Top O' the year

Lists! I live for lists. Between my love of reading year end lists across the web and hereditary OCD, lists are my favorite things to make. So, with further adieu, here goes my top albums and songs (and now videos) of the year.

By the way, I'm sticking strictly to my itunes, because I don't remember everything I heard this year.

SONGS

10. Not In Love - Crystal Castles (feat. Robert Smith)

This internet gem (I don't think it's on anything) is a brilliant marriage of Smith's haunting gothic sound and Crystal Castles arena filling techno.

9. Tighten Up -The Black Keys

The song has great lines and absolutely exudes the blues, but the perfect planting of whistling makes this an instant classic. The video is hilarious, too.

8. Madder Red - Yeasayer

This synth and drums is as 80's sounding Spandau Ballet, and it works like a charm. Theres something strangely stirring in lead singer Chris Keating voice.

7. Giving Up The Gun - Vampire Weekend

Preppy quirk pop at it's best; like David Byrne's little rich kids.

6. Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem

This song is a testament to everything amazing about this band. The sounds settles you into a comfortable groove, before jolting you up with a musical power punch to the nads; then it makes you get up and thank it.

5. F**k You - Cee Lo Green

As much as I don't completely agree with such incredible vulgarity, I can't deny the power of a funky melody line and great backing vocals. Cee Lo is neck and neck with The Temptations with this one.

4. The Battle Of Hampton Roads - Titus Andronicus

My absolute favorite lyrics of the year. The miserable protaganist can't even seem to get black-out drinking right. The last words are screaming "Please don't ever leave me" dozens of times. And then it rocks for another five minutes. These guys (along with Ted Leo) are why I really started to love punk this year.

3. Trouble Will Be Gone - The Tallest Man On Earth

The song is completely beautiful, in it's words, melody, and vigor. I could listen to the guitar line for days on end.

2. A/B Machines - Sleigh Bells

This song is the complete reason for Sleigh Bells to exist. It's crunchy, its repetitive, it's too much for 90% of any speakers in the world, and it's fun in every since of the word (especially live).

1. POWER - Kanye West

The beat, the imagery, the reason for existence; It's all absolutely amazing, and it's the defining track of one of the most important musicians of our time. Argue all you want, Kanye has meant the world to music, both mainstream and underground.

(Kanye's PR team has been remarkably diligent in keeping all streaming of this album off the internet. If you want to hear it, you'll have to buy it. Kanye being Kanye.)

Honorable Mention

The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man On Earth

Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

Shutterbug - Big Boi & Cutty

Living In America - Dom

Sun Hands - Local Natives

Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons

Over - Drake

We Used To Wait - Arcade Fire

Norway - Beach House

Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John - Belle & Sebastian

Everlasting Light - The Black Keys

Night By Night - Chromeo

Derezzed - Daft Punk

Little Lies - Dave Barnes

Blue Blood Blues - The Dead Weather

Find Your Love - Drake

Name Calling - Eli "Paperboy" Reed

Angel Echoes - Four Tet

Sing - Four Tet

I Feel Better - Hot Chip

Cold War - Janelle Monae

Tightrope - Janelle Monae

Hard Times - John Legend & The Roots (feat. Black Thought)

Go Do - Jonsi

Boy Lilikoi - Jonsi

Runaway Love (Remix) - Kanye West (feat. Raekwon & Justin Beiber)

Power (remix) - Kanye West (feat. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz)

All Of The Lights - Kanye West (feat. Rihanna, Elton John, Fergie, John Legend, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Tony Williams, Charlie Wilson, La Roux’s Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys and Kid Cudi.)

Lost In The World - Kanye West (feat. Bon Iver)

Mary - Kings Of Leon

Back Down South - Kings Of Leon

Superball - Magic Kids

Terminally Chill - Neon Indian

Lewis Takes Off His Shirt - Owen Pallet

Louisiana Fairytale - Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Yim Yames

Don't Need No - Punch Brothers

Rye Whiskey - Punch Brothers

Beg Steal Or Borrow - Ray Lamontagne

New York City's Killing Me - Ray Lamontagne

Right On - The Roots (feat. Johanna Newsom & STS)

Now Or Never - The Roots (feat. Phonte & Dice Raw)

In The Sun - She & Him

Riot Rhythm- Sleigh Bells

Tell Em' - Sleigh Bells

Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells

Favorite Colour - Tokyo Police Club

Holiday - Vampire Weekend

California English - Vampire Weekend

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

ALBUMS

10. Go - Jonsi

Along with what I consider the best live show of the year, Jonsi has taken what could have been a pretty mediocre solo album, and filled an album with his imaginative flourishing soundscapes that contain both constant innocence and brilliance.

