Monday, January 31, 2005
Top 37 of 2004: Part VI
Finally. After 3 weeks, I get back on the horse. I told you I would! Now, about those mix cds....
12. The Organ: Grab That Gun
The progression from when I first saw The Organ in 2002 to the band that they are now I startling. They improved immensely as players, and that growth is reflected in Grab That Gun. Whereas their debut EP is promising but glitchy, the band’s first full-length is a much cleaner effort, a tighter collection that further develops their sound, a haunting, droning, Smiths-esque pop thing backbone by Katie Sketch’s idiosyncratic vocals. Clocking in at about 30 minutes, this is the best thing to come out of Vancouver in 2004 (pardon me, Mr. Newman).
11. The Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat
Wow. Just talking about this album makes me dizzy. It’s wonderful, grand, bizarre, and ambitious. Sprawling 8-minute opuses with frantic melodies that jump around like midget Mexican wrestlers, the Friedbergers launched a sonic assault in the face of pop music that left it gasping for breath. This is probably the most polarizing album of the year, some people finding pretentious and difficult while others – like me – were left impressed as hell. I have many records with nice 3-minute pop-songs – I don’t mind working a little to appreciate this majestic 70+ minute work of genius.
10. Melissa McClelland: Stranded in Suburbia
It’s like high school again. After so many recent disappointments, never did I think I would again get into a pretty straightforward Lilith-y artist like Melissa. I picked up her record with little expectation, but I was left humming along like it was 1997. “Picture Postcard” is a standout, fusing the storytelling sensibility of someone like Dar Williams with an undeniably pop sound. The most amazing thing is that she makes conventional material sound fresh, even doing justice to Springsteen’s “Factory.” Too bad the CD is copy-protected so I couldn’t put her on my year-end CD.
9. Laura Veirs: Carbon Glacier
Despite appearances, Laura Veirs isn’t your average folky. Her sound is way too diverse to be pigeonholed, bringing together a myriad of interesting sounds/arrangements with the dense lyrical imagery laid out by her sincere-yet-aloof singing. Hers is a mix that’s rarely captured, and I just wish more people would hear this album.
8. The Arcade Fire: Funeral
Perhaps the most hyped album of the year, Funeral deserves all the praise it has received. From start to finish, the record amazes us with beauty of rawness. Win Butler’s voice is painfully bare, aching from start to finish with that kind of primal emotion you just can’t fake. Musically, it’s a smorgasbord of delight, from the simplicity of “In the Backseat” to the balls-out rock orgy of “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out).” The intro to “Rebellion (Lies)” could be the best beginning of any song last year. (Side note: as great as the album is, their live show completely blows it away – that’s just how good they are.)
NP: Colin Meloy - I Know Very Well How I Got My Name
posted by Hanson |
11:15 PM
Sunday, January 30, 2005
What's Wrong With Second Best?
My lack of blogging last week was for good reason. Every night after work, I headed somewhere to work on the business plan contest presentation(s) that took place this past weekend at the UBC Enterprize Entrepreneurship conference. I'd get home around midnight, and then work on the presentation some more over "dinner." Every night of last week, I got 4-5 hours of sleep. Suffice it to say, I was drained both mentally and physically by Friday, the first day of the conference.
After a couple rounds of presentations, the last in front of the entire conference audience of 300+, we walked away with First Loser status, bested by a sexier high-tech product that could be a financial home run. It was like comparing apples and oranges though. Our service was very solid, and our success rate was probably much higher than theirs. However, our upside wasn't quite as high. It's like when you have a first overall draft pick. Would you pick the guy who will very likely be a solid second-liner, or the guy who could either become a superstar or a complete bust? Venture capitalists would normally pick the latter, seeing as they could offer higher yields (potentially). So it's understandable that we lost, and at least this time, we lost on merit. Still. It doesn't make it suck any less.
More importantly than the prize money that will pay for 2/3 of my new, tricked-out computer, we walked away with some great feedback, and a realization (more like confirmation) that we could actually make our business work. I don't see myself doing this full time, as I like my current job way too much, but if we can get some smart and hardworking people together, we can be fantastically successful delivery ready-to-cook meals to people around Vancouver (and soon, the continent!).
