"Dark Was The Night" is the latest two disc charity compilation from the Red Hot organization who is the leading international organization for fighting AIDS. Imagine you were throwing a birthday party for yourself and you invited all your best friends. Not only does every single friend show up but a few friends brought along a couple of their friends and they ended up being super cool too, pretty much making this the raddest birthday party you've ever had. Well that sums up "Dark Was The Night." With artists/bands like Bon Iver, Fiest, Grizzy Bear, The National, Yeasayer, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Sharon Jones, My Morning Jacket and Conor Oberst just to name a few how can this not be amazing. All the songs are unreleased recordings so it's all new stuff. A good mixture of new originals and some covers. This one is a no brainer. Buy it, love it and support a good cause.

Dan Auerbach: Keep it Hid, Rating 5.9

This is the first solo effort of the Black Key's guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach. Being a Black Keys fan but also realizing that the Black Keys having musically backed them self into a corner or minimal blues rock I was very excited to see what Dan's solo effort would bring. Guess what, more songs that sound like the Black Keys. I don't know why I am that surprised, the Black Keys are a two piece band and when you take away the drummer the sound probably isn't going to change all the drastically. The Album is just okay...meh.

Various Artists: War Child Presents Heroes, Rating 6.4

Legendary artists/bands pick one of their songs and a new hip artist/band to cover it, awesome right? Well...War Child Heroes is a great idea not executed to it's fullest. I'd say of the 15 tracks on the CD about a third of them are REALLY good, a third are alright and a third are just boring. Fortunately the really good third makes it worth while. Beck's cover of Dylan, Hold Steady's cover of Springsteen, TV on the Radio's cover of Bowie, and Duffy's cover of Wings are extremely good. the big disappointments are the Yeah Yeah Yeah covering The Ramones and Peaches covering Iggy Pop.

P.O.S.: Never Better, Rating 8.2

First I have to admit this is the first P.O.S. album I've listen to in full and feel a little ashamed of that fact. I've heard his songs on the Current and have seen him live with DoomTree and really dig his style but have only now come around to listening to his music. I don't know if his other albums are this good but man I picked a good starting point. P.O.S. for lack of a better term is punk-rap. His songs are political, angry, in your face and at times hardcore. The beats on this album are worth it alone. Go out and buy this album and help support the local music scene. I actually saw this album for sale at the Plymouth Target...weird, but good.

Ben Kweller: Changing Horses, Rating 4.8

Ben Kweller decided as his album title states to changes horses for this one and try his shot at an alt country album. The alt country seen is a little tired and just overdone now, I'm not sure what Ben thought he'd be able to add to the genre other than a mediocre album, which is exactly what he did. I personally think this album is about 7 years too late. I do have to say in all fairness, Ben Kweller is an amazing live show and I will continue to go see him when he comes to town.

Black Lips: 200 Million Thousand, Rating 6.1

I've listened to this album through a couple times now and I think this one will grow on me over time. Black Lips have a low-fi garage rock sound that reminds me a lot of The Stoogies or Radio Birdman. If you like distorted guitars, distorted vocal harmonies and just flat out raw rock and roll give this album a shot. I think if you were to ask me about this album later in the year, I'd rank it a little higher.

Ben Kweller and The Watson Twins at The Varsity

2009-02-25T07:01:00.005-06:00

Last week we went to see Ben Kweller and The Watson Twins at The Varsity theater in Dinkytown. This was our first show at The Varsity, not a bad venue at all.

I was really excited to see The Watson Twins again since their last show at the turf we saw was a solid. They did not disappoint. The first couple songs the sound seemed a little off, the music was over powering their vocals but the sound guy seemed to fix it quickly. They mostly did songs from the album Fire Songs. They also did a really good cover of Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine."

Now on to Ben Kweller. I have to admit I wasn't extremely excited to see Ben but I knew it would probably be a good show. Kweller rocked the house! I was very impressed with how talented he and his band are and the high energy of the show. Ben's new album "Changing Horses" was his first attempt at an alt country album. It was fun to hear some of his older songs with the lap steel guitar giving them a cool country feel. I would go see Ben again in a heartbeat and suggest that you go too!

New addition to the Plaisted household

2009-02-16T06:21:00.003-06:00

Mary and I have been fostering Suzie now for about 2 months and have absolutely fallen in love with her. So guess what, we failed at fostering...again and adopted this awesome dog. Suzie is the most chill dog you will ever met. She is content with finding a nice pillow to lay on our be right by you side to give you love. Suzie is a great balance for our first foster failure Penny Lane who likes to be more active and play a lot.

Suzie came to use via the Sioux Falls Human Society where she was surrendered by her previous owners. Suzie is a basset hound beagle mix which makes for a pretty interesting looking dog and she is five years old.

Welcome to your new home Suzie Magoo!

Football Update

2009-02-13T08:24:00.004-06:00

I am a couple steps closer to my football dreams. I made another stop to Soccer Planet in Plymouth to get shin pads and socks. I left the store with some new socks and my first ever kick ass pair of indoor soccer shoes. I tried on a pair of large shin pads but since I have the calves or rugby player and not a football player I will have to wait to next week for them to get in some extra larges. My football look is almost complete!

Now as far as the skills and conditioning...I still haven't actually kicked a football yet, other than a little dribbling back and forth in my living room. But the good news is I am 5 pounds closer to my goal of losing 25 pounds before the season starts only 20 pounds left!

Here are my awesome new Jomas!

January Album Reviews

2009-02-13T06:29:00.008-06:00

I am going to try something new here on The Wigwam instead of my "CD recommendation of the week" (which I obviously can't keep up with) I am going to give my opinion and a short review of all the new albums I've listened that came out in that month.

I will rate every album on a 10 point system. 1 being absolute garbage and 10 being an instant classic. So let's start with the first month of 2009, January!

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Rating 9.2

I think I can safely say that no other band sounds likes Animal Collective and no other band could make an album like "Merriweather." Animal Collectives two vocalist's voices combine perfectly like a tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwich laced with LSD. Musically Animal Collective is almost indescribable. It's mainly electronic, at times taking sounds I would probably find annoying on their own but some how making them beautiful by adding impressive beats and those great vocals I mentioned earlier. Be prepared to see this on a lot of peoples end of the year best albums list. Click the picture of the album cover to give you an idea of what you are in for.