9. Brothers - The Black Keys

The Black Keys have really honed in on their blues-y rock n roll with Brothers, the duo's sixth studio album. They get major props for using whistling on a track too.

8. The Monitor - Titus Andronicus

The sophomore LP from New Jersey natives Titus Andronicus, The Monitor is a gritty punk tour through both the Civil War and the pathetic yet honorable lives in the band.

7. Contra - Vampire Weekend

With such a great debut, the whole world was ready for a second album that didn't quite live up to the first......it did.

6. Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son Of Chico Dusty - Big Boi

Big Boi long anticipated solo debut is chocked full of killer lyrics, a huge range of styles, and enough synth to fight the 80's with one hand.

5. This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

Lead singer James Murphy says has gone from saying the band is absolutely over to stating that they might take a break. With an album so filled with some of the best music of their time, we can only hope these dance hall rebels keep things going.

4. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire has made an album that is not just spectacular in itself, but also in it's life cycle with the two albums before it; from childish wonder to middle aged "meh". The band might be the best of the of the last decade.

3. Treats - Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells debut Treats is the most fun album I have ever heard. Outright hardcore energy at it's finest.

2. The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man On Earth

The Wild Hunt manages to blow me away on every song using nothing more than a set of strings and the craziest vocals since Dylan himself.

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

Kanye is the only artist that can put himself through hell and emerge with a brilliant musical retrospection that recognizes it's failures while displaying the greatness he can accomplish.

Honorable Mention

Teen Dream - Beach House

Write About Love - Belle & Sebastian

Sea Of Cowards - The Dead Weather

Come & Get It - Eli "Paperboy" Reed

Gorilla Manor - Local Natives

Memphis - Magic Kids

An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall - Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Odd Blood - Yeasayer

Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons

VIDEOS

I really hate that this medium has been kind of lost. It's one of the blankest canvas' in the art community to expand on, yet, people don't seem to find time for it. Their loss

10. Das Racist - Who's That? Brooown!

Although I didn't own many games that were in this style (old), it's still very easy to connect to and humor is pretty much non-stop. "You emerge with your life, but probably not your health."

9. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun

It's a neat video in itself, but cameos from Joe Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal, possibly Daft Punk, RZA, and Lil Jon put this over the top.

8. Big Boi - Shutterbug

This video could have been great with just one of it's dozens of mesmerizing perks. The color changing car, puppets, and holding of his own face make this more than just your regular rap video.

7. Liars - Scissors

I love that this video is artsy and a bit Lost-esque scary until the very last few frames. Great song too.

6. Hot Chip - I Feel Better

I think this is the best idea for a video made this year. To top it all off, it had millions of 14 year old girls thinking that Hot Chip was a bunch of chiseled sexy boy banders.

5. The Black Keys - Tighten Up

As I've already mentioned earlier in this post, this video is hilarious. Comedy can evolve all it wants; lip syncing, when used right, can be comic genius. So can fighting. The 3:00 mark where he drops the kid gets me rolling.

4. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Bottled In Cork

This fairly obvious dig at Green Day's American Idiot The Musical stars Ted Leo and Paul F. Thompkins, has a cameo from John Hodgeman, and is directed by Tom Scharpling, all four of which (well not really Hodgeman) my dad is loosely friends with. Plus, IT'S AWESOME. Farce at it's best

3. Flying Lotus - Kill Your Coworkers

This is the prime example of how amazing music videos can be. It is funny, short, and very visually awe-inducing.

2. Ok Go - This Too Shall Pass

This could be a.) the best Ok Go video ever b.) The greatest Rude Goldberg machine ever and/or c.) The coolest waste of time ever.

1. Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait.

