I suck at things like walking in straight lines.
There. There it is.
The roads were covered in ice, ok? Not my fault. I wasn't talking on the phone, or multi-tasking, or doing anything stupid. But regardless of all the shit that was working in my favor, I still fell clean on my ass and slid halfway across the actual street. The earth didn't shake or anything, but the guy working the late-afternoon shift at Spring Lounge did stop his conversation and, giving me a hand up, commented that he had to actually shake my hand once I was good and standing, as a congratulatory gesture.
"I fell like that last night girl. Don't worry about it," he comforted me. I was busy catching my wind back and laughing loudly for all the world to hear. I usually laugh like that when I'm super nervous or embarrassed, but this time, I think I laughed so hard because of the pain, to be honest. I now have a bruise the size of a third-grader's hand on my thigh. It's a looker. Also of note is the fact that the dude compared my totally sober Sunday-afternoon fall to his probably-boozed-out display from the previous night. Not the first time that my sober actions have been compared to those of drunk normal people.
Later that evening, I was dining at Nolita House when one of those placard signs all restaurants have was literally thrown at me (do I live in the Bermuda Triangle??). Yep. Truth. I was just having a conversation with my friend B when I felt it crash into me. It did get me a free burger. The throwing at ME was an accident, but not the throwing itself.
I spent years admitting that I was accident-prone. It was cute. Then I spent about two years in a phase of self-empowerment wherein I loudly proclaimed to anyone that would listen testaments of my motor skills and general physical prowess. That I wasn't actually uncoordinated, just unlucky. That to admit accident-prone defeat was to embrace a horrendous self-fulfilling prophecy.
Well, world, in the spirit of honesty and auld lang syne...I'm fucking uncoordinated. There. You happy? But I DIDN'T chuck a sign a myself. THAT was not my fault. That was just awesome seeing as how it didn't really hurt (I AM remarkably resilient) and it got me a free meal.
Here are some delights to warm your feet as you trudge through snow, like me. And, ok, warm your heart and shit.
January 2010 = Bands-slash-Genres You Should Get Into
Wh-wh-wha-wh-wh-wh-what is up with this month's plizzity playlist? Nothing except EVERYTHING. Ponder that for a second.
Ok, you ready? Here lies the best of the best for the coming new year - newcomers, an old fogey of rock or two, cool weirdo bands, and a veritable plethora of genres. You may see some names you recognize, some you hate, some you love - the point here is to entice you with a smorgasboard of music to tempt your palate. Enjoy.
1. "Walkin' (for Your Love)" - Widespread Panic
Got some pot? And listen: walkin...and walkin
For those lookin' to expand their horizons, welcome to the Jam Band genre. Also falling into this abyss are bands like Rusted Root, the effervescent and ever-present Phish, the big-daddy of the genre, The Grateful Dead, and lesser-known bands like String Cheese Incident and Keller Williams. I use the term "abyss" because everyone in my experience who once loved a jam band loved that jam band for at least a good year and only loved jam bands. Like, referred to jam bands as the only legit music that existed. Don't fall into that trap, but learn to love in moderation.
Call me sentimental, but I still love this song after I learned about Widespread in college (apparently late on the bandwagon). I still remember my freshman year - way back in 2002 - watching the Phish DVD on repeat after a particularly raucous night in New Orleans. For anyone that went to even a mildly fratty university OR a college located far, far away from civilization - think W&L, Williams, Vassar - you probably went through (or watched others go through) a jam band stage. It was cool, it was hip, it was neat...and you learned to noodle. You had your first experience with hallucinogenic drugs, you learned all the words to "Sugar Magnolia" and "Uncle John's Band," and you learned about people like "One-Armed Steve."
2."Forever" - The Explorers Club
Hey, man, listen: brian wilson, is that you?
One thing I LOVE about this band: they sound like the Beach Boys reincarnated. Genre? 1960s-meets-2010 - we'll call it Retro, for now, but really they're alternative rock. But when I think of Alt Rock I think about bands like Alkaline Trio, not Beach Boys. Not even Weezer. Meanwhile, these guys? They're not afraid to sound a little vintage, just like the Beach Boys weren't afraid to push the envelope. It also sounds a liiiiiittle bit like the Ronettes at the beginning, with that steady percussion drop, right? Another reason to love the shit out of The Explorers Club.