Antony and the Johnson's: Crying Light, Rating 8.0

If you've never heard Antony Hegarty's voice before your ears probably hate you. Each song on "The Crying Light" is a moving story that Antony presents so beautifully you can't help but fell engaged. The main focus of this album is Birth into Life into Death. This is a album demands attention, I've found the more intimate of a listen you give Antony's albums the more pleasure it will give you.

Franz Ferdinand: Tonight, Rating 6.2

Tonight is the 3rd studio album from Franz Ferdinand and to be honest I'd probably rate all of them 6.2. They are one of those bands that I don't make it a point to listen to but when they come on my ipod or the radio I always enjoy the song. If you are fan of Franz Ferdinand then you will like this album. Tonight my not pump out the radio singles like their last two albums but it is still packed full of good catchy pop guitar riffs.

Bon Iver: Blood Band (EP), Rating 7.8

This little four song treat was a perfect followup to 2007 "For Emma." "Blood Bank" has a fuller sound with some more instrumentation than the completly stripped down guitar and vocal style of "For Emma." One thing that hasn't changed though is Vernon's amazing lyrics and incredible voice.

Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream, Rating 3.3

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce...what the hell happened? I have to admit I was pretty excited for this album and man did it disappoint. Right from the get go it fails when Bruce attempts an epic 8 minute tune titled "Outlaw Pete. " It's almost embarassing, for someone that has written some of the best charactor driven songs of all time. The only saving grace on this album is the song "The Wrestler" I would suggest just downloading that tune from itunes for a buck.

My Football (Soccer) Dreams Are Coming True!

2009-02-04T10:55:00.001-06:00

So as some of you may know I am a huge English Premiership Football fan (Go West Ham!) but I haven't played football a lick of football since I was in kindergarten. Well that is all about to change...I have started a Co-ed indoor soccer team for a Target league which starts on March 26th. I figured I've watched my fair share of football so let's give it a shot.

I am starting a new blog entry series documenting my step by step journey to becoming a football player.

My first step on this journey was to buy a football. I figured what better place to go than soccer planet in Plymouth. I walked into the shop and immediately felt out of my element. I took a look around the place, looking for the balls. I spotted the large crate full of all different colors and sizes of footballs. I knew from my prior internet research that I needed a size 5 ball. Now not having actually handled a football in a long time I expected them to be bigger than they were. I asked the lady working there "Do you have any size 5 balls? All these look pretty small." She answered "I think most of them in there are size 5, just dig around and the ball should say it's size." Alright Anton...good start. So I found my ball in the pile, made the purchase and happily brought the ball home to meet the family.

I quickly realized my first problem, that I do not have the body of a football player or the physicality. To remedy this I have vowed to loose 25 pounds before the start of the season. I plan to do this by going to the gym 6 times a week and cutting out snacking.

Next planned step, Shin Pads! Stay tuned.

Good Luck Mr. President

2009-01-20T14:14:00.000-06:00

My Top 98 songs of 2008

2009-01-06T06:37:00.003-06:00

When I sat down to make this list I wanted to make my top 100 songs of 2008 but as I put the list together I kept coming to 98. Every time I tried to put another song on it just seemed forced so...here it is.

Anton's Top 98 songs of 2008.

98. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived - Weezer
97. Sweet Darlin' - She & Him
96. I Still Care For You - Ray LaMontagne
95. Sleeper Hold - No Age
94. Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) - Gnarls Barkley
93. Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter
92. M79 - Vampire Weekend
91. New Soul - Yael Naim
90. Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
89. More Clothes - Tim Fite
88. Rooks - Shearwater
87. Heaven For The Weather - The Streets
86. Evergreen - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
85. Black Market Pandas - The Plastic Constellations
84. Driving Me Wild - Common w/ Lily Allen
83. Discipline - Nine Inch Nails
82. Puppets - Atmosphere
81. This is Not a Test - She & Him
80. Get Better - Mates of State
79. Self Destructive Zones - Drive-By Truckers
78. Play Your Part (Part 1) - Girl Talk
77. Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks - Los Campesinos!
76. Strange Times - The Black Keys
75. A Little Bit Cooler - The Cool Kids
74. Gold For Bread - Blitzen Trapper
73. Stormy High - Black Mountain
72. You are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne
71. Dreamin' - Weezer
70. Move - Q-Tip
69. Just Like Heaven - The Watson Twins
68. Language City - Wolf Parade
67. The Ark - Dr. Dog
66. Electric Feel - MGMT
65. Black History Month - Saul Williams
64. I'm Good, I'm Gone - Lykke Li
63. One Pure Thought - Hot Chip
62. Sister Lost Soul - Alejandro Escovedo
61. The People - Common
60. Courtship Date - Crystal Castles
59. Lights Out - Santogold
58. Hercules Theme - Hercules and the Love Affair
57. Lord, I'm Discouraged - The Hold Steady
56. Chemtrails - Beck
55. Mansford Roof - Vampire Weekend
54. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
53. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
52. Carpetbaggers - Jenny Lewis
51. A Ghost to Most - Drive-By Truckers
50. He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes
49. The Devil's Crayon - Wild Beasts
48. Who's Gonna Save My Soul - Gnarls Barkley
47. My Only Offer - Mates of State
46. Last Day of Magic - The Kills
45. Broken Heartbeats Sounds Like Breakbeats - Los Campesinos!
44. You - Atmosphere
43. Great DJ - The Ting Tings
42. Time to Pretend - MGMT
41. Dance Dance Dance - Lykke Li
40. How Am I to Be - The Watson Twins
39. American Boy - Estella w/ Kanye West
38. DLZ - TV on the Radio
37. Everything is Borrowed - The Streets
36. Big Mistake - Tim Fite
35. Machine Gun - Portishead
34. Honey - Erykah Badu
33. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
32. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him
31. Blind - Hercules and the Love Affair
30. Constructive Summer - Hold Steady
29. Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River
28. Getting Down - The Kills
27. Golden Age - TV on the Radio
26. Love Lockdown - Kanye West
25. Hearts on Fire - Cut Copy
24. Modern Guilt - Beck
23. Graveyard Girl - M83
22. Sea Sick - Love is All
21. Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes
20. Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
19. Ready For The Floor - Hot Chip
18. What Up Man - Cool Kids
17. Dream Cars - Neon Neon
16. I Got Mine - The Black Keys
15. Bang! Bang! - The Knux
14. Halfway Home - TV on the Radio
13. Here's the Thing - Girl Talk
12. L.E.S Artistes - Santogold
11. Untrust Us - Crystal Castles
10. The Grey Estates - Wolf Parade
9. Hang On - Dr. Dog
8. Furr - Blitzen Trapper
7. Kids - MGMT
6. Always a Friend - Alejandro Escovedo
5. No One Does it Like You - Department of Eagles
4. Kim & Jessie - M83
3. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
2. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
1. Crying - TV on the Radio

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-12-22T09:31:00.004-06:00

This week I've decided to recommend one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time GZA/Genius: Liquid Swords. I remember buying Liquid Swords my Sophomore year of high school and playing it none stop in my Grand Am, memorizing every word as a drove around the hard streets of Blaine, MN.

