Happy New Year!

Everyone have a safe and happy new year...get plowed and tell the ones you love how much you love them.

Download and enjoy my favorite New Year's related song here..."The Ice of Boston" by the Dismemberment Plan. A gift from me to you.

Here's to another goddamn new year.


Run your mouse over the album cover and the player will launch!

Last chance to vote...ends tomorrow!

Click here and vote on the whole indie chicks thing. Annie Hardy is winning with Feist and Joanna nipping at her heels!

BEST ALBUMS OF `06 #1-5

Took a blizzard for me to finish this...

Drum roll please...the grand finale!


1. TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
DUH. Come on! Even Entertainment Weekly chose this album as the best of `06. It really is that good. It was good when it first leaked a million years ago. I am a TV on the Radio fan anyway, but some of their material left me in the dark at times. Not here. Cookie Mountain is literally bursting at the seams with choice cuts. Did they release the best single of the year with "Wolf Like Me"? Absolutely. But then there is "I Was A Lover", with it's elephant calls. Or the doo-wop of "Dirtywhirl". Maybe the Bowie cameo on "Province"? You can go anywhere. The nonsense at the end aside, this might be a perfect record. If this is the future of rock and roll, count me in. We are fucking howling forever, ooh ooh.
REQUIRED LISTENING: I Was A Lover




2. Joanna Newsom- Ys
Pronounced 'yeese', Ys -to me- is a stand-alone piece of art. It belongs in a museum. An incredibly ambitious album, the ravishing beauty and playful arrangements of these five songs have a timeless feel about them. Like they are classics in the lexicon, standards. As if "Monkey and Bear" was a nursery rhyme you heard when you were little. Like listening to a story. And though the average run time of a song is in the area of ten minutes, they never feel that long. Absolute beauty, in and out. I read somewhere that in Joanna the US had finally found it's answer to Bjork. And then some.
BONUS: Wikipedia article about the ancient mythical city of Ys. Recommended. Read it. Right now.
REQUIRED LISTENING: Sawdust and Diamonds




3. Russian Circles- Enter
You can take the boy out of metal but you can't take metal out of the boy...Enter straight up shreds your face right the fuck off. Of all the bands doing the prog metal thing currently (ISIS, Pelican, Red Sparowes, etc) these guys have got to be the most accessible. It's like throwing those bands into a pot and adding Explosions in the Sky. However at no point do they drone, or meander around a theme; everything is crisp and fresh and, well, totally shredding. "Carpe" opens the record with sparse haunting guitar and some nice tap work, then jolts you out of your seat with the opening onslaught, from seemingly out of nowhere. The fact that a three-piece can sound like a full orchestra is incredible...drummer Dave Turncrantz holds the frenetic chaos together with precise drumming that leads the band charging into the fray. Amazing, amazing record. Now that I think about it maybe it should be in the number one spot, just on the sheer volume of repeat-listens alone.
REQUIRED LISTENING: Death Rides A Horse




4. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins- Rabbit Fur Coat
A perfect little snack of an album. In a scant 37 minutes Jenny comes in, melts your heart and leaves again, looking back at you over her shoulder and winking. She mixes heartbreak, history, gospel and faith into a beautifully stark snapshot of herself. The album is already steeped in nostalgia before you even hear it; it feels warm and comforting and ever-so-slightly familiar. Some reviews I read called her lyrics trite, I rather enjoy them (They warn you about killers and thieves in night/I worry about cancer and living right /But my mama never warned me about my own/Destructive appetite" or "It's bound to melt your heart/For good or for bad/It's like a valentine/From your mother/It's bound to melt your heart"). I hope this record has the lasting power I think it does.
REQUIRED LISTENING: The Big Guns




5. SOUND team- Movie Monster
Half the fun of SOUND team is trying to explain to people what they actually SOUND like...it's impossible. Moog-infused rock n' roll? Fuzzed out psychedelia? Electronic prog rock? Whatever they are, they sound distinctly Austin. While not immediately accessible, Movie Monster is a veritable treasure trove of hidden delights. The little synth part that swims around the meat of a song. The pulsating bass line hiding behind gritty fuzzy guitars. The pop song ready for the radio buried in static. It's meaty. Spend some time listening to this record through headphones. Added bonus: bass player looks just like Denver Dan.
REQUIRED LISTENING: Your Eyes Are Liars


