2011 Albums of the Year (so far)

Last year was a pretty down year overall for music for the Big Sexy. Of course there were awesome new bands, bands that I was finally exposed to and good efforts from long time favorites. But overall, it was not as strong as in years past. I am pleased to announce 2011 is making up for it! As we are entering the summer months, there are already enough great albums to have a top 5 albums of 2011. Some of these might be off the radar by the time the BS Awards are released at the end of the year, but I have a feeling many will still be high on the list, including a likely wire-to-wire winner. I encourage you to seek out these excellent albums and add them to your ipod toot-sweet.

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light See the review below for a detailed description and fawning for this excellent set of music. Get it. Really. There is a sea of youtube videos from a Live on Letterman webcast out there. Here is Bridge Burning. The background vocals are rough on this, but you get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZFMTjQ7Xi0&playnext=1&list=PLB9919D1E902A0681

2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs It's tough to put this here as this album was on top of a lot of 2010 top alternative lists. It wasn't on the Big Sexy list as I hadn't heard it. I knew of it, I just didn't take an immediate shine when I took a listen. But when many of my favorite albums last year were on the same lists as Arcade Fire, but just lower, I thought I should give it a shot. I was late to the party but I'm enjoying the time just the same. The Suburbs is about exactly what it sounds like it is, growing up in the Suburbs. Arcade Fire is headed by a husband and wife team from Montreal. Win Butler, the lead singer, describes the album as a cross between Depeche Mode and Neil Young. I can buy that. They are pretty theatrical sounding, if that's possible. Here's my favorite song from the album and the most rocking Ready to Start. It is from The Daily Show. I have found they only book guests I love the TDS and The Colbert Report. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-12-2010/arcade-fire---ready-to-start

3. Awolnation - Megalithic Symphony What would happen if you mixed the electronica of LCD Soundsystem with the Prog Rock leanings of Muse and added Maroon 5's singer. I'm not sure, but that doesn't seem like a good idea. That is the best way I can describe the awesomeness of new band of the year Awolnation. There is a lot of variety on this album that is very good from beginning to end. Plus the album cover is the best of the year and is unlikely to be topped. Their "hit" single Sail is not even one of my top songs on the album. It is cool though. Here's the video... http://www.youtube.com/user/awolnation#p/c/E61B647F92CE08AA. This song is more upbeat and the vid is fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN5AXq4WvZI

4. Cake - Showroom of Compassion I have loved Cake for a long time. You don't get to be my size with a considerable sweet tooth. But one of my first ever compilation cd's was a collection of my favorite Cake songs, cleverly titled Pure Frosting. I don't think my kids would think we were camping if they didn't hear that mix. Their unique sound has been varied but similar for nearly 20 years. Showroom of Compassion was their first studio album in almost 10 years. I can't believe it has been that long. This album is very similar to the others with some musical growth mixed in. But there are still kickin bass lines, awesome trumpet blasts and the vibra-slap is used more than on any other album. Not all the songs are top notch and it is not my fave Cake album of all time, but there are more than a handful of songs on this album that are brilliant. Brilliant enough to carry the whole album. Here's one of those great songs at the 98Rock studios right here in Sactown. It's Lil' Sexy's favorite song of 2011. He especially likes it because of the name drop of the Candlerock Lounge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuYU09zLIQU

5. The Decemberists - The King is Dead I loved their last effort, the weird and emotional fantasy rock opera, The Hazards of Love. I thought it would be one and out for them. I'm not a fan of their older stuff and think I was just caught up in the story and emotion of the HoL. I got this on a whim and it is really good. Colin Miloy has hanging out with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and damned if it doesn't show, especially on the near R.E.M. knock-off, The Calamity Song. Overall, The King is Dead has almost too much twang in it for me. However, their Cool Out songs are very emotive, especially Rise to Me and Dear Avery. Rise to Me is an ode to his wife and son. When Colin sings "My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway" I am very touched. I had never heard that phrase before, but it is very loving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4LfzxI07q4&feature=fvwrel

Not quite making the top 5 but still getting repeated spins on my ipod:

Radiohead - The King of Limbs Radiohead has turned into one of my favorite bands and there most recent album might be my favorite of several landmark albums, but The King of Limbs hasn't quite hit me too hard yet. It's a little too spacey for me. I like this song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT6zpCY44LMLM but overall I am not moved. (If you have seen the official video for the song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8&feature=relatede , the previous clip is more amusing) For Radiohead to succeed with the Big Sexy it needs to move my soul and not my ears. So far this album is not a hit.

The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chains So far, I really like this. It is mainly a rehashing of all of their SNL Digital Shorts with a few new songs. A good chance this ends up on the Top 10 BS albums of the year list. Sadly the album does not include the brilliant "3 Way" from the last episode of the season. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi7gwX7rjOw) They get excellent guests musicians throughout the album. This clip for The Creep includes Nicki Minaj http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0 . I may have three little creepers for halloween this year. I guess only if Twin Sexies can't find shinny suits and boxes.