The GZA is easily my favorite member of the Wu-Tang Clan. GZA's rhyme flow and distinct voice are truly amazing. I'd put him up there with the greats like KRS-One, Guru, Rakim and Chuck D. GZA's Wu-mate RZA really shines as a producer on Liquid Swords, more so than any other Wu release in my opinion. The old Kung Fu movie samples mixed with some insanely sick beats are untouchable. Some stand out songs on this album are "Liquid Swords", "Rule of the Iron Mic" and "B.I.B.L.E."

Hip Hop is a genre that if is it not done correctly an album can sound dated within just a few years but Liquid Swords is 13 years old now and hasn't lost one beat.

A letter to Andrew Bird

2008-12-22T09:21:00.002-06:00

Dear Andrew,

Enough with the fucking whistling, we get it.

Losing interest,

Anton

My Top 5 Favorite Christmas Albums

2008-11-22T11:59:00.007-06:00

It's official, the Christmas season is upon us. I realized this after I picked up our car from the shop and for some reason the radio was set to Kool 108 and some repulsive Gloria Estefan holiday song was playing.

I would say 95 to 98% of all Christmas albums are crap. They are a quick way to make the record companies some extra cash. One prime example of this is "Hung for the Holidays" by William Hung. That is exactly what I want to hear when I am driving through snow trying to find a parking spot at the mall, some no talent mush head singing jingle bells. But every once and a while a decent Christmas album will slip through the cracks. It's like finding a puppy under the tree on Christmas morning.

Here are my top five Christmas Albums.

5. Funky Christmas - James Brown.
The title says it all. Mostly original songs with a couple classics sprinkled in. It's hard to keep you feet still listening this album.

4. Songs for Christmas - Sufjan Stevens.
An ambitious five EP box set. This album is almost cheating yeah all the songs are about the holidays but it doesn't sound like a holiday album. This one if for all those hipsters out there that need a little Christmas cheer.

3. A Christmas Gift for You - Phil Spector.
Don't worry Phil Spector will not kill you for Christmas but rather offer you this Album with all the classics done in a rock/motown feel. The songs by The Ronnettes are some of the best Christmas songs ever recorded.

2. Christmas - Low.
Leave it to a band from Duluth to really capture the true emotions of the holiday season. It's not always happy and cheerful, sometimes it's downright sad and depressing. I listen to this album year round.

1. White Christmas - Bing Crosby.
What's Christmas without Bing Crosby. This is the essential Christmas album of all Christmas albums.

Hey Anton, This is your Asshole talking...knock it off!

2008-11-22T11:38:00.001-06:00

I’ve always have had a love for spicy foods but with in the last couple months I have really be pushing my limits. Last month I decided I would try 6 of the blazing wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, the hottest wings they have. I was able to eat the 6 hell chickens fairly easily. I enjoyed the flavor, but I was a little disappointed they weren’t very sauce.

A couple weeks later after flag football we went to JJ’s Clubhouse and I decided to order 10 of the Pitbull wings. They waitress warned me that they are extremely hot but I just had blazing at Wild Wings so how hot could they really be. Well about 3 beers, 2 containers of ranch and 10 sweat soaked napkins later I finished the pitbulls. To this day probably the hottest think I’ve tasted. The flavor was really good but I was only able to enjoy for about the first 15 seconds of the first wing. If you like spicy I would suggest trying one of two of these but don’t be a fool like I was and order a plate full.

Last Thursday a group of friends and I gathered at Wild Wings for 60 cent boneless night. I decided to order 6 of the blazing again and was happy to see these had more sauce on them. After the first bite I got a case of what I like to call the “heat hiccups.” I got the hiccups under control and enjoyed the rest of my meal.

My spicecapades are taking a break for a while. I think I am ready to step it down a few notches now that I have self verification that I can eat the hottest. I would like to apologize to my stomach, I’m sorry.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-11-22T11:37:00.001-06:00

This week’s recommendation is the classic “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys. Once again I am not really going out on a limb with this recommendation but if you don’t have it in your record collection…you should.

When you ask most bands that are out there know who are some of their musical inspirations I’m sure most of them would say The Beatles, but who inspired The Beatles? One of the answers to this question is The Beach Boys and even more specifically the album “Pet Sounds.” The Story goes, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys heard “Rubber Soul” by The Beatles and was absolutely blown away and inspired to create an album just as good or better. So he gathered the boys and recorded “Pet Sounds” using ground breaking recording methods. The Beatles then heard “Pet Sounds” and were so impressed it inspired them to write “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” You know, just like how Creed’s “My Own Prison” inspired Nickelback to write “The State.”

Pet Sounds is one you play from start to finish, it’s like the equivalent to a musical relationship. Track #1 “Wouldn’t be nice” embraces the excitement of your new relationship with Pet Sounds. By Track #4 “Don’t Talk” you’re ready to put the move on Pet Sounds. Track #6, you’ve done it…you are in bed with Pet Sounds. Track #7 “Sloop John B” Oh god, did I make a mistake? Track #8 “God Only Knows” you realize Pet Sounds is the one for you…your soul mate. Track #10 “Here Today” You get engaged but your friends aren’t sure Pet Sounds is the one. Track #11 “I just wasn’t made for These Times” You start to believe your friends. Track #12 “Pet Sounds” Fuck your friends, let’s get married! Track #13 “Caroline, No” Pet Sounds divorces your ass and takes all your money and your will to live.

Hold Steady and Drive By Truckers @ First Ave 11/16/08

2008-11-18T11:35:00.001-06:00

At 9:04 pm the Drive By Truckers took the stage and I was impressed from the very first song. With 3 guitars exchanging solos and riffs DBT rocked 1st ave song after song. It was my first time seeing DBT, I’ve always heard about what a great show they put on and I was not disappointed in the least. Drive by played a solid hour and a half set. I am eagerly awaiting the next time I get to see them.