THE REST:
6. TOM WAITS- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
7. EVERYTHING ABSENT OR DISTORTED- The Soft Civil War
8. CURSIVE- Happy Hollow
9. NEKO CASE- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
10. ART BRUT- Bang Bang Rock And Roll
12. BLOOD BROTHERS- Young Machetes
13. HOT CHIP- The Warning
14. GIANT DRAG- Hearts and Unicorns
15. MASTODON- Blood Mountain
16. THE RAPTURE- Pieces of the People We Love
17. BAND OF HORSES- Everything All the Time
19. THE DRAFT- In a Million Pieces
20. MARITIME- We, The Vehicles
21. THE THERMALS- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
22. RATATAT- Classics
23. LIARS- Drum's Not Dead
25. SUFJAN STEVENS- The Avalanche

You can do a full recap here or here.

And a special consideration for the best album of 2005 I didn't 'get' until 2006...


Wolf Parade- Apologies to the Queen Mary
It's so fucking amazing. Just a fantastic record, which I might also label a 'perfect' record. It has become like comfort food for me. When I am sick of all music I throw this on. From the opening crunch of "You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son" (which they segue live into "Fancy Claps"- it's mind-melting) to the go-out-on-a-high-note of "This Heart's On Fire", Wolf Parade hacked it's way into my heart this year.
REQUIRED LISTENING: I'll Believe In Anything

movies!

My favorites released this year. In order.


1. The Descent
Most horror movies that major Hollywood studios churn out suck balls, period. So thank God for Lion's Gate who continually release great horror films. The Descent went largely unnoticed, and was marketed a little strange. The actual meat of the movie is in the characters, not so much the bizarre albinos chasing them through a cave in the Smoky Mountains. Shauna McDonald and Natalie Mendoza's showdown at the end kept you just as on edge as the blood bath sequence and the watching-monsters-feast-through-a-videocamera sequence. Lighting and sound play a big part in this film, which made it required viewing in a theatre, so you could hear which direction the bone-gnawing was coming from. Being a horror movie fan, it is hard to make me jump and squirm these days. This one got me quite a few times.



2. The Proposition
Finally a Western (okay, an Austrailian Outback-ern) that is as violent as it probably was. Those times were gnarly, so to believe that there wasn't a high level of ultra-violence is ridiculous. And The Proposition does it with a measure of taste and horror that fills the film up with an atmosphere that anything could happen to anyone. Guy Pearce is fantastic in this, but completely outshined by the one-two punch of Danny Huston as his villanous psychotic brother and the kick-fucking-ass Ray Winstone (who was Mr.French in The Departed) as the haggard lawman after them both. Written by Nick Cave and also featuring Emily Watson, how can this not kick ass. Try and watch Richard Wilson nearly get whipped to death without cringing. I dare you.



3. The Departed
This movie slayed hard. I don't see many movies in the theatre, so the fact that I saw this one twice in one week says something. And to think walking in I was so not stoked on it....I'm a DiCraprio hater. Sure, he has done some good stuff...but Titanic and his fucking shitty accent in Gangs of New York throughly irritated me. But man! He fucking kicks ass in this movie. Whether he's pistol-whipping some dude screaming "SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP!" or busting up a dude who suggests he's on his period, Leo just goes for it. And he's not alone. Nicholsen chews the fuck out of the scenery, and Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg also deserve some consideration. This movie is really kind of a throw-back to an old `70s gritty gangster movie (the kind Scorcese made his name directing.) It's not flashy with jump-cuts and a nu-metal soundtrack. Instead it somehow manages to focus right in on the flawed/fucked characters and invest you in them, while keeping you on the edge of your seat. Top actors firing on all cylinders for a director who is definetely one of the premier filmmakers of all time. Should sweep the Oscars, and give two awards to Mark Wahlberg for having the best quotes in a movie this year ("Who am I? I'm the guy that does his fuckin' job! You must be the other guy!" and "Do you have anyone in with Costello presently?" "Maybe, maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself.").



4. The Devil and Daniel Johnston
In high school I had a girlfriend whose sister DJed on the UM radio station. She played a song for me over the air one day by this dude named Daniel Johnston. It was a weird children's song that comprised of overdubbed vocals and a cello. The song was about nothing really, it was called "Happy Time" from the Fun album. I was hooked from day one. When I finally got around to seeing this movie, my eyes were completely opened to someone I had revered for years. This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, right up there with In the Realms of the Unreal. It paints the tragic figure so beautifully and elegantly it is impossible not to be moved. There is a scene in which Daniel gets to meet Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons. They chat nonchalantly and very business-y almost. But when Groening leaves the room Daniel's elated reaction that will snap your heart in two. The only movie I've seen this year that had me wiping my eyes at the
end.