3. "Stir It Up" - Bob Marley
Listen, mon: come on little darlin'
Honestly, who does reggae better than the man, the myth, the legend - Bob Marley? This isn't a new song, or a song that's yet to be discovered, but as I sat there watching "I Am Legend" the other day, and Will Smith put this on...man. Bob Marley could even make people feel better when they're about to be ravaged by zombies. That's saying something. If you don't dig Bob, then you hate peace, love, and the Caribbean.
4. "We Intertwined" - The Hush Sound
Oh, hey, listen! like vines we intertwined
So you are the quintessential upbeat pop connoisseur? Then you'll like The Hush Sound, our local poppy-pop representative. The Hush Sound - oxymoronic, maybe. Part Jack's Mannequin, part Ben Folds (I know, I'm pushing it), part everything else. But I like this song. And it's different. Just don't listen to it more than 3 times in a row, you'll want to hurt yourself.
5. "40 Day Dream" - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Ooooooh listen: 40 days and i'm still not tired of this yet
So this song clinches the MVP spot in this lineup for a variety of reasons. First of all, I'm not even going to attempt to genre-rize this one, except to say that if you like Arcade Fire, you'll like these guys. To quote a friend: "They sound like Arcade Fire, but happy!" It's a 10-person band of hippies that jam and sing and ROCK. The refrain sounds a little bit like that Journey song, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," especially in the piano duh-duh-duh-duh, and he sings "Magical Mystery" like The Beatles, and please - have you SEEN this video? What's NOT to like? It'll be awhile before I get even a little bit tired of anything these peeps put out. Also - their other songs, like "Home," are also great.
6. "I've Got Friends" - The Manchester Orchestra
'cause when you need it: you need it quickly
Manchester Orchestra is a neat little indie rock band that formed out of the ATL in 2006. Their name makes me think of Manheim Steamroller, purely because of the "man" in the beginning, and with "Orchestra" in the name you'd also expect something to the degree of the Bay City Rollers, right? Or ELO at least? Wrong. First of all, wrong because they don't sound like Bay City Rollers at ALL. They haven't reached ELO proportions yet in my book, but so far, solid start. In particular, this song picks up – it starts out slow, and eerie, and then it builds to this big refrain . Kinda Brand New (the good kind, not the 1990s Brand New), part Tokyo Police Club, part Cold War Kids.
7. "Your Rocky Spine" – Great Lake Swimmers
listen, while I play my guitar: glaciers, rocks, oh my.
Call it the Folksy Rock sub-genre, but I dig these guys, their name, and their music. It’s beautiful. Like John Mayer’s lyrics? Great. They’re here for you, only better, and the way this guy compares a body to a path, a map – it’s provocative. The way that his voice goes with the lady’s (I know I sound like Robert Goulet)? Haunting, and kinda reminiscent of Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. If you’re lookin’ to get into something a little more rough and ragged, raw and rustic, here you are.
For the record, I have swum in 3 of the 5 Great Lakes, and I think their name rocks.
Let's give three cheers for the four-piece band, too - I mean, a banjo? YES. And the video is clutch. 5 stars.
8. "Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked" – Cage the Elephant
aw shit, listen: pretty little thang
Picture this: Jack White + Beck =this band. Photorealistic video? Check. Cool lead singer? I mean, let's be real - Matt Schultz's voice is downright sexy. These Kentucky-bred boys make you wanna be bad – because clearly this guy is wicked too (and wicked good). So you pride yourself on those indie rough-guitar tracks you “discover” on iTunes? Here dude. Here’s your band. It kinda sounds like that Beck song, “Loser." Rolling Stone heralds them as one of 2009's breakout rookie rock bands, with a "blues-rock" flavor. I'm gonna go ahead and agree. And for the record, I made the White Stripes/Beck comparison on my own before reading the article RS wrote about them, but everyone should go check it out.
9. "Turn Tail" – The Young Knives
Listen, then run: cut it up
First of all, these guys have been around for over 10 years, and I'm just now getting into them - shows you it's never too late. Their intro sounds like Youth Group's "Forever Young" - don't believe me? You should check it out. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, I'm over here thinking that The Young Knives might sound a little bit like THE Knife - and I was wrong. The Young Knives originally came from young knaves. So don't look forward to any "Heartbeats" sounds from these guys. There's a little bit of Klaxons going on, a little bit of We Are Scientists, and maybe it's just me but I hear some Kinks influence.