10:58 the screen started to rise and my favorite live band of the last few years took the stage. The Hold Steady played a good mix of from there last 3 albums with just a pinch of their first album.

The highlight of the night was the encore. The Hold Steady came out and did “Most People are DJ’s” then right after that Drive By Truckers joined them on stage. They played “Look Out Cleveland” by the Band which nearly made me pee my pants with excitement. It was pretty fun to watch Craig Finn “try to” sing a cover. Next song they rocked out a Drive By Truckers song “Let There Be Rock” and then finished the encore with a 5 guitar strong version of “Killer Parties” which almost killed me.

Hands down, rock show of the year!

Hold Steady Set List

Hornets! Hornets!
Constructive Summer
Stuck Between Stations
Navy Sheets
Banging Camp
Yeah Sapphire
Sweet Payne
Joke About Jamaica
Hot Soft Light
Stay Positive
Stevie Nix
Cattle and the Creeping Things
Massive Nights
Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Same Kooks
Cheyenne Sunrise
Lord, I’m Discouraged
Don’t Let Me Explode
Chips Ahoy!
Sequestered in Memphis
Slapped Actress

Encore

Most People are DJ’s
Lookout Cleveland - Band Cover - With Drive By Truckers
Let There Be Rock - With Drive By Truckers
Killer Parties - With Drive By Truckers

My Top 10 Albums of 2008

2008-11-14T11:34:00.001-06:00

It’s almost the end of the year and that can only mean one thing. Top Ten Lists! Here is a list of my Top 10 Albums for 2008.

10. Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal. Great Rock and Roll album. If you are a fan of Springsteen or Strummer you will dig this album.

9. M83 - Saturdays = Youth. I admit I didn’t know what I thought of this one the first time I heard it. I felt like I was listening to some weird mix of the “Bloodsport” and “Breakfast Club” soundtracks. The more I listen to this album it is quickly becoming a new favorite. If you like 80’s synth music done right, give it a spin.

8. Dr. Dog - Fate. If you like the later Beatles albums you’ll dig Dr. Dog. A friend of mine said, “I guess I’d just rather just listen to The Beatles” when we were discussing “Fate”. I can’t disagree but I can still love this album.

7. The Black Keys - Attack and Release. Produced by hip hop producer Danger Mouse, “Attack and Release” restored my faith in The Black Keys. Their delta-garage rock sound that they have mastered has been nicely revamped by Danger Mouse.

6. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals. This wins most fun album of the year. It’s a great hip hop/dance record that contains samples from a diverse palette of artists, including Jay-Z, Britney Spears, The Velvet Underground, Roy Orbison, Megadeath, UGK, and The Cure. Download it online for free.

5. Dillinger Four - Civil War. Their first full length album in over 6 years comes as a breath of fresh air. It’s always good to hear new songs from my favorite meat and potatoes punk band out of Minneapolis. Not my favorite D4 album by a long shot but it’s new D4 so I like it.

4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular. A great dedut album by this group from Brooklyn. It’s trippy, dancy and electric. Just and overall fun party time album.

3. Radiohead - In Rainbows. Radiohead does it again, another stellar album but this time they sound like a complete band again. Everyone (not just singer Thom York) shines on this album.

2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes. Read my review I wrote in a earlier post.

1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science. Easily the most listenable album by TVOTR, I love their other albums but this is probably the most mainstream for lack of a better word. Pitchfork said it best “But it’s also brainy and ambivalent, and more engaging for it.” This will be an album I will be able to put on in 20 years and still call it a favorite.

Honorable Mentions:

The Watson Twins - Fire Songs
She and Him - Volume One
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Atmosphere - When Life Give you Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold.

Biggest Disappointments of 2008

Weezer - The Red Album. Usually I am a fan of when a band tries to do something new or take their music in a different direction but when I buy a Weezer album I want to hear Rivers sing pop rock at it’s best. I don’t want to hear the other guys try to sing. If I did I’d buy their solo albums. Rivers if your reading this go back to being the next Brian Wilson and take back control.
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive. I feel like I need to defend myself on this one. If I did a top 15 list of 2008 this would have made the cut. It’s a really good album but just didn’t live up to the Hold Steady standard I have. This is the 1st Hold Steady album that I actually skip over a track or 3.

Wilma! Our new foster dog.

2008-11-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone, meet Wilma. Wilma is around a year old and about 50 pounds. She is the most affectionate dog that I’ve meet. Wilma needs a forever home, know anyone who might be interested? For more info click here.

TV on the Radio at First Ave

2008-11-14T11:30:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Mary and I went to see “TV on the Radio” and “The Dirtbombs” at First Ave.

“The Dirtbombs” started off the show how I think every rock show should be started, two drummers pounding out a funky beat. I would challenge any foot in that place not to tap to their kickass rhythm section. It had been 7 or 8 years since I had last seen the “The Dirtbombs” and was pretty much only familiar with an old but classic album of theirs called “Ultraglide in Black.” They’ve had a few albums since then so I wasn’t sure how much I’d be familiar with but to my surprise they played a handful from Ultraglide. They did an excellent job energizing the crowd.

“TV on the Radio” took the stage and absolutely blew my mind. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them live before so this was my first time but in no way my last. These guys are amazing. Each and every person on the stage is extremly talented and has a great ear for sound and production. The amount of noise and layers they are able to replicate in their live show was truely a site to see. Next time TVOTR comes to town I am making it maditory that my friends go.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-10-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

This week I am going to select one on my all time favorite albums. Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.” Every time I rediscover this album I feel the same amount of emotions and excitement as the first time I listened to it. I can’t pinpoint what it is about this album but it will never grow old or sound dated.

This is one of those albums when asked “if you could only listen to one record the rest of your life what would it be?” I would seriously consider “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” as my answer.

I don’t feel my words or review could do “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” justice so here is a link to Pitchfork’s review of the album. Pitchfork gave it a 10 of 10 rating which is almost as rare as W. getting a 100% approval rating.

All I ask is that you please give this album a chance. Hate it or love it I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Octoberfest!

2008-10-18T11:28:00.001-05:00

It’s time for Oktoberfest beers and man am I excited. I like to think I know a thing or two about beer, I’ve certainly had my share so I’ve set out to find my favorite Oktoberfest. Prosit!

So far I’ve have tried the following.