Ed.note: I would've put Hostel in there but it was released at the tail end of last year, so technically doesn't count, but I did see it in January...so consider it in an unofficial tie with #2

bluzzard

Going stirfuckingcrazy.

These were all taken about 2am.







I moved here for this kind of weather...but come on! Jesus. Blue Moon, cigarettes, Final Fantasy XII, and the internet.

2006 mix tape!

I like making mix tapes/cds. I make a lot of them. I have a really short attention span, so rather than have to change CDs when I want to hear a certain song, I just jam all the songs I am feeling that week into one. Here is my compilation (which probably wouldn't fit on a real CD, but might on a tape) of my absolute favorite songs from 2006...in no order whatsoever...

TV on the Radio- "Wolf Like Me": This song is hot fire. Sounds like sweat, and sex.

Hot Chip- "Over and Over": The whole track is a joke on repetition, but becomes fresher, newer, and more fucking dancetastic than any repetitive shit you've ever heard before.

Justice vs Simian- "We Are Your Friends": When Kevin Federline described his song "Popozao" as an "Ass-Banger", I was confused. Then I heard this song, and realized just what an 'ass-banger' is. I love the retro-electro movement.

Muse- “Knights of Cydonia": Rulingest riff of the year. When that shit drops you wish you were 14 in a mosh pit instead of stoned in a living room.

Sufjan Stevens- “Majesty Snowbird”: Yeah it’s not recorded yet. It still rules and I heard it this year. Fuck off.

Editors- "Munich": I wish I went to Stafford University and did tons of blow with these dudes.

Art Brut- "Bad Weekend": I saved up so much money to spend...all I can afford is a bad weekend. Popular culture no longer applies to me. So true, Captain Argos, so true.

Blood Brothers- "Lazer Life": Billy Joel on meth.

The Thermals- "A Pillar of Salt": This song is so much fun that you wish the Pogo was still a legitimate dance movie. And that your drink had one of those sippy-cup tops.

Gnarls Barkley- "Smiley Faces"/"Crazy": Yeah it was totally over in a month, but face it, these were great summertime singles. Although I never need to hear "Crazy" again. Ever. I can picture lame white girls dancing rhythmlessly in bars and on tabletops everywhere.

CSS- "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above": If any girl ever said this to me I would ask her to marry me right then and there. She'd say no.

The Futureheads- "Worry About It Later": It keeps building and building and building and then it ends and you're starting the track over, because you can't understand what these Scots are saying at all.

Jenny Lewis- "Rise Up With Fists!!!": Like a piece of Peppermint Bark for the ears.

Justin Timberlake ft. TI- "My Love": Come on. This song slays tons of gash. That synth line will melt all the ice in your Green Tea Pres.

Lily Allen- "Smile": Again, closest thing to reggae you will EVER catch me listening to.

Maritime- "Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts": If you don't like this song, you probably also don't like America, or puppies.

Neko Case- "Star Witness": I don't mind watching the baby at all.

The Rapture- "Whoo! Alright - Yeah...Uh Huh": I mean, what? This song rules so hard...the whole sing-along/Goodie Mob shout out thing is brilliant. Because they're right! People don't dance no mo'!

Ratatat- "Wildcat": Rawr. Mike Stroud used to be in Dashboard Confessional. He made a good move here.

Silversun Pickups- "Lazy Eye": When Brian Aubert's lilting voice rips open during the 'everyone can focus clearly with such SHINE!' you can hear the conviction in his voice...it's grizzled, raw, and sounds like it hurts. That shit will give you serious goosebumps.

3oh3!- “Holler Til You Pass Out”: A buddy and I wanted to start a label just to unleash this band on the world. This song is their magnum opus...bang bang bang bang motherfuckin' street slang indeed.

Band of Horses- “Our Swords”: Again, very overhyped. This song is the whole shebang for me; it's easy, simple, and amazing.

SOUND team- “TV Torso”/”Your Eyes Are Liars”: Couldn’t choose. This band is so amazing, it’s no wonder they made it to the number 5 spot in my top ten.

