2007 v. 2008?

2007 was a devastatingly good year for music. Animal Collective (and Panda Bear), Arcade Fire, The National and Radiohead all released incredible new albums, and that's tough to compete with. But, to me, 2008 was sort of the antithesis in form yet superior in quality. This year was the real return of lo-fi. Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Times New Viking, and No Age all produced terrific records, bringing noise-pop soaked in reverb to the fore of the independent movement. Instead of the elite (see above), this year was dominated by upstarts--bands that are struggling just to exist, living on fast food, on the road, constructing "kissing booths" to pay traffic tickets (see Marnie Stern). This type of low-end dominance is invigorating. I shared a smoke w/ the lead singer of Vivian Girls outside of Bowery Ballroom--the same show where Bradford Cox lent the Girls his guitar after one of them broke a string (which involved a convo b/t the Girls and Cox, mid-show, w/ Cox seated in Bowery's balcony, watching their set). I patted White Denim's lead-singer on the back after their set. I got to see No Age for free. Bills for these shows are stacked. Gang Gang Dance with Marnie Stern. Deerhunter, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls, together on the same night. No Age with Titus Andronicus. The list goes on. These shows are intimate, filled with energy, and they're cheap. This year culminated w/ that Deerhunter show for me. Was anyone else in the building thinking the same thing? I was seeing 3 bands--for $15 in a tiny venue--who released 3 of my 10 (11, actually) favorite records of the year. I'd just seen White Denim a few weeks before at Mercury Lounge, and two days later I'd see No Age for nothing. That's 5 of the best bands in America right now for a total of...$25?
In short, it's a great time to be living in a city, following independent music. I only hope 2009 continues this trend.

Fringe

I love this show. The acting is suspect at times--especially Pacey's character--but the Abrams-formula just really works. I don't see anyone else putting out shows that really push the theoretical envelope like Abrams does. I'm not a "Lost" fanatic, but I am a sucker for the way the plots progress in both "Lost" and "Fringe." In the Law & Order/CSI era (both of which get love from me) where every plot dilemma is resolved by show's end, it's incredibly refreshing to be kept guessing. I guess the true test is whether Abrams will be able to resolve the plots in "Lost" and "Fringe" without seeming contrived or anticlimactic.

As for the substance of "Fringe's" plot, I can't figure out if the Daniels (The Wire) character is duplicitous, but I'm suspicious...

The 40 Best Records of 2008

Write-ups of the top-10 possibly forthcoming...I may edit this in the next couple of weeks. Still haven't heard VanGaalen's record, or Lykke Li, so who knows. But I can say with confidence, this top 10 won't change.


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Best of 2008

1. Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

2. Deerhunter – Microcastle

3. White Denim – Workout Holiday

4. Times New Viking – Rip it Off

5. No Age – Nouns

6. TVOTR – Dear Science

7. The Walkmen – You & Me

8. Gang Gang Dance – St. Dymphna

9. Marnie Stern – This is It…

10. Beach House – Devotion

11. The Kills – Midnight Boom

12. Vivian Girls – S/T

13. Shugo Tokumaru – Exit

14. Sigur Ros – Med Sud

15. Fleet Foxes – S/T

16. Women – S/T

17. Grouper – Dragging a Dead Deer

18. Ruby Suns – Sea Lion

19. Little Joy – S/T

20. The Dodos – Visiter

21. Blitzen Trapper – Furr

22. Crystal Antlers - EP

23. Lil Wayne – Carter III

24. Wolf Parade – At Mt. Zoomer

25. Q-Tip – The Renaissance

26. Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night

27. Evangelicals – Evening Descends

28. Ponytail – Ice Cream Spiritual

29. M83 – Saturday’s = Youth

30. Portishead – Third

31. Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing

32. Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those…

33. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms

34. High Places – S/T

35. Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster

36. The Raveonettes – Beauty Dies EP

37. Wavves – S/T

38. Quiet Village – Silent Movie

39. Harlem – Free Drugs

40. Beck – Modern Guilt

Elevator "Chit-Chat"

I'm convinced that, if you're speaking to someone in the elevator, there's simply no way your conversation-companion is really your friend. Why is that? It's because nobody respects you if you engage in elevator chit-chat. It's fucking annoying and covers topics of no consequence. Such topics usually include one's "workload," weekend plans, the cafeteria, and, my least favorite, "holiday plans."

"So, whatcha doin for the holidays?"
"Oh, we have people over to our house" (said w/ mild indignation)
"You cook?"
"Haha, no. I'm like [makes phone-sign w/ hand] do you deliver? Haha, just kidding."

This is what you have to endure in the elevator. The elevator should resemble a subway car, where the conversation reaches Auschwitz levels of excitement. We're in this tiny box, moving vertically, for all of a minute. Can't we ride in peace?

Christening

The idea for this blog came to me last night. I was reading this story by Michael Lewis about the market's recent crash. Lewis' conclusion is that, motivated--or blinded--by greed and obsessed with excess, the investment banks, the ratings agencies, and the mortgage companies conspired to construct the biggest house of cards this country has ever known. They then proceeded to move everyone in America into that house, ignoring the reality that, soon enough, it would collapse.

It made me realize that, recently, I've become complacent. I've been enjoying myself too much and losing sight of what's truly important in life. My cynicism had waned as I got married, began making money, and America elected its first African-American president. Yet, as our financial markets collapse and pundits predict the second-coming of the Great Depression, it strikes me that the time is now for acutely-cyncial observations of the common (wo)man. (Why this is true will be borne out over the life of this blog, I'm sure.)

I am here to point out how terrible we all are. And, occasionally, I will contrast this w/ how perfect nature is. Because that's how I roll.

Bye for now.