Samuel Adams - Octoberfest
Paulaner - Oktoberfest Marzen Amber
Flying Dog - Dogtoberfest
Bell’s - Octoberfest
Surly - Surlyfest
Summit - Oktoberfest
Leinenkugels - Octoberfest
Granite City - Oktoberfest
Ayinger - Oktoberfest Märzen
Spaten - Oktoberfest

My favorite has been Surlyfest, runners up are Spaten, Bell’s and Sam Adams. I’m not a huge fan of Summit’s and Leine’s octoberfests.

Surlyfest according to Surly

This beer is a single hop lager, hopped exclusively with Summit hops. Being a Surly beer, we decided to dry-hop it. Is that a traditional German way to brew it? Nein, but we ain’t in Germany. We aged this beer over 11 weeks to let the flavors mellow into an exceptional taste. We used German malts and Crystal Rye for a unique flavor. Only one batch of this beer was brewed, so go and drink it while you can!

Fleet Foxes at The Cedar

2008-10-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Mary and I headed to the Cedar Cultural Center to spend the evening with the Fleet Foxes. I was pretty excited to see the Fleet Foxes in such an intimate venue. The last show we say there was Ryan Adams which is towards the top of my all time favorite shows. But the Cedar failed me this time around. For some reason they decided not to do seating at this show and it was incredible hot inside the venue.

But as for the Fleet Foxes…amazing. I was a little leery how well their harmonies would come across live but from the first note of the show I was stunned. They started with an acapella tune and their four voices were angelic. The band was very engaging of the audience and asked questions they seemed generally interested in hearing the answers too, like “Do you have a zoo here?” Which ended up with them deciding next time they come to town they want to play the zoo. Every song they played was extremly tight. When the show was over I was reminded why I love music as much as I do.

So in conclusion, I would see the Fleet Foxes again in a heartbeat, but probably not at the Cedar (maybe if they had seating).

Set List

Sun Giant
Sun It Rises
Drops in the River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Crayon Angels (a cover from late 70s folkie Judee Sill)*
Oliver James*
Quiet Horses
He Doesn’t Know Why
Mykonos
ENCORE: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song* / Blue Ridge Mountains

*Robin only

The Best season to listen to music is here, fall is upon us.

2008-10-10T11:09:00.000-05:00

I don’t know what it is about fall but there’s something that just makes the music mean more. The cool crisp air, the leaves changing color, my twin’s sweatshirt, a glass of cider and my favorite fall albums.

In the spirit of one of my favorite movies “High Fidelity” I thought it would be fun to do a Top 5 list. So here it is.

Top 5 Albums to listen to in the fall.

5. Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

Although this is not my favorite Dylan album something about it just clicks with autumn. It’s starts with a couple of Dylan classics “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Girl From the North County”. I suggest you grab your guy/gal and put this album on, reenact the album cover and grab some coffee.

4. Sea Wolf - Leaves in the River

Wow, Even the name sounds like fall. When I listen to “Leaves in the River” I fell like I should have on a sweater made of yak hair and wonder somewhere in Eastern Europe. Come on and wonder with me.

3. Wilco - Being There

I challenge anyone to find a better fall band than Wilco. I picked “Being There” for a couple of reasons, first it’s my favorite Wilco album and second it’s a two disc album. More bang for the buck. Put “Being There” on and trace your hand and then make a turkey out of it.

2. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy

When I think about it there really isn’t a bad season to listen to this album. The energy and passion in this album is amazing. The power of Okkervil River could allow you to go outside in November without a jacket for at least 7 minutes. “Black Sheep Boy” might even make my top 10 albums of all time.

1. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

This is it, the big number 1. “Heartbreaker” is so fall I bet you that Ryan wrote this in the middle of an apple orchard sitting in a pile of leaves, while it lightly drizzled on his Halloween costume. ‘Heartbreaker” will make you shake your hips, hug your girl and wipe some tears. Buy it and love it!

331, Blingo and Raleighs Texas Tacos. My Tuesday love affair.

2008-10-09T11:09:00.000-05:00

The 331 Club in NE is officially my new favorite hang out spot. It’s got that loveable NE feel to it and all that one could ever want in a social spot. Let me break it down…

Tuesday night is officially BLINGO night at the 331. What is BLINGO you ask? Well imagine if your local bingo hall was on Yo’ Pimp my Ride and you get BLINGO. Six fun filled (free) rounds of Bingo with some cool prices. Never played bingo to rap music? Well, here’s your chance! Ellie your host plays a fun mix of new and old rap tunes while calling numbers. Prizes include Shots, T-shirts, Salon gift card, tacos and a $25 bar tab plus the golden chalice. “Wait…Did you just say tacos?” Well heck yes I did! On Tuesday’s the 331 brings in Raleigh’s Texas Tacos to cater BLINGO. We were blown away by both the tacos and the burritos. Oh, and the home made chips and salsa! These delicious little wraps of goodness are all we’ve been thinking about! You may say, “Boy I really wish I had a delicious margarita to wash these tacos down.” Well you’re in luck because Tuesday is $2.50 margarita day- uh…yeah. The margaritas are tasty and strong and they put just a splash of Sprite in them to give them some fizz.

So, if you’re ever wondering where the Plaisted’s are on Tuesday night, you’re obviously not hanging with us at the 331.

Scared of Chaka, 7th Street Entry...in 2008, WTF?

2008-09-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Last night Mary and I went to 7th Street Entry to see an amazing five band line up. Now five bands is a lot even for a music head like me but when you put together a bill like this you don’t even notice how many bands there are because you face is being constantly rocked. The bill consisted of The Dynamiters, Birthday Suits, Off With Their Heads, Scared of Chaka and Dillinger Four.

The highlight of the evening was getting to see one of my favorites, Scared of Chaka from New Mexico. Scared of Chaka’s last album came out in 2001 and they haven’t been around since then but for some reason they decided to get together and do a 3 show mini tour with D4. If you were to give Chuck Berry 10 Red Bulls and a 8 ball of coke you’d get Scared of Chaka. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s punk but it’s also melodic and danceable. The singer/guitar player for Scared of Chaka is also the bass player for the highly successful indie band The Shins which could explain why Scared of Chaka just kind of went away. It was such a great treat last night, being able to see a band I thought I would never hear from again. I was in my happy place.