10. "Look Out Young Son" – Grand Ole Party
Check it out: look out look out
Well. Where do I begin here? Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets Dirty Projectors meets Morning 40 Federation. This gang opened for Rilo Kiley and Rogue Wave, and it consists of Kristin Gundred, who is the lead guitarist, and the dudes that essentially back her up (because let's be serious, that voice is legit). I'm pretty sure they broke up, but maybe they'll read this, get inspired, and produce again. And their album Humanimals is sick. If you grew up loving Led Zeppelin and then began to drift into a delightful oblivion of sick, off-the-radar rock groups (Black Lips, for example), then you'll most likely love Grand Ole Party.
11. "My Mistakes Were Made For You" – Last Shadow Puppets
yeah: mistake? not quite.
What happens when the lead singer from The Arctic Monkeys dabbles in a side projects? Apparently, a band called Last Shadow Puppets. I guess you could call them alternative pop (is there such as thing?) or progressive rock. I don't know what is up with this animal themage, but so far we've had an album title with an animal theme (Humanimals), we're about to encounter a band called White Rabbits, we've cameo-ed things like Arctic Monkeys, and even Shadow Puppets are a little reminiscent of beasts given that when you make shadow puppets you're making dogs and things.
Moving on...this song has the 007 twang going on, you know, the theme they play at the beginning of every James Bond movie? The '60s hot vibe they play as the James Bond montage plays? It's got that killer beat that hooks you in, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Alex Turner's spare time. Turner claims that his influences involve Bowie (clearly evident) and the Beatles - I hear the Bowie, but I don't hear the Beatles as much in this single. It's more evident in some of their other songs. His voice, for sure, is Bowie-esque; think Ziggy Stardust days. They're allegedly going to be recording more in 2009...guess that didn't happen. Which is why they're on the watch-list for 2010.
12. "Little Secrets" – Passion Pit
Listen, listen little secrets: secrets secrets are so fun
My god, Passion Pit, hello. Looking for the next Hot Chip, the next Ghostland Observatory, the next Bloc Party, the next Ratatat? Hello Passion Pit. You know that Palm Pixi commercial? Totally uses a Passion Pit song ("Sleepyhead"). "Gossip Girl," given that it's produced by the same dude that produced "The O.C." has also swooped upon the Passion Pit franchise to claim a song for a Season 3 scene ("Moth's Wings"). Passion Pit loves kids’ voices, electronics, synths, and falsetto. What isn’t to love about THEM?
Call it electro-pop. Wanna know a little secret? Turns out that Michael, the lead here on PP, started all this wonderfulness as a Valentine's Gift to his girlfriend at the time. He recorded a few songs and sold them off his laptop around campus. Adorable. And all the more reason to add them to your 2010 playlist.
13. "Home" – Great Northern
Listen, listen: take me home
First of all, the merging of female/male in the taking-turns singing thing is rockstar caliber. It would've been kind of a boring song if it featured just a male lead - think early 2000's Goo Goo Dolls on repeat airplay. But instead, Rachel Stolte's voice comes in and steals the show (or adds to it, I should really say). It's more of a sung conversation than just a song. Great Northern got a fair amount of commercial airplay in late 2007...let's bring them back to 2010. A few band members have left and shifted...but the dynamic duo of Bixler and Stolte still remains as a testament to how cool they really are. We'll dub this lovey-indie-rock genre, the type of song that makes it into a scene of "Grey's Anatomy," but in a great way.
14. "The Rat" – The Walkmen
Listen, yo: ratatatatatat
This particular song sounds kinda like Bloc Party (I hear it in the steady guitar playing in the back – that’s it though). Usually I don't like it when anyone screams on a track, but this is so intense I kinda love it. I didn't jump on The Walkmen boat back in 2006 like everyone else did - frankly, anyone who plays on "The O.C." has a limited shelf life, in my opinion - but let's be honest. These guys are sick. And they're one of two bands on this lineup that's NY-based (Harlem, to be exact). If you like harder indie rock (at what point does indie rock cease being indie, and start being real?) like Wolf Parade or TV on the Radio, you'll dig these boys. Another thing to love? They like using vintage instruments.