This isn't as much of a video, as a web experience, but it is a brilliant idea that fits with the song perfectly. Click the link and see what I mean (turn off your pop up blocker).

Honorable Mention


Gorillaz - Stylo

M.I.A. - Born Free

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand

Janelle Monae - Tightrope

Janelle Monae - Cold War

Kanye West - Runaway

Ok Go - White Knuckles

Ok Go - This Too Shall Pass (marching band version)

Lady Gaga - Telephone

Superchunk - Digging For Something

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

Daft Punk - Tron (I SAY IT COUNTS)

Cee Lo Green - F**k You (Both Versions).

The Books - Man, I Didn't Know That

Insane Clown Posse - Miracles

Massive Attack - Splitting The Atom

Happy New Years all four people who are going to read this!

Merry Christmas To The EXTREME!

Mury Christmas folks. What did you get? Take it back, I don't care. IIII got an Apple TV, some video games, a ballin' sleeping bag, and SOME FLANEL SHIRTS OMFG I AM TEH HIPPEST! Fun times. Anyways, I take my precious time eating enough ham and sausage balls to make PETA cry whilst wandering in a pretentious Apple wonderland of iPads, Apple TV's, and being a sellout (Steve Jobs is my Santa Clause) just let you know about some shaweet free music. Aren't I just the greatest?

Don't answer that.

New Years is a fantastic time for the indie world, as virtually every music publication, blog, and twitter account finds a way to let the world know what their favorite music of the year was. Tons of these sites even give the songs away for free. I know that musicforants.com has a great list and it is all available for download. I would love to list all of the other sites that do this, but I don't care enough, so look them up yourself.

Secondly, The Gorillaz have been busy touring this last year in what has been known as one of the better shows of the year. Along with this touring, the band found time to make an album on the road using almost exclusively an iPad (iRuleTheWorld). I haven't personally heard it yet, but it's the Gorillaz so it shouldn't be bad. Ladies and gentleman, here's the link.

Lastly, Yeasayer, one of the best bands of the year, have made a record out of one of their shows and are currently giving it out at name your own price (including free) as a big ole Christmas present to the free world. Their singer has the kind of voice that could be really great or really awful live, so go solve that mystery yourself.

SO, to conclude, I am going to keep eating and Airplay to my hearts delight. Merry Christmas, from my heart to yadada christmas time yay. I hope you were lucky enough to get a gift like this.

Big Boi Black Keys Mashup FTW!

So, I've run across this mashup up of two great albums from the year, Big Boi's Lucious Leftfoot: The Son Of Chico Dusty and The Black Keys Brother in the very appropriately titled The Brothers Of Chico Dusty. The eight song album features tracks like Big Boi's "Shine Blockaz" played over top of The Black Keys "Everlasting Light". It's one of the best mash-ups I've ever heard, and as a fan of both groups involved, it is mesmerizingly entertaining. So download it, because it's free, and that is good.

The Brothers of Chico Dusty (Big Boi vs. The Black Keys) by wick-it

Cover Of The Day - Graceland

Kristian Mattson, known more frequently by his stage name The Tallest Man On Earth, continues to mesmerize me with his astoundingly simple-yet-effective take on folkd music, never utilizing more than two instruments for a single song; some strings and his grinding vocals. He's recently released an EP titled Someitmes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird that slows the pace down from his the frenetic pickin' on The Wild Hunt. In honor of the new set of songs, I've got a Paul Simon cover with a feel quite opposite of the original.



The original Graceland is a bouncing ditty that finds Paul Simon revelling and reflecting on life love and the universal appeal of Graceland. When the lyrics grow darker and more introspective, the music is there to pick you up and keep a light on the situation. The song doesn't ever really strays from it's afro-beat boogy, and I can't exactly attatch myself to the meaning completely, simply because I don't feel that I completely understand it, but the words are beautiful none the less.



Where Paul Simon's Graceland feels like an open-roaded family vacation, The Tallest Man On Earth's version plays like it belongs on a trip to a funeral for a close friend. The simple repeating banjo licks somberly ring with a lonely reverb that is hopeful, but troubled at the same time. I love the fact that Matsson has really flipped the emotional spectrum upside down, while still maintaining the philosphical integrity the original glowed with.