NP: The Blow - I Came Up and Wanted to Gorge on You
posted by Hanson |
5:50 PM
Monday, January 24, 2005
I Am Psychic
Having wisely sidestepped the wrath of Señor Cuervo last night (the same cannot be said of Carlos and Mike), I believe I've been endowed with the gift of foresight (by Captain Morgan or Jack Daniels, perhaps). With my new found special powers, I predict that Pitchfork will slam the two new Bright Eyes album next week, giving I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning a grade somewhere between the mid-5s to low-6s and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn a grade between the high 4s and the low 5s. Why? Because they are haters.
Personally, I love both records. I know it's early, but they'll both likely end up on my year-end list for 2005. Speaking of which, I'll get back to the 2004 tomorrow...
Addendum: I was wrong -- 8.7 and 7.2. Yay!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:18 AM
Saturday, January 22, 2005
I Am Guru
You're the Indie Guru!
Take What sort of Hipster are you? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.You're practically too cool for words. You've got more indie rock knowledge in your pinky finger than Guided By Voices has songs! You went to your first Mudhoney concert when you were 14. You knew Green Day before they sold out to the masses. You can name every side project Lou Barlow has been in, complete with all album and song titles. You throw out words like "Thurston," "lo-fi," and "Kill Rock Stars." You wear jeans, old band tees, Converse. You hang with other gurus and people you can lord over. You're intelligent, but big-headed. Passionate, but hot-tempered. You will one day rule the earth.
For the record: 1) My indie rock knowledge doesn't even fill up Bob Pollard's side-projects, let alone the crazy-big GBV catalogue; 2) I didn't go to my first show until I was 18; 3) Like everyone else, I learned about Green Day through Dookie; 4) I /do/ know most of Lou Barlow's side projects, and I own records from most of them; 5) Yup, lo-fi is part of my vocab, but I only refer to Kill Rock Stars and Thurston when talking about the cool Olympia-based label and Mr. Moore, respectively; and 6) jeans, band shirts, and Converse describe my wardrobe, um, to a tee.
NP: (The Wedge)
posted by Hanson |
12:08 AM
Friday, January 21, 2005
And It Won't Be A Pretty Sight
The Postal Service's video for "We Will Become Silhouettes" is freakin' awesome! It's got The Gibbard decked out 80's style (acid wash jeans and all), singing karaoke to his own song, as well as Jenny Lew looking as crush-worthy as always, playing keyboards and do-do-do-ing along. Not only that, it's even got a Ronco food dehydrator, and Ben actually *uses* it, taking a piece of dried fruit from it and handing it to "his kid." I like cheese way too much.
NP: The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes
posted by Hanson |
12:23 AM
Thursday, January 20, 2005
The Computer Geek Surfaces
Recently, daily drivel touched on the topic CD organization. Since my method of organizing my 500+ CDs is somewhat unorthodox, I thought I'd talk about it too. First, here's what it looks like. This represents the bulk of my CDs, though I've got quite a few at work as well as little stacks everywhere:
Basically, my methodology is similar to how some computers manage memory. I don't necessarily have them sorted, but there is order in the chaos. My main storage area is split into three sections: "the cache" (i.e. the bottom level in the picture), "main memory" (i.e. the middle level with most of my CDs), and "hard disk" (i.e. the top level).
The cache is where I store the CDs I've been listening to the most. It's a smallish collection, each CD easily accessible because searching through them -- even by using a straightforward linear search -- is really fast. This means I don't need to sort them into any particular order. In the section, you'll currently find many of my favourites from last year, including Tilly and the Wall, Elliott Smith, and Stars.
The hard disk is where I store stuff I haven't listen to in a long time. Like the cache, these guys aren't sorted, but unlike the cache, this is because I don't really need quick and easy access to them. I see it as the Siberia of my collection, a place that houses stuff like Julia Darling, Tracy Bonham, and Melanie Doane, so who cares if it takes a long time to locate a CD?
Now, the second level -- main memory -- is where it gets interesting (at least to Comp Sci geeks). This is the place where I store the CDs I'll listen to once in a while (like Oh, Inverted World after I watched Garden State). Because of its size, I can't just have it in random order, so I need some sort of way to organize it. But I'm too lazy to take the time to sort the damn thing, so I adopted an easier method.