Mary and I felt like we took a time machine back to 2001. We got to chat with some my old coworkers from Cheapo and catch up on their lives. It was great to hear of their successes and I look forward to keeping in touch with them. 12:35 am, Dillinger Four took the stage and our age started to show. This isn’t 2001 anymore, I don’t work at Cheapo and Mary isn’t in college, no, we have to get up at 6 AM to get to our desk jobs.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-09-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

In two days we leave for Vegas so I wanted to try to recommend a CD that ties in somehow to Las Vegas. I was looking through my record collection trying to figure out what to recommend that fits the Vegas theme and was having a tough time. I pulled out albums like Hank Thompson’s “Live at the Golden Nugget” and The Rat Pack “Live at the Sands” but I only want to recommend music that I think everyone will like and would round off any music collection nicely. Then I came across my one and only Elvis album. Now this is not the “I left my last gift to mankind floating in my toilet” fat Vegas Elvis but the young up and coming punch your mama in the face hip shaking Elvis.

My Recommedation this week is Elvis “56”. This is a collection or 22 songs that Presely recorded in 1956. I do not agree that Elvis is the king of rock but this album is his best argument, it’s raw and dirty rock and roll blues. You’ll recognize most the songs on the album but there are some amazing lesser known surprises. Elvis doesn’t get any better than this. I picture him drinking a fifth of whiskey, walking into the studio, rockin’ the shit out of it, kicking the some studio hand in the teeth and then being carried home to bed. Minus the couple ballads on the album this was punk before punk was punk.

Gettin' Funky at the Fair

2008-08-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Last Friday Mary and I gathered a few friends up and went to the Minnesota state fair. This was the first year I can remember going to the fair and the food wasn’t the main reason for going. Mary and I picked Friday night because Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings were playing a free show on the Lienie Lodge stage.

When we got to the stage I was impressed by the number of people that were there. The show started with the Dap-Kings coming to the stage and entertaining us with a couple of upbeat instrumentals which really got the crowd going. Instantly the little soul man in me started to find his grove. Sharon then took the stage and had the crowd in the palm of her hand. She played a lot of my favorites from her earlier albums and did an amazing cover of “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown.

Since it was the State Fair I expected to see the crowd dwindle as the show went on but Sharon didn’t disappoint. She invited people up on the stage to dance with her which at times was entertaining and times creepy. Imagine if you will a early forty year old male, shirtless with jean shorts and flowing blonde hair trying to dance with Sharon Jones. I my was much more smooth of course, I must have looked like a white James Brown in the crowd. Not only was I cutting the rug, I was eating a gigantic turkey drumstick that looked like it came from the Cloverfield monster.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-08-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

This weeks recommendation is “Let it Be” by Minneapolis’s own The Replacements. Alright, I feel if you are a Minnesotan and you don’t own a Replacements album you should be forced to pack up and move to Cedar Falls, Iowa. If you are my friend and don’t have anything by The Replacements please come and see me immediately because I really don’t want to have to visit you in Iowa.

I struggled picking which Replacements album to suggest and not take the easy way out and recommend their greatest hits album. I think 1984’s “Let it Be” is the best representation of the band. It has a good combo of their earlier album’s punk rock edge and there later album’s genius pop song ability. “Let it Be” opens up with what could be my favorite album openier of all time “I Will Dare” which Features Peter Buck of REM fame on guitar.

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a perfect album but this is about as close as you can get. Rolling Stone magazine rated “Let it Be” #15 on their list of 100 greatest albums of the 80’s.

She & Him...and Me

2008-08-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to First Ave to see Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward’s band She & Him. I wasn’t expecting the show to be all that great but I was pleasantly surprised. Happy is probably the best word I can think of to decribe the show. On a few occasions I found myself completly at ease with a smile on my face. Zooey’s vocals were impressive (much better live then on the album) and their backup band was very tight. I can see Zooey having a successful career in both movies and music.

Set List:

Black Hole
I Was Made For You
Change Is Hard
Sentimental Heart
*band leaves, just Matt and Zooey play a set
You Really Got a Hold on Me (Smokey Robinson cover)
I Don’t Want to Wonder if You Love Me…cover??
Terrible News - new
You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio (Joni Mitchell cover)
*band comes back
Saw You Lingering Still - new
Got Me
I Thought I Saw Your Face Today
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
This is Not a Test
Sweet Darlin’

Encore:
Bring It On Home to Me (Sam Cooke cover)

Since the Packers are all over the news...

2008-08-05T11:01:00.000-05:00

I thought I’d post an old story I wrote and sent via email to my flag football team “The Dramatic Prairie Dogs” last year. It just seemed fitting with all this Farve and Packers talk in the news recently. I hope you enjoy!

Hello again Prairie Dogs,

Last night I, along with a few other Prairie Dogs witnessed a story that must be told.

The setting for this story begins in a warm bar on a frigid Thursday night in downtown Minneapolis. We all sat down to watch the Packers/Cowboys game, ordered a few drinks and some apps, nothing out of the ordinary. A short while later the server came around to take our dinner orders. As we all ordered our sandwiches and burgers the server made her way to our very own Angela. Angela looked our server straight in the eyes and said “I want dessert” and then proceeded to order the brownie sundae.

Some time has passed now, the Pack are falling behind and Favre got taken out of the game with an elbow injury leaving Packer fans starring into the nervous eyes of their back up QB Aaron Rodgers (A.Rodg). As the table was becoming more and more somber our server showed up with our food. Placed in front of Angela was a huge brownie sundae that reminded me of the time I climbed Everest (but that is a whole different story). With spoon in hand Angela looked at the table and said “I’m eating this whole thing.” The challenge has begun!

The atmosphere in the bar slowly started to change. It seemed with every completed pass by A.Rodg the Packer fans spirits lifted and so did Angela’s spoon. There was a certain glimmer of determination in A.Rodg’s eyes now and that same glimmer could be seen in Angela’s. Before we knew it the sundae was over half gone. Angela looked at the table and said “I’m doing pretty well and I’ve only broken a little sweat.” I feared after this comment Angela might be getting a little cocky and that is not the Prairie Dog way.

The Packers have now pulled within 3 points of the Cowboys but both the Pack and Angela seemed to have lost momentum. I could see defeat in their eyes. I knew it was time to step in. I reminded Angela of the Prairie Dog way. The DPDs do not give up; they stay focused on the challenge in front of them and see it through to the end. After the whole table wiped away their tears from my moving speech Angela picked up the spoon and finished off the bohemiath sundae. I wish I could say the same thing happened to the Packers, that they came back and won the game without Favre, but I can’t, because they didn’t.