The five track EP is a nice addition to Matsson's repertoire, and I eagerly await new albums from both of these artists due out in the next year or two.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

There are two types of people in the world. Those who love My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and those who hate Kanye West. I know that's a bit of an ultimatum, but really, everyone I've talked to that has looked down on this album have included the words, "I hate Kanye West" in their justification. I try not to tell people that their beliefs towards music are wrong, but these people are blinding themselves to one of the greatest rap albums I've ever heard on a pretty ridiculous basis. MBDTF (I'm not typing that again) isn't nearly as beautiful without a douche-bag behind the wheel anyways.

As most everyone in the world realizes, Kanye West is no saint. In fact, let me help you with a timeline of Kanye's life, starting with a little Hurricane Katrina Benefit program.

September 2005 - Kanye West appears alongside Mike Myers on very national T.V. for a Hurricane Katrina Benefit program. Kanye wisely decides to trash his family friendly lines in favor of his own insight to the situation stating, "George Bush does not care about black people." Mike Myers doesn't know what to do.

January 2006- Kanye appears on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns. The world rolls it's eye.

December 2006 - Robert "Evel" Knievel sues Kanye for trademark infringement in Kanye's "Touch The Sky" video. Knievel settles November 2007, days before his death.

September 2007 - Kanye moves the release of his third studio album, Graduation,a week and a half earlier, the same day as rapper 50 Cent's album Curtis. 50 announces that if Kanye outsells him, he will never make a solo album again. 50 Cent did not outsell. 50's fourth album came out a year later, and another one is coming this coming year. Graduation goes double platinum.

November 2007 - Kanye West's mother dies suddenly after plastic surgery.

September 2008 - Kanye and his bodyguard Don Crowley are arrested are arrested at LAX on counts of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi.

November 2008 - Kanye is arrested again outside of a club in Newcastle for fighting a photographer. Kanye's fourth album, 808's and Heartbreaks, is released ten days later.

June 2008 - Kanye is two hours late for his headlining slot at Bonnaroo, starting at 4:30 in the morning, which in effect ruins most of his elaborate light show, due to the sun. Kanye later rants in ALL CAPS on his blog, blaming Pearl Jam, Ashely Capps, The fans, and everyone else in the world besides him for the awful show. (When people got bored at 'Roo this year(two years later), veterans would yell "F@#^ KANYE", much to the crowds chagrin.)

September 2009 - Kanye interupts Taylor Swift, mid-acceptance speech for her "You Belong With Me" video, and yells the words heard around the world. "Yo Taylor. I love you, and I'mma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best video of all time!" The internet has a field day with meme's, and anyone who has ever heard of Taylor Swift acts like the world has ended.

Those are the high points. Believe it or not, there are plenty of other instances that have peppered Kanye's life the last few years. After the Taylor Swift incident, Kanye dropped off the map and stayed there for quite a while, taking a long hard look in the mirror. The public was hoping this would be cathartic, and that Kanye would go back to just making pretty good, innovative rap music, like he did on his first two albums. That didn't happen. Kanye took his mirror image and completely delivered it into the studio. After almost a year of relative silence, Kanye emerged on smash-hit collaborations "Forever", and "Run This Town", with a fluidity that had been missing since Late Registration. Lines such as, "I'd trade my grammy's back/ Just to have my grammy back." and, "I used to want this s%!^ forever, ya'll can have it back.", provide a stark opposing view to songs like "Good Life" and "Champion", released just a year earlier. This new dark side of Kanye was intriguing, if not a little confusing.

So, to wrap up our time line.


September 2010 - Kanye publicly debuts his newest hit "Runaway" at the VMA's. He finishes the song, and walks off stage, without bothering anyone all night.

A whole night where no one had reason to be mad. So, where did the crazy go?