Giant Drag- "My Dick Sux": It really does. Ask anyone.

Mastodon- "Crystal Skull": So metal. Into the black hole, searching the crystal, making the veins bleed!!! Why can't we be Vikings? I want to drink from a flagon and listen to this shit with Olaf and Hurkenskkard.

The Sword- "Freya": Speaking of Viking metal...you know this song is gnar because it's on Guitar Hero II. Shredding metal.

Artic Monkeys- "Dancing Shoes": When ED (English Dave) told me about these guys, all I could think was 'horrible name'. Then I heard this song, and I went and put my dancing shoes on immediately. If you can't dance to this you need to check yourself into a hospital cos your feet don't work. Why is "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" getting all the fame? This song kills it.

I missed a ton, but this could go on forever. These are my most favorite songs...I think. Watch for an updating when my brain begins to function again...I have either been inside in the snow or melting in the heat for almost ten days.

blizzard 2

You got to be kidding me. Another fucking blizzard?? Might as well spend all day on the internet. Maybe I will get around to posting about real stuff, right after I trek to the liquor store for beer and whiskey.

This made me laugh.
Girl's Costume Warehouse Commercial


And Scott's favorite sportscaster. Try and follow what the hell he is saying at the end.

gift ideas.

Get me a present. I swear I have been a good boy all year.

happy holydays

Well I made it out of the blizzard and currently am melting here in beautiful Miami, Florida. When I get back to the D I will post the last five records, as well as my whole 100 shows list...I aimed to go to a hundred shows this year, and I am gonna hit 125 right on the nose (if all goes to plan). I estimated that I've seen over 400 different live sets this year. Nerd.

Hope you all have a safe and fun holiday. I promise to put my grinch-ing aside for a few days.

worst video ever?

Fallout Boy "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race"

What 'scene' are they talking about? Fucktards. They get zero credit for the self-deprication. The bass player had pictures of himself leaked where he was posing shirtless in a hoodie holding his dick. You're a fucking lame douche. Stop trying to pretend like it was the plan all along. This band sucks so bad, this guy can't sing, please oh please for my one Christmas wish PLEASE LET FALLOUT BOY GO THE FUCK AWAY.

And can the guitar player stop spinning around? Jackass.

holiday party SLAT, apologies, stubbs, kodiak, mustaches, why the real world sucks, pho, DIAB, my wishes for the new year...in that order

we have a lot of ground to cover...drum roll please...

The SLAT®* of Matt Clark, Sunday December 17th 2006
Patrick Carrolls
Red beer
Red beer
Bud Light
Bud Light
Scruffy Murphys
Vodka and whatever gross fucking energy drink that I didn't order or want to drink (but did)
Marquis
Blue Moon
Sambuca shot
Blue Moon
Sambuca shot
Blue Moon
Hornitos
Hornitos
Well Bourbon (possibly Beam)
Blue Moon

That's not too bad. Of course who knows, the end is hazy. The Pete's holiday party was last night, and of course was a massive trainwreck. I succeeded in my goal of not making an ass in front of the little guys from my new store- maybe. Find out tonight. Also there was no unfortunate making out which is also good (and bad if you think about it). I knew it was gonna get gnar, and I prepared myself for this feeling of "oopswhatthefuck". I feel bad for Matt H, as I stranded him at the 'decks' for much of the night. I am a pretty shitty DJ partner.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a cook.


This is Signal to Noise's album art. Of course it's called Kodiak. What else would it be called? They played the holiday party last night, and a few years ago pioneered the popular practice of calling me by both my first and last names. Tristan, Knock `Em Out Nolan, Jesse and now James Frank. Amazing dudes, amazing band. High five. I wish them all the luck in the world. I fucking love them. You all should, too. Album tracklist is here.

I love my mustache. So what if it is potential mate-poison? With everyone getting married and having babies there has to be one bastion of bachelorhood for the men in prison to live vicariously through...I have made an art out of getting husbands/boyfriends in trouble. So don't worry fellas; with mullet, mustache, and steel liver in tow (and possibly Longman and Gibby by my side) I will outdrink you all and regale you with stories of the dumb shit I do. You can stay in on a Friday night and not have to worry about the world passing you by (it is though- trust me).