So the moral of the story is the Dramatic Prairie Dogs are way cooler than the Packers.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-07-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

This week I recommend to you the self titled release by Fleet Foxes. I have only owned this album for about 9 hours now but I am absolutely in love with it. I am on my 3rd consecutive listen now while I sit here at work and it gets better and better with every listen.

Fleet Foxes is putting the tired Seattle music scene back on the map. This quintet describe their music as “baroque harmonic pop jams.” Their harmonies are AMAZING! It’s like your listening to the “Smiley Smile” era Beach Boys mixed with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. From start to finish no track on this album disappoints. I’m struggling to find words to describe how these songs make me feel, it’s almost spiritual. I feel like I am just gushing now so I’ll stop and let you make your own opinions on this album.

This is the first album released this year that I feel excitingly confident recommending to people. With that being said buy it, burrow it, download it, burn it…hell steal it if you have too. Once you own it, play it at high volume wherever you go so others can hear it. Make that middle aged man next to you in his luxury sedan turn off his Michael McDonald CD and remind him how good music can be. Make that douche bag on the crotch rocket next to you want to grow a beard and trade his bike in for a horse. Make all those Tweens walking down the street realize that Miley Cyrus is no talent ass clown. That’s all I got.

The Hold Steady on 7/22 at First Ave

2008-07-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night a friend and I went to First Ave to see one of our favorite bands The Hold Steady. The show was in support of their new album “Stay Positive” and it sold out over a month ago.

We arrived in time to catch the last couple songs of the opener “The Loved Ones” which seemed like we walked through some time portal back to our high school days. Did First Ave just turn into Hot Topic and is this the new coolest band on the Warped Tour. We both were underwhelmed and surprised this is who The Hold Steady picked as their opener but were happy to only have to listen to two songs.

After the opener was done my excitement started to build. This was my 4th time to have seen The Hold Steady and have not been disappointed yet. At exactly 10:25 The Hold Steady took the stage, walking out to “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince. They started off the set with the 1st track off the new album “Constructive Summer” and reeled in the crowd right away.

As the set went on I found myself getting really excited when they played tunes from past records. I have not found that “love at first listen” with there new album like I did with the others. There are some great tracks on the record but I find myself skipping tracks from time to time which I’ve never done in the past. I thought maybe seeing the band play some of these songs live would give me a new appreciation for them but I found myself drifting away from the show until a older tune was played.

The highlight of the show was the two killer encores they performed. Probably the most rocking I’ve ever seen the guys.

All in all I still had a great time at the show. I think it is impossible to not have a great time at a Hold Steady show. I wouldn’t hesitate for one second to see them again.

SETLIST:

Constructive Summer
Hot Soft Light
Chips Ahoy!
Sequestered In Memphis
Yeah Sapphire
One For The Cutters
Stevie Nix
Hot Fries
Magazines
Sweet Payne
Party Pit
Massive Nights
Two Handed Handshake (First Time Played Live)
Joke About Jamaica
Lord, I’m Discouraged
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Stay Positive
Slapped Actress
——————
Positive Jam
Stuck Between Stations
How A Resurrection Really Feels
——————
Certain Songs
Killer Parties

Friday night I was entertained by the man with the itchy legs and ignited a rock crush with a set of twins.

2008-07-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

A small group of friends and I decided to head to the Turf Club on Friday to catch Tim Fite and the Watson Twins perform. We arrived early enough to grab a table right up in front. They were great seats except for the Antarctic air blowing at gale force speeds right at us from the air conditioner.

A local opener took the stage first treating us to some unimpressive banjo playing and some uncomfortable between song banter. As soon as her set was done the show began.

Tim Fite started off walking the whole bar, shaking people’s hands and thanking them for coming before taking the stage. The stage was set with a large wooden light up boombox and a projector screen. Tim put on a very entertaining show, fun songs, funny stories such as “let’s go outside and stab a mother fucker”, and great visuals. He was inclusion rock at it’s best.

Next up the headliners, The Watson Twins. After listening to their album I was expecting a pretty mellow show which would not have been a good fit following Tim Fite. They started their set with their upbeat single “How am I to be” and then kept the set rocking from there. The highlight of their set was their hauntingly beautiful cover of The Cure’s “Just Like a Dream.”

After the Watson’s finished up Mary and I headed back to the merch table to have them sign our CD and thank them for the show. Mary ended up hitting it off with one of them and chatted with her for a good 5-10 minutes. They both seemed so nice, almost too nice.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-07-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

This week I am going to recommend “Over the Counterculture” by Tim Fite.

So you may have heard the old joke “what do you get when you mix country and rap music….Crap” well this album proves that wrong. I don’t know if any other artist would be able to pull this off but somehow Tim Fite makes it all work. He’s twangy vioce, intersting use of samples and lyrical satire of capitalism and commercialism all come together to make a mind blowing album. One of the best things about this album is Fite decided to release the album for free online from his website and not at stores.

The ideas contained within this album were spawned from Fite witnessing Sean “Diddy” Combs on a video award show starting a call and response of: “Don’t Get Mad! Get Money!” Fite said, “It sounded so true. It made so much sense. I liked it. I wanted to respond - Get Money! - Get Money! - Get Money! But as quickly as it had started, it was over. Mr. Combs plugged his new record, and the commercials came on - a car ad with a hip-hop beat - Vitamin Water by 50 Cent - Dirty South Ring Tones - The Game: Sneakers by Reebok - “Don’t Get Mad…Spend Money…Don’t Get Mad…Spend Money…Don’t Get Mad…Spend Money!” I slammed my last three quarters into the laundry maching. I am mad. Fuck money.

I highly recommend you go to the site and download this Album. Listen to it a couple times and let me know what you think.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week

2008-07-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

This week’s album recommendation is “Revolver” by the Beatles. Alright, so I’m not really going out on a limb with this week’s pick but not only is this my favorite Beatles album, it is my favorite album of ALL TIME.

People often argue about what Beatles they like more, early Beatles or late Beatles…well I say middle Beatles. “Revolver” along with its predecessor “Rubber Soul” are known as the transition albums. In 1965-66 the Beatles started finding new influences such as LSD and Hindu spirituality which started bringing new sounds, instruments and deeper meanings to their songs. These influences can be heard in the backwards guitar solo on “I’m Only Sleeping”, Harrison introducing the sitar in “Love you to” and in what I consider to be the first techno song ever “The Tomorrow Never Knows.”