MBTDF is Kanye West's greatest album, if not one of the best hip hop albums of all time. I stand firmly behind that. Kanye has framed the last few years of his tumultuous life into a fantastically orchestrated diary that violently swerves between egotistical bombast and depressing self-revelation. Kanye has learned to channel his antics into musical form, a mutually enriching experience for Kanye as well as the audience. For the most part, the lyrics are cutting and concise, creatively elaborating a point of view the public tends to ignore; the accused. That's not to say that Kanye is pointing fingers. Mr. West has matured enough to realize he is steering his mistakes, and he expresses this sentiment especially in the song "Runaway". The song starts with a single repeating note from a slightly out of tune piano, symbolic of Kanye's own life. After the piano finishes dancing around a few bars like an old music box, the song explodes into a barrage of bass, back-beat drums, and a sample of someone screaming "Look at ya!" literally moving around the sound spectrum, as if encompassing the deflated Mr. West. This "toast to the douche-bags" hits all the right buttons to form an interesting emotionally driven ballad, ending in a Mr. West ripping variations of the chorus into a vocoder while the song breaks down around him.

"Dark Fantasy", the albums first track, starts with Nicki Minaj setting this album apart form the get go.

"You might think you've peeped the scene
you haven't
The real ones far to mean
The watered down one
The one you know
Was made up centuries ago
It made it sound all wack and corny
Yes, it's awful, blasted boring
Twisted fiction
Sick addiction
Well gather round children
Zip it listen!"

This is followed by a huge gospel choir repeatedly questioning, "Can we get much Higher?", before the song falls out of it's fairy tale charm, and hit's the ground running with a creeping beat that is the perfect canvas for Kanye to show off both his creativity both lyrically and rhythmically. The song is one of the few on the MBDTF that doesn't really revolve around a central idea, instead taking the time for Kanye to simply clear his mind, and tease the elements that will later come into play. The song grabs you from the moment it stops for Ye's grand entrance and keeps your attention with lyrics like "We drown sorrow in the Diablo/ We found bravery in my bravado" through to the end. It's one of the better intro's in all of the rap albums I've heard, simply because it isn't a simple 40 second teaser to the rappers ego; a move that happens far too much.

Three songs in, Kanye lays down what could arguably be his best song ever. POWER has one of the most epic sounding beats of all time. The chant clap that feels equally pre-historic and futuristic is driven with an overpowering bass to create this huge aura around the listener. It' like hip-hop that craves Michael Bay to shoot an explosion to. Kanye takes this larger than life music, and uses it as the background to his eternal struggle with his fames pros and cons, all the while leaving room to just say "till then, f$%^ that/The World's ours." This balance is not just a microcosm of the album, but Kanye's life as a whole.

Other songs on the album take up the bad-guy image Kanye has projected over the last few years, and simply embraces it. The aptly titled "Hell Of A Life", with it's intro uncanilly reminiscent of Darth Vader's theme music, finds West in a materealistic cannon ball where he marries a porn star and embraces the sensual euphoria that comes with it, not for his own sexual pleasure, but the pleasure of knowing that so many people will snarl their noses at him before they find a single fault in themselves.

"Lost in the World", the album's closer (sort of) utilizes the same tool Arcade Fire used recently in The Suburbs. The song represents it's idea as powerfully in it's music as it does in it's lyrics. As the title suggests, the song finds Kanye looking in every direction (religion, sex, drugs, ego) for something to hold on to as he is buried in confusion and fame. Kanye has little to no hope in his voice when he suddenly drops from the track, leaving a few a few minutes for the demons around him to simply be. Eventually, the album ends with a very scared Gil Scott-Heron reading excerpts from his incredible poem "Comment #1", words that really tie the bow around this absolutely outstanding piece of art. If anything, these last two tracks are worth listening to a hundred times over, for both those who hate, love, or tolerate Kanye West.

Controversy will always follow Kanye's name. He may not realize that he is at fault for it, but at this point who cares. With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye has taken both his talent and his life and blended them seamlessly into a hip-hop opus for the ages. The album truly is a gem amid the ever growing face of popular hip-hop. Kanye is tragic hero that we can all examine, and learn more about the nature of human beings through, all the while dancing until we hurt. So thank you Taylor Swift. Thank you George Bush. Thank you cast of SNL, and thank you every rapper who tries so hard to sound like everyone else. You have created a beautifully intriguing disaster, and I would rather hear him than my radio anyday.