Art Brut - Brilliant ! Tragic! Art Brut is another of my absolute favorite bands. They are a punk-ish group with good, simple, fun rock melodies and hooks. But what pushes them over the top is the hysterical lyrics and personality of very British frontman Eddie Argos. Eddie is the only artist from a band that I actually ever talked to. I got to hang out with him briefly and awkwardly before and after a San Francisco show a couple years ago. I haven't had this album long enough to properly rate it. Right off, I suppose I'm a little underwhelmed. Eddie likes to talk his singing. I think he may actually be trying to sing more hear. On this song, it songs more like whispering. The music is great, but I think I'd rather he talk his way through it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_IGqNoB4eI I'll have a better feel about this album by the end of the year.

Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday This is another album that was out at the end of the year in 2010 but I didn't get into it much until this year. Cage the Elephant had a minor hit a year or so ago with Ain't No Rest For the Wicked. I liked that the first 50 times I heard it, but got tired of the song and wrote this bank off as a one hit wonder. I gave them more of a chance and this new album is very good. http://www.youtube.com/user/cagetheelephant?blend=1&ob=4

I owe it to Ted to try out the new Kills CD and am getting geared up for new LMFAO and Modest Mouse. There are so many great months ahead for me and my ipod.

CD Review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

I love Foo Fighters. They are easily one of my favorite bands of all time. Not only do I love their sound, but I've loved their clever music videos and they are an awesome live band. Dave Grohl was named as Big Sexy Artist of the Decade for the Naughts. But I was very nervous for this release. The best I could hope for is that the Foo Fighters would maybe start to age gracefully and I would enjoy a new sound from the Foos much like Pearl Jam has evolved. I've liked the last couple of Foo Fighter albums, but they would include many songs that seemed to come out of a random Foo Fighter song generator. Whisper to shout vocals and hard songs that still have a bit of a pop crossover sensability. In 2009, the Foo Fighters released the dreaded "best of" set. That is usually the retirement of great bands. It included a couple of less-than-inspired new releases.

I am thrilled to report that Wasting Light is the Foo Fighters best album since 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose and is the Big Sexy album of 2011. The album kicks you right in the nards with the blazing Bridge Burning. It builds up the tempo by adding one instrument at a time before finally getting to the kickass opening line of "These are my famous last words. My number's up - bitches will burn". Ok, maybe he says "bridges and not bitches" but ever since Mrs. Sexy made that mistake, I always hear that (as do all the cars with the window down next to me at any intersection). All of the first five songs rock hard, maybe a little too hard on the full-on metal assault of White Limo. The next 4 songs are very good songs that are a bit too reminiscent of the 21st century Foo Fighters that I really like but am not passionate about.

Song 10, I Should Have Known, is the track that has received much of pre-release buzz as it is supposed to be the first song by Dave Grohl that addressed Kurt Cobain's suicide. Without knowing that, you could certainly hear the song as just someone who has had their heart broken. Dave conveys a lot of emotion in the song. He ranges from the quiet acceptance of the heartbreak to more and more anger as the song goes on. What I think makes it even more wonderful is the song directly after it, Walk. Maybe on it's own it wouldn't be so special. But hearing it right after I Should Have Known, makes the uplifting and positive song about getting on with your life so powerful. I honestly get goosebumps and end up with a big joyful feeling when I hear the album in context at this point.

The deluxe version of Wasting Light comes with the electronica/club re-mix of the first single Rope as produced by Deadmau5. The only thing I knew about Deadmau5 before was the cool head he wears during his shows. I like this re-mix sometimes, but I love the original version of the song. It's cool to hear this version though. The better bonus is the excellent song, Better Off. I don't know how that isn't just on the album. Another excellent track.

This album is easily my number one album of the year, so far, in a year that includes many other excellent efforts. Despite it's horrible album cover, I'm pretty sure this horse is going wire-to-wire. 5 big hands from the Everlong video out of 5.

Kilt Pub Review

I was very excited when a Pub was going to open within stumbling distance of my castle. The peace of an inviting local place where you can drop in for a pop of excellent British beer is right up my alley. There is a feel that I asssociate with a pub that I acquired in my travels to London that differentiates itself for a bar. Simply put, I think of a bar as almost kind of a sad, almost lonely place where I think of a pub as a warm, happy spot in a community. There is a lot of fun you can have at a bar, and I have, but that is entirely dependent on the company you keep. A good pub will bring you together with people resulting in a fun night.