Initially, the CDs in this section weren't in any sorted order. However, as I started listening to some of them, I would grab a CD from the middle of the stack, and once I'm done with it, I'd put it back /on top/ of the stack. I do that to every CD I get from the pile, and what eventually happens is that the CDs I listen to the most will "float" to the top of the piles, which is why you'll find a lot of Death Cab and Rilo Kiley there.
Algorithmically, the linear search takes O(n) time (as opposed to a sorted collection, which should take constant to O(log(n)) time), but by putting the ones I listen to the most at the front of the search, I cut down on average seek time. Therefore, while finding The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips' might take a long time the first time I search for it, the second time -- assuming I don't wait too long to listen to it again -- will be much quicker. This will work assuming that there are some CDs that I'll be listening to (significantly) more than others (which is true).
By doing this, I'm implicitly organizing my collection with zero extra effort, making the most recently used CDs more accessible than the least recently used ones. This allows me to be lazy /and/ do a bit of organization. Sweet.
NP: The Chapin Sisters - Toxic (acoustic Britney cover)
posted by Hanson |
1:38 AM
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
All Apologies
Shit. It's the middle of January, and I haven't sent all my mix cds out yet. I blame that on that fact that I've been caught up in some stuff the past few weeks, which has also kept me from posting the next installment of my year-end list (and it'll probably prevent me from seeing Pretty Girls Make Graves next week too.... grrr!). Those of you who are owed cds from me -- sit tight. I've bought extra vinyl discs, and I'll burnt them as soon as I have (spare) time. Until then, go listen to Nina Gordon's cover of NWA's "Straight Outta Compton." It's pretty wicked sweet. (Thanks to Carlos for pointing it my way.)
NP: The Postal Service - Be Still My Heart
posted by Hanson |
12:11 AM
Monday, January 17, 2005
Go Shawty, It's Not Your Birthday
It's late, but I feel compelled the post about my last few days. The compromise -- my infamous daily wrap up haikus.
Friday:
Oh, inverted world
Generals without armies
Still looked like giants
Saturday:
Braving cold cold snow
To be near the Hot Hot Heat
Left me wanting more
Screw today. I'm going to bed.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:42 AM
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Quick Bursts of Joy
Sarah Slean! March 15th! Richard's! Yaaaah!
The Decemberists! March 19th! Richard's! YEEEEEAH!
NP: Kasey Chambers - Pony
posted by Hanson |
12:56 AM
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Like a Ten Tonne Truck
I've been listening to a lot of the Smiths lately, something I hadn't really done before. Now I can fully appreciate how massive an influence they have been for some of bands that I listen to, e.g. Stars, the Organ, etc. Lyrically, Morrissey just cuts to the chase. He doesn't need bloated metaphors to convey depression -- heaven knows he's miserable now. When he wants affection, he'll tell you he's human and needs to be loved. His willingness to be so upfront about everything made the world safe for emo boys to pour their hearts, albeit over guitar work that is (generally) vastly inferior to Johnny Marr's. And no wonder angst-filled teenagers are into the Smiths -- they speak to/for them without pandering, unlike crappy bands like Simple Plan (and don't even get me started on them). I'm really glad I finally got around to giving them more than a passing listen.
Epilogue: After stealing some of their stuff from the music shares at work, I picked up The Queen Is Dead for 9 bucks (brand new). See! Piracy /does/ work!
NP: Laura Cantrell – The Way It Is
posted by Hanson |
11:42 PM
Monday, January 10, 2005
Pineapple, Papaya, and Portman
What are three things I ate up tonight?
So. Guess who finally saw Garden State? I must admit to watching (and enjoying) a lot of slick Hollywood productions (e.g. Ocean's Twelve), predictable adventure movies (e.g. National Treasure), and mindless action flicks (e.g. Resident Evil: Apocalypse), but there's nothing I like more than a good story with interesting characters. Garden State is all that set to an incredible soundtrack.