No Sleep November

I've been thinking about my future occupation a lot recently and I've come to learn that I want to be a music journalist for many reasons, but none of them as much as my absolute love for live shows. Concerts are the greatest things in my life. I love the hype leading up to a show. I love the energy a good band projects through their sets. I love being a part of an audience that is fully engaged on what is being shown and played for them. They are some of the best times I have ever had in life.

Having thrown that out there, I AM GOING TO SOO MANY FRICKIN SHOWS IN NOVEMBER.

It all kicks off this weekend with Moogfest. What's Moogfest?Why, it's a smorgasbord of the finest the electronic music realm currently has to offer. If you read any of my Bonnaroo stuff, you know that I'm obsessed with scheduling the perfect track of shows so here's this one.

If all goes right, Friday I will see...

• Dan Deacon
• The Octopus Project/Kuroma
• Big Boi
• MGMT
• Van Dykes Parks/Papertiger
• Girl Talk

Saturday...

• Nosaj Thing/Mountain Man/Project Moog
• Caribou
• Jonsi
• Alex B
• Massive Attack
• Four Tet/Shpongle

Sunday...

• Shout Out Out Out
• Sleigh Bells
• Neon Indian
• Hot Chip
• Dam-Funk/Dark Party/Marty Party

I am going by myself, so be sure that I will be awkwardly dancing in the corner all nights long.

Later into the actual month i take a turn for the folk with Mumford and Sons and The Punch Brothers. I think this will be my 5th time seeing Chris Thile, and every single show has been just a bit better than the last. I don't see him topping his awesome show at 'Roo, but you never know. Usually the more whiskey on stage, the better he plays, so let's hope he feels like drinkin'.

Until then, UT is going to slowly chip away at my sanity. I'll let you know all about it when it's gone.

Here's some Thile to hold in all of your sure-fire excitement.

Cover of the Day - Big River

Remember the good old days when everyone would sit around the 10 inch black and white television and watch the Grand Ole' Opry? Me neither, but it sounds like it would be swell. There's a soft place in my heart for great country music by the likes of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings. Most importantly, I love Johnny Cash. His music never loses its bold country attitude, and some of the recordings he did at the end of his life are especially moving. Because Johnny's music is so universally loved, millions of people have covered him from the likes of U2 to local bands who played my high schools battle of the bands(I'm looking at you There Ain't No Such Thing As Free Lunch). And who would assist in one of the best Johnny Cash covers of ever? None other than Jack White Himself.

"Big River" finds Johnny Cash being Johnny Cash at his finest. That classic twangin' Martin, the steady chugging bass line, and Luther Perkins' astoundingly simple yet innovative guitar solo. Johnny tells depressing story of a man following his love up and down the south, by river, only to end up giving up on her in the end. It's really a pretty depressing song when the lyrics are separated from the tune, but when they merge, it emits this bad ass manly grit to his suffering that is exclusive the man himself. Watch him in his environment.




Today's cover comes from The Secret Sisters, a duo preserving the art of old time country singing through their creepy vocal precision and huge band of folk country friends. T-Bone Burnett produced their last album, following suit with his outstanding award winning O Brother, Where Art Though soundtrack. Jack White lends his signature electronic grit guitar between verses and absolutely rocks the house with it. It's like Big River in hell, all centering around the frightening doll-like voices nailing some of the tightest harmonies I've ever heard. The whole thing is a big pile of dirty bang recorded through Jack White's record company Third Man Records; and while you can buy the single on iTunes, it's worth it to pitch in the extra two dollars and get the vinyl, because honestly, this music is meant to be heard through the needle of a record player.

The Secret Sisters - Big River by the ruckus

Kings of Leon-Come Around Sundown

Hello world. It's been a long time. I've kind of been hibernating for a while. I know it sounds xrazy, but college IS difficult and time consuming. Fun, lot's of fun; But time consuming. But honestly, there's like a 98% chance you didn't know, and furthermore, didn't care that I haven't been keeping up here.

Oh well.