In my hungover state this morning I watched a marathon of The Real World Denver. Doesn't this show keep getting shittier and more pathetic? This is the future of America? Good-looking morons who drink like they are 18 and will fuck anything that moves and can't wait to get on a Challenge? At least back in the day it was an interesting social experiment...now it is a fucking joke. They make Denver look pretty cool, although I noticed in the opening they tagged a "Colorado!" at the end- like some people may need help figuring out where Denver is. And that wouldn't surprise me because we are a nation of retards who have babies. Anyway I'm watching the episode where these two whores both hook up with the same dude (they are all roommates, and whores). But the ladies decided 'chicks before dicks' and cried their way through it saying such brilliant things as "Coly will be at my wedding!!!". Keep in mind that this is quite literally the second or third day they are in the house. Later on that night the dude decides he is into the first whore he hooked up with (which is prompted by her bringing a random dude home from the bar- weird!!). So they talk about maybe seeing if something is there. PRICELESS! Fucking retards! These are college kids? Example:

-"I like want to like, you know, like, have a relationship but still like, you know...I'm young you know like I just want to like you know like like someone like you know like like like you know."

"No yeah like I totally like know like exactly like you know how you're feeling and like you know that's like totally cool you know like you're someone like you know like like like you know like you know like like you know hook up."

And I said...what? Is it like The DaVinci Code and somehow if we correspond the "likes" and "you knows" to the Aramaic alphabet the location of Jesus' foreskin will be revealed? Or are they sending coordinates to the mothership? Fucking ridiculous.

I am trying to wrap this up so I can go eat some pho. The hangover ANNHILIATOR. Trust me. And to call Matt H. Seriously, I feel bad.

Everyone on the planet has seen or heard this.


And my wish for the new year? We'll get into that later.

*'Scott Longman Alcohol Timeline' or SLAT is a registered trademark of S. William Longman, all rights reserved.

Jenny Jenny

Pitchfork put up a bit today where different guests reveal their favorite albums of `06. Here is Jenny's.

1. Whispertown 2000: Livin' in a Dream
If Randy Newman and Lucinda Williams did it in a New York minute, it might sound like this. This record has some of my favorite lyrics, ever.
2. Bob Dylan: Modern Times
Somehow, this sounds like a Christmas record. Santa, you ain't gonna work for me no more!
3. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter II
I feel a kinship with Lil Wayne, because we both made our first mil before we were 17. "Fuck bitches, get money..."
4. M. Ward: Post-War
This record puts me in a trance. Not an evil or murderous trance, but a happy, old-timey one.
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium
1 for the now, 11 for the later? John Frusciante's guitar tone and background vocals are dreamy. I didn't see it, but apparently these guys tore up Fuji rock.

The Chili Peppers? Oh Jen...bummer.

They also did a bit featuring the worst album covers of 2006 that is worth a look.

Obama's announcement

I thought this was hilarious. Just really when he goes "DUHN DUHN DUHN DUHN DUUUNNN".


I have been plowing through this book...usually not into these self-promoting political deals, but this Obama cat seems too good to be true. Here is a great NYtimes article about the Senator's recent visit to New Hampshire in a potential stumping move. I am sure he would make a phenomenal President, or Vice President. BUT- I don't trust the country to vote smart; I expect them to vote dumb. What, we can't even get a domestic partnerships referendum to pass and we want to push a black man with a foreign name on a ticket, possibly with a women? Call me a bitter cynic, but it sounds hopeless. I'm not worried about major metropolises, where the socio/economic hearts of states are located...I am worried about the surrounding bullshit. How are we supposed to expect Joe Pueblo to vote this way? Scary.

On another note I have really really been eating up Ys. It's all I listen to, and that's awkward when I pull up at a stoplight with my window down and harp music is blasting. Or when a friend of mine gets into the car and "Monkey and Bear" is on...Actual quote from someone who shall remain nameless- "Are you listening to showtunes??? I KNEW IT!".

Shit's beautiful. This is art.

Best Albums of 2006... #6-10

I promise that I am not building up suspense for the very top...I am just lazy.


