Beats/Rhymes/Life

This post kind exposes two recent trends of this blog; the fact that I'm a sucker for mash-ups, and I suck at updating it. I also love Seattle area DJ/MC combo, Blue Scholars (proof here). If you want to know what I've been listening to lately, this is a good indication (along with the new Menomena album--which is fucking great).

Check it:
Blue Scholars - Inkwell (Crashed Cop Car Remix)

In other news, WWU AS POP continues their amazing run of great shows, adding THE DECEMBERISTS! in May... and I'm fucking stoked that the Clipse will be coming to Bellingham in March-- time to dust off the fake ID.

If you could hear what it sounds like in my head, it would be close to this...

I'm pretty sure I have ADD-- actually, I'm positive and this song confirms it. This guy is such a fucking genius it's scary, riding the sucess of Night Ripper, Girl Talk is back with a recently released track mashing up two of my favorite songs of the year (and two of my favorite artists of the year) sending Grizzly Bear's 'Knife' into a head on collison with 'Wamp Wamp' by Clipse. It kills me to think that Girl Talk will be in Seattle next month playing a 21+ show, and I can't go (mostly cause I can't find someone to go with). On a brighter note, this song is the perfect storm, combining three of my favorite artists of the past year, check it out.

Grizzly Bear - 'Knife (Girl Talk Remix)'

So this is the new year...

Looking back, the past year has been pretty crazy for me. I started college in a entirely new place, traveled around a bunch, and met a lot of really cool people along the way. In the time between all of that I found some really great music... so I figured I'd list off my top 12 (I was going to do 10, but I couldn't narrow it down) albums of the past year, with the following qualifications; they had to be released in 2006, and they had to be full length (LPs).

Here goes nothing, in no particular order:

-Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
The Seattle band was basically the soundtrack for my winter/spring last year. Most of the songs on this album like 'The Funeral' evoke heavier emotional responses, although the vocals themselves never add to that aesthetic, the lyrics themselves are pretty dense (i.e. "at every occasion I'll be ready for a funeral"). Then there's the up-beat and poppy, 'Great Salt Lake', which for reasons mentioned in my very first post, is my favorite song on the album.
mp3: The Funeral

-T.V. On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Aside from Yellow House, this album is probably the most cohesive album on the list. They really nailed the overall production on this album. 'Wolf Like Me' is obviously the standout track, with 'I Was a Lover' coming in a close second.
mp3: Wolf Like Me

-Islands - Return to the Sea
For at least two months this year, I found myself constantly playing this album along with the Unicorns album ('Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone') on repeat. Although, seemingly more focused and straight forward than anything put out by the Unicorns, 'Return to the Sea' remains one of my favorite releases (and live shows) of 2006. The parallels to the life of the Unicorns are scary (listen to the Unicorns 'Ready to Die' then listen to 'Swans' by Islands). Time will only tell if 2007 sees the death of the Islands, and then some sort of Nick Diamonds reincarnation in 2008.
mp3: Rough Gem

-The Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Rap album of the year, hands down. The Neptunes provide some nasty beats, and Pusha T./Malice return with unparalleled flow and lyrical prowess that has been almost unheard of in 'the game' for years. Reminds me of the days when I used to slang coke on the street corner.
mp3:Hello New World

-Decemeberists - The Crane Wife
The obvious target of 'sell out' cries everywhere-- I just don't see it. Obviously the album has its weak points ('Perfect Crime' and 'Shankill Butchers' in my opinion), but its sweeping three part epics cannot be denied. The addition of a prog-rock influenced sound on tracks like 'The Island' and the raw emotion injected into 'The Crane Wife (1-3)' are a definite step forward, easily outdoing anything previously produced by the Decemberists.
mp3: The Crane Wife 1+2

-Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
As I mentioned earlier, this is the most cohesive album on the list. The tracks blend together in a way I've never experienced before. Maybe it's cause the entire album was recorded inside an old house outside Cape Cod. I recall reading somewhere that the house turned into an instrument of its own, during the recording process, which makes complete sense after listening to the album. Add that to the subtle electronic glitches interspersed throughout the disc, and you have in my opinion, one of the most complete albums of the year.
mp3: Kinfe

-The Knife - Silent Shout
Creepy, cold, dark, warm--I don't even know where to begin with this album. You just have to listen to it and decide for yourself. Maybe listen to 'Heartbeats' (from their previously released 'Deep Cuts') first.
mp3: We Share Our Mother's Health

-Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
Quite possibly the most underrated album of the year. Perfect pop, this time recorded live, which becomes instantly apparent when comparing this to their back catalogue. They are near the top of my list to see live in 2007.
mp3: Consolation Prizes

-Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
over-hyped, over-rated, XL sell outs... say what you want to say, but their constantly shape-shifting styles, combined with the urgency of the lead singer's voice, keep me coming back to The Loon.
mp4 (sorry): insisted

-Girl Talk - Night Ripper
The resurrection of the mashup. Brilliant (I think it also helps that I have ADD)
mp3: Bounce That

-Annuals - Be, He, Me
This album started to make a lot more sense to me after reading that 19 year old lead singer Adam Baker, recorded most of the album in an anti-depressant fueled insomnia, sometimes holing up in the studio for 20 hours at a time. This band has been compared to the likes of Broken Social Scene, and the Arcade Fire, and deservedly so--you can almost feel the raw potential coming out of the tracks. Their first single 'Brother' is one of my favorite tracks of the year.
mp3: Brother

-Cold War Kids - Robbers and Cowards
I've pretty much said all I can say about them (here). This is a great album, the soul/gospel influences, and narrative lyrical style is very refreshing and original.
mp3: Robbers

So that's the list... There are, however, a few that I left off that are worth mentioning:

-Liars - 'Drum's Not Dead'; 'The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack' is one of my favorite individual tracks of the year, but I just didn't give the rest of the album a chance to sink in.

-Beach House - Beach House; I love these songs, but I've only had the entire album for about a month.

- Neko Case - 'The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood'; She's coming to my campus in February, and I got my dad the album for Christmas. It's my first non-New Pornographers taste of Case, and so far I like what I hear.

-Lupe Fiasco - 'Food and Liquor'; I like it so far, but unfortunately, it got pushed under the pile of new music I got this fall.

-M. Ward - 'Post War'; I know I'm late on this. I like what I hear so far.

Now I'm done. I swear... I'm really looking forward to 2007!
-Doug