I mean, how can I not love it? It's got the aforementioned story and characters as well as rock-solid acting, awesome music, and the absolutely wonderful Natalie Portman. You know, her playing a stripper in Closer intrigues me, but her portrayal of Sam in Garden State is the reason I love her so much. The giddy rambling, the unjadedly cheerful attitude, and the general overdose of adorableness -- what can I do but gush? I better stop before I mention that I have her in action figure form. Oh wait. Well, now it's out there.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
11:38 PM
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Top 37 of 2004: Part V
You know what's weird? Finding songs by Keren Ann, Dana Glover, and (pre-Matrix) Lauren Christy at a Korean karaoke place. You know what's not weird? Karaoking with only five people and finding your voice completely gone by the end of the night. Whatever. I take from the game as much as I give. Here's part five of my year end list:
17. Iron and Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
The formula is simple: overlying whispery vocals on lightly-strummed instruments. What separates Our Endless Numbered Days from self-burnt CD-Rs by open-mike regulars is Sam Beam’s knack for penning affecting lyrics and irresistibly sweet-ass melodies. The decidedly simple production allows Beam’s songcraft to shine unhindered, and there is nary a dud amongst the dozen tracks that comprise the album. This record should serve as inspiration for basement 4-trackers everywhere.
16. Joanna Newsom: The Milk-Eyed Meander
... and the Most Distinct Album of the Year goes to... The Milk-Eyed Meander! Quirky and almost childlike vocals, lyrics that read like poetry, and instrumentation built around a (muthafuckin’) harp, Joanna Newsom’s first full-length release is unique in so many ways. Of course, uniqueness alone doesn’t necessarily equate to quality, but this record is that and then some. Her eccentricities might turn some people off, but not so this Ho, who is completely turned on by her.
15. Patty Griffin: Impossible Dream
Patty’s voice can make any song sound good, and Patty’s songs can make any voice sound good. When you combine the two, like on all of her previous records, you’ve got gold. This time around, it’s more of same: delicately produced folk numbers with simple arrangements that accentuate the focal point of every Patty album – her powerful and moving voice. I seriously doubt that she’s capable of putting out a record that I wouldn’t like.
14. John Vanderslice: Cellar Door
By reading the list, you can probably tell that I like simple production. Well, I’m here to say that studio wizardry has its place too – case in point, Mr. John Vanderslice, who packs so many intricacies into his own work, you’d think he was a big-shot record producer or something (which he is). Thanks to a batch of fantastic songs, I’d call this a career-best effort from him. Once again, Barsuk artists represent.
13. Feist: Let It Die
This is the record all the indie kids listen to when the want to chill. Jazzy, laidback, and undeniably sexy, Leslie Feist exudes a kind of coolness that seems almost effortless. On Let It Die, this Broken Social Scenester’s attitude is manifested in the track “Mushaboom” – a guileless, whimsical number quietly backboned by handclaps. In this age of poser-ism and cool-hunting, Feist is a breath of fresh air.
NP: Laura Cantrell - Not the Tremblin' Kind
posted by Hanson |
10:24 PM
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Of Hot Brunettes
I was channel surfing late one night, like I sometimes do, when I stumbled on an ad for some 1-900 chatline. I thought nothing of it, as late night TV seems to be full of them, until I took a closer look at the girl pitching the service. At first, I said to myself, "man, she looks a lot like Kate Beckinsale." A split second later, it was "man, looks even more like Evangeline Lilly (i.e. Kate from Lost)." Then it hit me. "Dude, that's totally Evangeline-fucking-Lilly!" Sure enough, Google proved me right.
Another thing: nekkid Caroline Dhavernas is spectacular [Warning: *so* not work safe]. That said, I prefer her when she's moving and talking, even if that means her boobies are covered. Anyway, I don't know where I got this link from, but if it's from you, thank you muchly :-)
NP: Earlimart - Heaven Adores You
posted by Hanson |
9:48 PM
Top 37 of 2004: Part IV
After almost a week, here's the next installment of this marathon list. At this point, every record listed will be super-awesome. By the end, I may just result to drooling instead of using words.
22. Tift Merritt: Tambourine
Whereas her critically-acclaimed debut Bramble Rose was more or less a standard Americana/country-ish female singer-songwriter record (albeit a damn fine one), Tambourine jumps everywhere stylistically. From exuberance of “I Am Your Tambourine,” to the Motown-influenced groove of “Love Made A U-Turn,” to the laid-back, Springsteen-esque storytelling of “Laid A Highway,” Tift has clearly expanded her sound. Backed by a cast of all-stars from the Americana/alt-country scene, she fuses country-rock with R&B grooves, underlining everything with that big voice of hers. This record is a big leap forward for her; it’s not only unique – it’s a freakin’ pleasure to listen to.