6. TOM WAITS- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
I know this just came out, but it's Tom Waits. Orphans is a collection of odds and ends throughout the years...covers, songs recorded for films never released, and just general hodge podge. However Waits assembles all these lost songs into three cohesive, standalone records; Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. Brawlers is reserved for songs that would fit on any of the ANTI-released Waits records, Bawlers is composed of ballads gone wrong, any of which would make a fitting backdrop to drinking whiskey alone in a smoky bar. Bastards is mostly experimental or spoken word songs including a poem written by Charles Bukowski. And in these three records lies some of Waits finest work. From the chugging, demented Delta blues of "Lucinda" to the stark beauty and wistfulness of "You Can Never Hold Back Spring", the whole spectrum of the Tom Waits sound is explored. The man can do no wrong. For some reason, this is what Christmas music should sound like...the despair and alienation that leads eventually to the light up ahead. Beautiful and terrifying, Orphans will warm you up and blur your vision like a shot of Jameson 12-year-old.


7. EVERYTHING ABSENT OR DISTORTED- The Soft Civil War
The first time I saw this band was opening up for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and SOUND team...the only thing I really remember is a Neutral Milk Hotel cover and a song that had a super catchy trombone hook. A few weeks later I found them on Myspace and was blown away by the songs online. I actually was nerdy enough to go buy this record the day it came out at Twist & Shout. While it way be a little derivative of other 'collective' groups like the Arcade Fire, NMH, and Broken Social Scene, it captures a feeling and mood that feels distinctly EAOD's own. "The Exit Parade" is one of the best songs I have heard all year...plaintative trombones swim with ethereal guitars and segue into one of the most instantly sing-alongable choruses out there. The album is short and to the point; seven tracks clocking in at 23 minutes. Yet these 23 minutes are chock-full of sugary sweetness. The band has a surname of sorts...they are Everything Absent or Distorted (a love story). This album will make you fall in love with it, and with them.


8. CURSIVE- Happy Hollow
Once upon a time, there was a band named Cursive. They released a record called Domestica, and everyone thought that they had peaked; this was it, their finest moment. Then they released the Burst and Bloom EP, and the shape of things to come looked promising. In 2003, they dropped The Ugly Organ, which instantly cemented them into the indie-rock lexicon. So when Happy Hollow was announced, I felt the exact same way I have felt on the eve of every Cursive release; how can they top what has come before? While this album falls well short of the masterpiece that is The Ugly Organ, it is also it's own beast in and of itself...and welcomes a whole new version of Cursive to the world. Fourteen songs about the saints and sinners of a fictional town called Happy Hollow, catalogued in the final track "Hymns for the Heathens". Tim Kasher's crisis of faith is played out in real-time through these characters...the old songs of ex-lovers are traded in for condemnations of everything from Christianity to America to the current adminsitration. Yet it never sounds preachy or self-serving. So while we might have to wait another three years for the next chapter from Cursive, it would seem that this is a band who keeps topping themselves, even after over ten years together.


9. NEKO CASE- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
When I was a little kid I had this illustrated book of stories about the adventures of a family of bears that were always getting into trouble or something. I had this one where the little boy bear got lost in the woods, but unfortunately a few pages of the book were missing, so all of a sudden he just appeared back at home good as new. So I would have to make up the rest of the story, fill in the blanks. This is much like listening to Fox Confessor Brings the Flood...you have to fill in the blanks, and that's the most fun. Neko has really become a dynamic force in music. We know she can sing like the dickens, but with Fox Confessor she has firmly planted herself at the top of female singer-songwriters. In "Hold On, Hold On" (which makes a strong case for being one of the best songs of `06) she tells us "In the end I was the mean girl/Or somebody's in-between girl/Now it's the devil I love/And that's as funny as real love/And that's as real as true love". You're goddamn right. Plus, she's a real doe.


10. ART BRUT- Bang Bang Rock And Roll
Okay, so it's not high art. None of the songs are poignant (except maybe "Rusted Gun of Milan", about not being able to get it up). But it is one of the most fun albums from one of the most fun bands out there today. I admit that at first I did not understand Art Brut...what was this guy mumbling about with these repetitive choruses that make no sense? Then I saw the Brut live...wow. Like a hurricane wrapped in an earthquake nestled in a box of tsunamis. Eddie Argos singlehandedly wrote my favorite line of any song probably of the last five years, "I want to be the man/Who writes the song/That makes Israel and Palestine/Get along". Get drunk with your friends and put this on. You won't be sorry.

In other really rad news, Largehearted Boy linked to my 2006 best-of list. I didn't know anyone outside of my immediate group of friends read this thing! I guess now I gotta clean up my act!

mittens...

You should all be reading Perry Bible Fellowship. Hilarious.