“Revolver” also carries hit tunes like “Good Day Sunshine”, “Yellow Submarine” and my personal favorite “Taxman.” However, the true star of the album is “Eleanor Rigby” which reads like an incredible poem on paper but when set to the music of a haunting string section the lyrics really come alive.

Running 4.5 miles has never been so entertaining

2008-07-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

Recently I have taking up running as a hobby. Yes, this is the same Anton that used to dread “The Mile” day in grade school. In 6th grade I actually fainted after completing the mile. I don’t know if it was because I was completely exhausted or if I was overwhelmed with excitement because I finished seconds before the obese kid.

As I pulled into the parking lot of Lifetime in Plymouth I decided to set my goal at 4 miles. I stepped on to my favorite treadmill and began my 3 minute warm up. About midway through my first mile I noticed some wild arm movements a few treadmills ahead of me. First thing that came to my mind is “I need to be filming this” but I am pretty sure they don’t allow cameras of any kind in the gym and I don’t want to be pegged as Mr. Creepy, so I will do my best to describe what I saw. Let the show begin!

Working out(?) a few treadmills in front of me was a lady in her late 30’s maybe early 40’s. She wore tight spandex pants, a gray cutoff T-shirt and some sort of weight belt thing to cover most of her midsection. Even crazier than what she was wearing was how she was moving on the treadmill. I quickly noticed her frantic leg movements that were somewhere between a roller disco routine and a pro athlete running an agility course. From time to time the upper body would want to get into the mix moving her arms in some sort of choreographed cheerleader routine.

Before I knew it I was just over 2.5 miles into my run. My mind was completely distracted from how my body felt, 4 miles is going to be easy, and then it happened…In between the unconjoined leg and the arm movements the lower and upper body decided to work together. This move was straight out of “West Side Story” when the Jet’s and the Sharks are walking towards each other in the alleyway before the big fight. Her back was hunched over, arms at her side, fingers snapping to the beat while her legs took long cool strides. I was like “oh, no she didn’t.” About 5% of me was amazed at the energy and balance this lady had but the other 95% was just hoping to see one of the most horrific treadmill disasters in history.

Disappointment struck when she started her cool down which consisted of a normal one foot in front of the other walk. The show was over. I looked down at my digital display and noticed I have now ran for 4.1 miles! I decided to stretch out my run to my new personal best 4.5 miles.

I would like to thank you Ol’ Crazy Legs whoever you are for helping me become a better runner. I wish my old gym teachers could see me now.

Anton's CD recommendation of the week.

2008-07-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

Part of my blog will be a weekly CD recommendation. These recommendations will be both new and old albums that would make a great addition to anyone’s music collection. If one sounds interesting to you let me know and I let you take it for a spin.

My first CD Recommendation is “Naturally” by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This is Sharon Jones 2nd release on Daptone records, a label I have absolutely fallen in love with over the last few years.

Sharon Jones has a huge soulful voice and an attitude to back it up. Her ability to go from upbeat funk tunes like “My Man is a Mean Man” to slower bluesy songs like “Stranded in your Love” is truly amazing. Her cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is your Land” turns a folk track into a genius funk/gospel version. Sharon’s backup band the Dap-kings are one of the tightest funk/soul bands I’ve ever heard. The Dap-kings played back up on most of Amy Whinehouse’s “Back to Black” album and were employed as her touring band. “Naturally” was recorded in 2005 but you’d swear it was 1965.

This album is perfect for driving with the windows or top down on a summer’s day. Enjoy!

Our First (and last) Time to CiCi's Pizza.

2008-07-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

Our adventure started on Monday night when Mary and I go through our nightly routine of what or where should we eat. After looking in our fridge and seeing a few cans of Grain Belt and some soy sauce starring back at me, we decided going out to get food sounded like a great idea.

One of the perks of living in a suburb (I’d be pressed to name more than two) is that you have every food option available to you within a 5 minute drive. We decided on trying a newly opened all you can eat pizza buffet called CiCi’s. I have to admit the combo of the words “all you can eat” and “pizza” got me pretty stoked to try this place. As we parked the car I noticed a big sign on the front saying “All you can eat just $5.49.” What?! Did we just get into our DeLorean and travel back to 1988? Now with both a little excitement and apprehension we walked through the front door.

Just seconds after walking through the door we were greeted by every employee with an exciting “welcome to CiCi’s.” After paying the cashier and receiving the low down on how it works we started our way down the buffet line. It started with 3 pre-made salad options followed by a pasta bar with your choice of both red and white sauce, then we hit the “Coup De Grace” the pizza. CiCi’s had somewhere around 15 different types of pizza sitting under heat lamps for your choosing. If you listened close enough you could here their screams “Help me!, Pick Me!, Get me the hell out of here!”

With our plates ambitiously loaded we sat down. We both agreed that the Italian salad was pretty good, a little soggy but good. The pasta was bland at best, Mary however did complement the texture of the noodles. Now on to the pizza. Dry, dry, dry, every once and a while one of us would say “Oh, a fresh piece” and still be disappointed. I have to give CiCi’s props for trying some adventurous topping options like their Mac and Cheese pizza, but the more adventurous the longer it sat under the lamps and the dryer it got.

As we battled our way through the pizza we started to take note of the clientele that CiCi’s brings in. You know how we all have Aunts or Uncles that we try to avoid at family gatherings but the gatherings wouldn’t provide any good stories if they weren’t there, well they all hang out at CiCi’s. These aren’t the Coach toting, nose in the air, Bravo housewife wanna-be’s that we are accustomed to seeing everywhere else in Plymouth, oh no, these were Plymouth’s forgotten ones. We watched in amazement as two young athletic guys took full advantage of the pasta bar for carbo loading. Plate after Plate loaded with noodles and white sauce. I just hope they make their sporting event and don’t get stuck in the crapper. The people watching was way more fulfilling than the food.

Just before we decided to leave the bus boy came buy with his cart to clear our plates. He wheeled up right next to us and took each plate and banged it clean into the garbage bag before placing it in the dirty dish bin. Leaving Mary and I having an uncomfortable conversation next to the portable kitchen for about 30 seconds. We quickly headed for the exit where we were thanked by every employee with a gracious “Thanks for coming to CiCi’s!”

We giggled our way back to the car and told Mary “I really need to start a blog.” Just when we thought it couldn’t get any funnier we noticed a rainbow of bungee cords holding the crimpled hood shut on the car parked next to us. “Where and the hell are we!”