21. Pedro the Lion: Achilles Heel
With every record, David Bazan and friends grow a little. Album-starter “Bands With Manager” is typical Pedro the Lion – slow groove and introspective lyrics building up to a drawn-out musical crescendo. Other, more up-tempo numbers like standouts “Discretion” and “Transcontinental” gives the album more variety while continuing the lyrical melancholy the band is known for. Overall, it’s a more cohesive record that their previous efforts. It’s a shame that I couldn’t put this in the top 20 because it is truly an excellent album. In any other year, it would easily be top-15 material.
20. The Elected: Me First
Under the moniker of the Elected, Blake Sennett escapes the shadow of Rilo Kiley bandmate Jenny Lewis with a fine solo record. Sounding less like the Elliott Smith-lite than on Rilo Kiley records, Blake shows a surprising range in songwriting, putting varied and delicate touches throughout. The first cut, “7th of September, 2003,” opens with a bunch of random sounds and clicks, then fades into a lap steel that sets country-ish tone of the album. Producer Mike Mogis takes that and drops in glitchy electronic touches, making this an almost lap-country record. I wish all side-projects could turn out this good.
19. Earlimart: Treble and Tremble
The first thing that struck me while listening to this is how much lead singer Aaron Espinoza’s singing resembles that of Elliott Smith. Musically, the two aren’t far apart either, with Treble and Tremble taking the same, lush-indie-pop-cum-thoughtful/depressing-lyrics road that characterized much of Elliott’s major-label releases. The fact that the two were good friends probably contributed to that. On songs like “Hold On Slow Down,” “Heaven Adores You,” and “It's OK to Think About Ending,” I can’t help but picture Elliott as the person that Espinoza was singing to, which is creepy since it sounds so much like Elliott singing about himself. Anyway you spin it, this is a worthy farewell note to a good friend, a musical effort that Elliott himself would’ve been proud of.
18. Snow Patrol: Final Straw
This one really surprised me. Big, slick-sounding rock bands generally aren’t my thing, but when I heard “Run,” I was immediately hooked. Doubly surprising is that the whole of Final Straw holds up pretty well, providing several outstanding tracks like “How to be Dead,” and “Tiny Little Fractures,” and “Somewhere a Clock is Ticking.” That this is my favourite Scottish record of the year should speak volumes.
NP: Smoosh - The Quack
posted by Hanson |
12:25 AM
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Good Music for a Good Cause
Ben Gibbard, James Mercer, and David Bazan of Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, and Pedro the Lion, respectively, are playing a benefit show at the Showbox in Seattle on Friday, January 14th for the Tsunami victims of Southeast Asia. I am /so/ going, driving down after work and driving back up after three rare acoustic sets from three amazing artists (which should end before 12 since it's all-ages). If anyone wants to join me, tickets are $15 US, and I plan to get them tomorrow. Comment or give me a shout at hwho (at) sfu (dot) ca.
Addendum: I have 1 more seat left in my car for the ride down to Seattle, provided that Carlos secures himself a ticket. Those who are on the fence, it's time to get off it :-) You can get tickets here
NP: Smoosh - La Pump
posted by Hanson |
1:42 AM
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Happy New Year (You Are My Only Vice)
As a stylistic homage to the effects alcohol has on memory (and because I'm lazy), I will sum up New Year's Eve in fragments, sans details:
Poker. Got massive chip lead. Ended heads-up by splitting the money. Railway Club. Beers. Merriment. More beers. More merriment. Carolyn Mark. Much ass-shaking. Happy new year! Tequila. Friend had accident at bar (which was partly my fault). Encouraged by bartenders to leave. Wandered. McD's. DV8. Missed last bus. Denny's. Cab that took the scenic route. Crashed at Ross'. "I woke up with the power out." Home. Pork, thousand-year-old egg, and dried oyster congee. Napped to Smoosh's excellent record.
And now, bed. I hope everyone is having a spiffy 2005!
NP: Jolie Holland - December, 1999
posted by Hanson |
11:14 PM
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