Best Albums of 2006... #11-25

Gonna have to wait for 1-10....start here.

12. BLOOD BROTHERS- Young Machetes
Of course this is gonna be on here....I love the Brothers. They can do no wrong, and this album is no exception. In the same vein as Crimes, but a little more linear. "Laser Life" is one screamy breakdown away from being a pop song.
13. HOT CHIP- The Warning
Fun fun record. If I ever was gonna take drugs (the rave-y kind) I would definately want to hear this. I love hearing lines like Hot Chip will break your neck/snap off your head/Hot Chip will put you down/under the ground swing out over a bouncy, bubbly electro pop beat. Love this band; they slayed at Lollapalooza.
14. GIANT DRAG- Hearts and Unicorns
I love Annie Hardy. I love her on-stage bantar, her dark lyrics, her covers of "Wicked Game" and "God Only Knows", and the titles of her songs ("My Dick Sux". "YFLMD"-which stands for You Fuck Like My Dad). This girl/whoeverisplayingwithhernow duo is a band to be watched.
15. MASTODON- Blood Mountain
Duh it's MASTODON. They may be labeled 'hipster metal' but that doesn't mean that they don't shred. "Crystal Skulls" will make you want to start a metal band. But that band will suck.
16. THE RAPTURE- Pieces of the People We Love
Can you have more fun listening to this album? It's so fun! Gnarls Barkley (Cee-lo and DM) even produces two tracks. It destroys Echoes and I love the shit out of that record. I wish this came out in the summertime...it makes me want boat drinks and bathing suits. (Scott- is this the soundtrack to Water World `07? Get back to me...)
17. BAND OF HORSES- Everything All the Time
Overhyped blog sensation? Maybe. But listen to "Our Swords" on your headphones, and realize that Ben Bridwell is a genius. That other song is good too. The one about funerals.
19. THE DRAFT- In a Million Pieces
Awesome. It instantly takes me back to a time when Hot Water Music was still good (Ed.note- I didn't care for their last two records...sorry I am a purist). More proof that that punk rock spirit is alive and well. In Florida no less.
20. MARITIME- We, The Vehicles
The Promise Ring + Dismemberment Plan = how can this not be good. I missed you Davey. Welcome back.
21. THE THERMALS- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
A concept album skewering religion by painting a world run by a a facist Christian regime? Sounds heavy. Until you realize you are bobbing your head from side to side and grinning like an idiot. Again; the punk rock spirit is alive and well. This time in Portland.
22. RATATAT- Classics
Wouldn't have put this on here if I didn't just see them...fucking rad. This makes sense to me. If you do a bunch of coke and like dance parties, this may well be your favorite album of the year.
23. LIARS- Drum's Not Dead
What does going insane sound like? Oh yeah, Liars.
25. SUFJAN STEVENS- The Avalanche
Couldn't leave ol' Soofs out. This collection of B-sides is better than most albums released ever. "Pittsfield". "Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder Version)". "Dear Mr. Supercomputer". Oh, and there is a song (an interlude really) about my man Harvey Darger.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY- the Rescue EP
SILVERSUN PICKUPS- Carnavas
MADLIB- Beat Konducta vol. 1-2
THE FUTUREHEADS- News and Tributes
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND- Bring Me the Workhorse
DRAG THE RIVER- It's Crazy

Have you voted on who's your favorite indie rock chick yet?

trapped in the CLAUSet

THIS SLAYS.

Maybe you need to have seen the original "Trapped in the Closet" videos (which I highly HIGHLY recommend...it's priceless) but no matter what it's hilarious. Watch in order.

Part one:


Part two:


Part three:


Happy holidays.

indie rock chicks!

Year End Lists are coming. They're always fun. Still working on mine, but Large-Hearted Boy and Gorilla vs Bear have theirs up already, so dig in and enjoy. Before I start any year-end lists I wanted to ask you guys this important question:

Who is the most schoolboy-crush inducing woman in Indie Rock???
	Annie Hardy (Giant Drag)
	Cat Power
	Emily Haines
	Feist
	Jenny Lewis
	Joanna Newsom
	Jolie Holland
	Lady Sovereign
	Liela Moss (the Duke Spirit)
	Lily Allen
	Lovefoxxx (CSS)
	Maja Iversson (the Sounds)
	Neko Case
	Reeta-Leena Korhola (Husky Rescue)
	Sarah Balliet (Murder by Death)
	Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Hey. I like girl rock. Let's break it down...