15. "Season of Love" – Shiny Toy Guns
Love to listen: love love love looooooove
Despite the fact that their name totally weirds me out, I LOVE this song (how appropriate). It’s beautiful. As seems to be the trend, Shiny Toy Guns employs multiple voices arranged in simple harmonies. Not as many peeps as Architecture in Helsinki or Ed Sharpe, but enough for a quick chorus of females. The steady percussion is essential to this song. They have other good songs too – but this one takes it all. You’d think a song where “love, love love” is the refrain would be super cheesy, but the careful half-step chords even it out. The lyrics aren’t pretentious or flowery, and they do something a lot of love songs can’t do well – rhyme. If a guy played this for me, I’d melt.
16. "Weekend Wars" - MGMT
Become a hipster: weekend warrior
MGMT does it every time. Whether it’s bopping to sounds of “Electric Feel” or whistling an intro, MGMT (Management? M-G-M-T? It’s like O.A.R. or m.o.e. all over again) rocks their shit. Every hipster in the universe is familiar with MGMT’s greatest hits – “Kids” and “Time to Pretend,” to name two – but “Weekend Wars” is singularly my favorite and one that everyone with fake glasses and plaid shirts should get into. Sub-genre, as you may have guessed, is Hipster Rock.
17. "The ’59 Sound" - The Gaslight Anthem
Let it take you away: marley's chains
It took me awhile to get into The Gaslight Anthem. Heavy guitar doesn’t always do it for me (although I’m a sucker for guitar tracks with solid guy vocals, so sue me). Let’s think of bands that rock that – Van Halen. Guns ‘N Roses. The Clash. Not a bad lineup. I thought, ugh, Gaslight Anthem, that sounds like a frat band. But no. Not so.
I like the constant references to Marley of Dickens fame. I like the thoughts of what songs people will play for you when you die. And the guy? He sounds a little like Brandon Flowers, which of course is a plus. It’s like The Killers went to sleep, forgot about power chords, stopped relying on violins in the back of their songs, slept with The Jam and The Replacements, and produced this love child. It's got that old feel to it. Cool since it comes out of some Jersey boys' punk garage.
One last thing - this video is what I imagine a video would look like for a song I produce one day. Just straight up band-singing-song. Close-up on band member faces so you get poignant emotion. My life has a soundtrack, and I imagine if you're reading this, yours does too...well, this is what my soundtrack looks like a lot.
18. "Too Fake" - Hockey
Listen, if you want: too sick to be fake
The Kinks. Bobby Brown. Van Halen. Boyz II Men. All bands or dudes that showed us that talking in your songs is not only ideal, but potentially sexy. If you want a hit, you better whisper to a lady in your songs. Which is one of the reasons that I like Hockey and this single. Don't shirk off the New Wave label. If you like Duran Duran, or you pretend that you don't like Duran Duran and embrace all the New Wave retro shit that's floating out there right now (uh, hello - The Killers, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Cobra Starship, any band that readily employs a synthesizer), then you'll like Hockey. Plus: 1) this kid wears a sparkly headband in the video, 2) his voice sounds kinda like my friend's (read: personal bias).
19. "Percussion Gun" - White Rabbits
listen: rabbit redux
I sense a little Gomez in here ("Airstream Driver") and honestly, a little Grizzly Bear, a little Queens of the Stone Age. I'd even throw a little bit of Kaiser Chiefs (who, notably, these guys toured with back in the day). These guys are the "other" NY band, based outta BROOKLYN! NY. As Santigold put it, "Brooklyn, we go hard." Well, these guys do. Kinda. In the way that only indie rock groups do. They claim they have a heavy Dylan influence (I don't hear it, but they do some great, mean covers of Blue Eyes), as well as a heavy influence from The Specials (definitely hear that, and if you haven't checked out that band yet, then you got another thing coming). Check out the album, "It's Frightening," as well as their live album (from 2007).
I'm gonna leave you guys with 19. Not 20. Why? First of all, it's 2009 for only a few more hours, ladies and gentlemen, so that's why. Second of all, I want to whet your appetite for more, not give you everything right here.
Looking forward to hearing, and seeing, everything there is to hear and see in 2010. I haven't had a great New Year's since 1999, so this one - a decade later - is gearing up to be a chill affair. Lord knows we'll have music to listen to.
PEACE in '09!