Who is the biggest rock act going right now? Think about it. I'll give you a hint; It's not Creed. King's of Leon has absolutely eclipsed the rock scene with, arguably, their worst album. The band has gone from playing small bars in Knoxville two or three times a year, to being the main reason for a huge percentage at both Bonnaroo and Glastonbury this last year. Interestingly enough, the band is pretty vocal about how they sold their soul to the devil, and how much they hate themselves for it. I love this clip of an interview in SPIN.
"We definitely got bigger than we wanted to be," Caleb tells SPIN. "You feel like you've done something wrong. That woman in mom jeans who'd never let me date her daughter? She likes my music. That's fucking not cool. You almost start doing damage control: When people ask you to do stuff, you're like, 'No, because I can already tell this record is going to get to a level where people will fucking hate us.'" Only By The Night wasn't a bad album by any stretch, but it was mostly just listenable, and for musicians, that's worse than bad. That means your creativity is blacking out. A lot of artists get to that point, and may rise in fame, gain more money, but the band dies.

I have seen a staggering amount of online "critics" refer to this as Kings Of Leon's sophomore album, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you are going to review a band or an album, have the respect to look up their f@(&*($ discography. Don't be ignorant. So, for all you looking to praise or bash, let me enlighten you with a history lesson.

First there was Youth and Young Manhood, and it was good. So I hear. I haven't heard a lick of this, but it's supposed to be pretty fun rock. Next came Aha Shake Heartbreak, which I can vouch for. The album is an incredible blend of rollicking bar-stompers and creative dark jingles. Next came Because Of The Times, which essentially honed in on the great parts of the previous album, and turned up a few notches. Then there was Only By The Night. The album lost the fun in the last three albums. It was catchy in places, but gone were the frenetic fuzzy bass lines, and craftily syncopated drum beats. The songs, both literally and figuratively tend to just wander around and try to sound emotional. Songs like "I Want You","17", and "Use Somebody" find the band an emotional wreck on the same bar-floor they were once raising hell on. I will say I do like "Closer" a lot, but it doesn't sound anything like the rest of the tracks. On the flip side, it is the highest selling album on the internet ever. The guys could retire and buy a pool of molten gold in each ones backyard. I guess there's the silver lining.

Before Come Around Sundown hit shelves, KoL pledged new ways. They don't want mediocrity, they want a mark in musical history. So does it take a turn to their creative past? To make it short, no. The band is still very much the band it was this time last years. Songs like "The Immortal", "Birthday", and "Pickup Truck" just fill out the album. There are very little redeeming qualities in their shallow "just get through it" licks. However, there are quite a few mostly successful attempts at rising back into it's earlier days. Take for instance, the hit single "Radioactive". It's a neat little microcosm of the whole album. It has a solid driving spacy bass throughout the whole song, but the guitar lick is incredible. It's terribly simple, but equally effective. The lyrics are so-so, but the song is pretty good, and if I'm going to hear a song every time I turn my radio on, I'd much rather it be this than Ke$ha.

"Back Down South" is the band's salute to the good ole' south, and features some very Springsteen-y lyrics. "Underneath the stars when we park the cars, ain't showin signs of stoppin'. Pretty little girls aching through their curls, ready to lay in a coffin." Paired with a subtle banjo, twangy steel guitar, and gradually growing fiddle, the song sounds like it would fit on CMT more than Pitchfork, but here that's a good thing. "Pony Up", the oldest sounding song on the album has the same hard bass line and odd percussion KoL fans have missed from Aha Shakes Heartbreak. The mysterious tale of arson "Pyro" is a good example of how the last album should have panned out. It is spacy and heart-breaking as any other hit, but it works. I can't explain how, but it is a really good depressing song.

My favorite song on the album, "Mary" could not have been better described than by Consequence of Sound Dan Caffrey, so I'm just going to quote him. "“Mary” hooks the listener with yearning doo wop vocal styling and woozy, muffled saxophone, painting a black and white photo of the band as the drunken house act for a 1950’s prom." I love that. And it might be because of my time as Danny Zuko last year, but I really love good 50's doo wop. My Pandora is either hipster never-heard ofs or 50's bubble gum pop. This song is both.

Come Around Sundown is certainly a turn for the better. They have ideas churning in their head again. They just don't see, to be able to completely flesh them out into amazing music. Right now, they're really good, and to be the face of rock music they're great. Down with Daughtry, Up with the Kings of Leon. The album's worth buying, if anything as the next chapter in the band's pretty interesting path between musicality and fame.