1. Annie Hardy (Giant Drag). Annie's lyrics are all dark, sexual, and weird, and apparently she is hard to be in a band with. The kind of girl who makes coughing up phlegm from smoking too many spirits the night before sexy. I like.



2. Cat Power. Cat Power. Smoker, ex-alcoholic, case of stage fright, aspirations of being on Saturday Night Live, smoky voice, wrote "He War" and "The Greatest". Certified doe. Could probably take you in a fight though.




3. Emily Haines. She came onstage during BSS' set at Lollapalooza looking like she had been up since the night before doing blow (it was 8 o'clock at night). Small black dress, sunglasses, hair pulled into some sort of pompadour/new-wave thing, quietly creeping around the stage during "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl". Force of nature. I bet she's a smoker.







4. Feist. Where to start. She seems like someone you would meet at a party and flirt with from across the room, then take her out back and bang her and rejoin the party pretending like nobody noticed (even though they all did). I'd let her beat me up. And she's a smoker. Notice the trend.




5. Jenny Lewis. Do I really need to say anything? Jenny wouldn't smoke, or beat me up.
















6. Joanna Newsom. Ditto. It was hard to find pictures of these two women to put up that weren't already on the site.




7. Jolie Holland. Just recently 'got' Springtime Can Kill You. It's awesome. So is she. Nothing much to say. She may have had a cigarette from time to time.
















8. Lady Sov. I wanna get drunk with this chick, get in a fist fight, and wake up in detox. She fucking rules. If ever you have the chance to catch her live, do so. She is literally like 3 and a 1/2 feet tall.




9. Liela Moss (the Duke Spirit). Scott would let her break that bottle over his head. Only women I have ever seen that makes sweatpants sexy.







10. Lily Allen. Drinker. Smoker. Myspace celebrity. Probably been in a fight or two. Not sure if Alright, Still is even out in the states yet, but when it releases, gobble it up. The closest thing to reggae you will ever find me listening to.












11. Lovefoxxx (CSS). She's Brazilian and mangles the English language. Go change your trousers.




12. Maja Iversson. First of all we have the same exact haircut (or had). Second, the whole Emily Haines doing blow thing? Applies to Maja. I even forgive her for being involved in that Snakes on a Plane crap song. Smoker? Possibly. Beat me up? Definetly.




13. Neko Case. Not only is Fox Confessor Brings the Flood in my top ten of the year, but here is an actual quote from Neko at ACL: (to the sound guy) "I would give you a blow job for less reverb". Niiice. She's totally BA.






14. Reeta-Leena Korhola (Husky Rescue). Don't know much about these guys, but everything I've heard from the upcoming record sounds amazing. And, well, she's a doe.




15. Sarah Balliet (Murder by Death). Female cello player in a band that sings about whiskey, religion, and released an album called Like the Exorcist But More Breakdancing. Case closed.







16. Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens band). Fantastic, fantastic record. I guess maybe seeing it live first made the album so great, but still. And homegirl plays with Sufjan. She was part of the Chinese Butterfly Brigade, an Illinoisemaker and I'm pretty sure she was in the Michigan Militia. Might win by default.


Good work team.

Any questions/comments/suggestions? Did I leave anyone out? Write in your vote in the comments if I neglected your favorite (and I neglected quite a few, but it was getting out of control). Be back soon with more lists of shit, stupid videos, the status of my alcoholism, and whatever else this site is for. I promised Stephen I'd update it more often. And I heard Steve, that the bitch is back? You'll see.

bummer.

Logan Whitehurst, the original drummer for the Velvet Teen, succumbed to brain cancer yesterday. Dude was 29 years old...he quit the Velvet Teen to undergo treatment, and it seemed like he had beat it, but alas. The first time I saw the VT was opening for These Arms Are Snakes and Minus the Bear at the Fox a few years ago. They completely blew me away and basically stole the show from the other two bands I was much more familiar with. During the show you realized just how important Logan was to the band; whether bantaring with his bandmates or nailing gnarly high harmonies, he was very much a dynamic force. I really feel like after he left the band they began to lose some of the magic, especially during the live set. They were still absolutely amazing, but something was missing. Now it's missing forever.

This article explains what happens, and has links to his solo project's Myspace page. Read it
here.

Goodbye Logan. You are missed.