Best of 2009 (10-1)

1) Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

They've managed to retain their style for over 20 years, yet continue to sound fresh and adventurous. One of the best bands in existence.

Fun with fruit:


2) Superchunk - Leaves in the Gutter EP


This EP completely rocked my shit for like three months straight.

3) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone


I know of at least one contemporary female piano player that I like. And it doesn't hurt that she covers both Harry Nilsson and Sparks.

Horse whisperer:


4) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest


This was the year in which we see Grizzly Bear become a household name, and for good reason.

Tripping balls:


5) Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle


Bill Callahan returns to his sparse, wry, and manically depressing songwriting. Because happy Smog just doesn't cut it.

6) Group Bombino - Guitars from Agadez Vol. 2


Unlike the first volume, this one is half acoustic, half electric. But it’s still completely raw and messy and awesome. What else would you expect from a Nigerien rebel group?

7) Piano Magic - Ovations


Girlfriend dump you? Take a bunch of ketamine? Paranoid that your heart is about to collapse into itself? Or just generally feel like offing yourself? Well, the good news is you’ve found your soundtrack.

8) Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family - My Ancestors


Technically a release from the early 70's, this album boasts simple melodies, fuzzed-out psych guitar solos, and heavy drums. This sounds a bit like Cream if they were Zambian and Clapton had any balls.

9) A.C. Newman - Get Guilty


Newman’s second solo album is more introspective than his first, but it’s still full of endless hooks and skillful songwriting. And it proves once again that he’s at his best when in total control.

10) Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy


It might not be Built to Spill's best album, but it's got everything they've come to be known for (namely, triple guitar beard attack). And props to them for including slide guitar again- "Hindsight" is a jam reminiscent of much of Doug Martsch's solo album.

Melvin Goes to Dinner

Last night I got to watching Melvin Goes to Dinner again. I've seen it four times. It's my favorite movie (besides maybe Home Alone). It mostly stars a bunch of character actors, though it features cameos from Jack Black, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk (who also directed and produced it), Maura Tierney, Jenna Fischer, and that guy who plays Pete on 30 Rock. The guy who wrote the movie and stars as Melvin, Michael Blieden, played a special agent in Arrested Development along with the other male star, Matt Price. The two lady leads are Annabelle Gurwitch, previously the host of "Dinner and a Movie" back in the day on TBS, and Stephanie Courtney, who has recently landed a role as a switchboard operator on Mad Men.

These accolades aren't very impressive, I realize, but the movie is nothing but excellent and captivating from start to finish. Here is Jack Black's scene in the movie:


David Cross and Bob Odenkirk starred together in Mr. Show, which was usually fucking hilarious. But they also starred together in a Yo La Tengo video for what's probably their most famous song, "Sugarcube." As you probably know from reading this blog, I don't miss opportunities to write about YLT, especially when there's funny involved.

Yo La Tengo - New Music - More Music Videos

Cat Stevens

Matthew and Son, Cat Stevens' first album, is by far the least introspective of his releases. This album is full of AM-radio-oriented tracks, nearly all of which clock in at under 3 minutes. There are better Cat Stevens albums out there, but none with as much ear candy.

Some of these songs are certified hits. The album opens with the title track, which is one of the more dynamic tracks on the album. It has baroque pop written all over it, which signifies the rest of the album's style. The following track, "I Love My Dog", is a more contemplative affair. Interestingly, it features Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones on bass. It was Cat Stevens' first single, though it's not as well known as "Matthew and Son" or the third track, "Here Comes My Baby". This track seemed to gain in popularity after it was featured in Wes Anderson's "Rushmore". It was also covered by professional cover band Yo La Tengo on 1990's Fakebook.

The sugary sweet keeps cruising along on the next track, "Bring Another Bottle Baby". The song is a sexy French affair, which I can't help but think shaped the Flight of the Conchords song "Foux du Fafa".

Another significant track on this record is "I've Found a Love." Anyone familiar with Panda Bear's 2007 Person Pitch will recognize the guitar strumming and tambourine-tapping right after the chorus. Somewhere in the middle of that album's epicenter, "Bros", features that sample. Record nerds!

The rest of the album features songs that aren't quite as ambitious, though decent all the same. And there's the album closer, "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun", which a bit unnerving. The title suggests exactly what the song is about, though it's no ballad. The music sounds a bit like the background for a Tom and Jerry chase. Weird stuff. Apparently it was written for a musical about Billy the Kid, but the musical was never produced. Strangely, despite not having any context, it was released as a single in the UK and never had any controversy along with it.

Cat Stevens - Matthew & Son (1967)

Yo La Tengo - Here Comes My Baby

Needle of Death

There's a song I'd like to share this evening by a Scottish fellow named Bert Jansch. He's had quite a prolific career, putting out dozens of albums on a myriad of labels as a solo artist as well as a fair few albums with Pentangle. "Needle of Death" was one of his most popular songs, released off his first album in 1965 before he took to playing with a group. The album also contains a song called "Alice's Wonderland," written by Charles Mingus. As is pretty evident when you listen to his recordings, Jansch influenced many important songwriters, including the recently-deceased John Martyn and the long-ago-deceased Nick Drake. Jansch is still alive and well.

Bert Jansch - Needle of Death

Yo La Tengo recorded it for their Today is the Day EP, released a few months after Summer Sun in 2003. Georgia Hubley takes the vocal duties and treats the song with the somber loving care it deserves. I think Yo La Tengo are generally better off when they're doing their own material, but in this instance, they do the song justice and then some. The entire EP is a little gem, one side smoking hot indie rock, the other a handful of more subdued and acoustic numbers.

I don't really feel like putting in the links to the usual informative sites, and I suspect nobody will have a problem with it since nobody comments on this thing anyway.

Yo La Tengo - Needle of Death

Yo La Tengo/Condo Fucks

Metro Chicago

("Yo La Tango" and "Lamb Chop.")............................(They got "Yo La Tengo" correct the second time, but RICK Brown wasn't so fortunate.)



Yo La Tengo are the absolute jam. Their creative restlessness, their balancing act of wearing their hearts on their sleeves without being wimpy, their ability to cross genres without flinching, and their willingness to cover any band they well choose...these are all exactly the things I want in a band. They don't bother with image, other than being nice, honest, creative music dorks. The music has always come first, baseball a close second. I'm a little surprised it's taken me this long to talk about them.

So when I heard that Yo La Tengo were putting out a garage covers record under the name "Condo Fucks," well, I couldn't have been more fucking condo-ning. For one thing, it means new Yo La Tengo. For another, it means they're still having fun trying something new, which, if I'm to infer correctly, means no end in sight. It also means we'll get Yo La Tengo pretending to be a raucous garage band covering The Small Faces, Slade, and The Troggs. Win win win.

There's a new video, err, photo montage of a bunch of Connecticrap, where "Condo Fucks" are supposedly from. I really like that in the press release for the new album, they didn't even bother coming up with an alias for James McNew. Georgia Condo, Kid Condo, and James McNew. Yeah, he's just kind of there, hanging out, playing bass. You know, whatever.

Check it:


Loud and obnoxious and gritty and awesome.

And for kicks, here're the two Dylan covers they contributed to the "I'm Not There" soundtrack.

Yo La Tengo - Fourth Time Around (Bob Dylan)
Yo La Tengo - I Wanna Be Your Lover (Bob Dylan)