Since it's opening at the start of February, I have visited the Kilt Pub on many different occasions with a variety of people. Each time, I have had a nice experience. The heart of any pub is the staff. The owner and the handful of bartenders I have interacted with have all been very friendly and attentitive. As with a traditional pub, you place your orders at the bar and the food and drink will be brought to your table, if it can't just be handed to you in a pint. The bar staff invites you to open a tab that can be settled quickly at the end of your stay.

The bar itself is a beautful wood bar. In a perfect world, it would be twice or three times are long as it is, but space limitations make that impossible. Adjacent to the bar is a half bar where orders can be made without having to reach over patrons sitting at the bar. It's a nice touch. I love the rich coloring of the bar. I wish there were more of these rich accents throughout the pub.

In its infancy, the Kilt Pub still lacks a little character inside. The pleather booths are still very fresh and new. The decorative mirrors are still sparkling clean. I am hoping that, in time, the place will feel more lived in. There are two very nice flat screen tellies on the wall, showing sport. I like the amount of soccer that as been on during my visits. The back room seems very much like a work in progress. I love the two nice dartboards on the wall. I don't quite get the pictures that are back there. The room feels very much like overflow parking. There is an echo and some kind of a paint smell for now. The back room needs a telly or a jukebox with some cool British bands or something to give it more life. But there would need to be something done about the echo.

On to the main event, the beer. The Kilt has a wide variety of beers on tap an even more in bottles. My fave and current BS Beer of 2011 is Greene King's Abbot Ale. It is a creamy amber ale that is poured very slowly out of the tap. It is not a full on English style pull tap, but they have done something to the taps to make the beer come out slow, resulting in a creamy, less carbonated taste. There is a selection of British beers but would love to see them bring in some Samuel Smith's or Fuller's. Their selection is a bit safe (Guinness, Bass, Newcastle, Harp) with only a couple of wild cards (Old Speckled Hen along with the aforementioned Abbot). They also have a few Belgian beers and other imports. About half of the taps are domestic beers. While there is a pulse of creativity with Racer X, I would love to see them replace a few of the standard Sacramento beer pulls with a few more from the British Isles.

You can get the beers by the pint, the imperial pint (20 oz. - god save the queen) and pitcher. I love the shape of an imperial pint as well as the bonus beer in each one. Glad they have those and for there slight additional cost, I pity the patron with a puny pint.

I wish I could say I have tried a better variety of the food for this review. I can tell you that the fish in the fish and chips is spectacular. As good as any I have ever had anywhere. Big piece of white fish, battered and fried to perfection. Served with lemon and a pretty tasty tartar sauce. The chips are standard steak fries and make for an excellent accompanyment. The excellence of that dish is why my variety is weak. I have witnessed the bangers and mash walk by me. It looked awesome. I have also watched someone it a burger. I like the big fluffy bun. I don't know if I have ever had a burger in a big fluffy bun that wasn't great.

Overall, I love the Kilt Pub. With any new business, it will go through growth and change. I hope that the improvements make the Kilt Pub an even better place to visit. As it sits now, I implore you all to go to the Kilt Pub and give it a shot, just leave some Abbot Ale for me.

BS Beer of the Year 2010

I take my beer seriously. Whether I am enjoying a cold one after a Bad Gnus game on a warm evening, hanging out at home with the family or traveling the world, I try to never cheat myself out of the enjoyment of a tasty beer. That is why the BS Beer of the Year is the most prestigious of all of the BS Awards. The best way to read this narrative is by popping open your own favorite brew. I’d love to hear where you think I made a bad choice or hear of your experiences. I don’t have to agree, but I can respect.

Best Travel Beer - Goose Island 312. I love traveling. I think it is a rewarding and enriching experience that every one should do as much as possible. Stay tuned for my coming travel blog… Along these travels, I make it a point to sample the beers that the locals enjoy. You can really only assimilate into a society by getting a little tipsy with the natives. In Chicago this year, I fell in love with 312 from the Goose Island Brewery. You couldn’t stumble into a bar in Chicago without finding this beer. It is labeled an "Urban Wheat Beer". I don’t know what that means aside from marketing ploy. I didn’t hear any hip-hop when I sipped it. It is a very drinkable wheat beer but also has a nice flavor to it. It is filtered, so it is not as heavy as a Hefeweizen. This beer received a bit of international acclaim when President Obama offered up some 312 in a World Cup wager with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Sadly, I cannot find 312 at my local BevMo. Crikey.

Best American Beer not from Sam Adams - Alaskan Amber. This beer first made it too this list as a travel beer from my beautiful cruise though the Inland Passage. It is a tasty, drinkable beer that is good any time of year or day.

Best Beer on Tap – Pyramid Alehouse Amber. Can’t get this in bottles anywhere and that is just as well. It is so good on tap. The unfiltered Pyramids are always better live. This is a rare unfiltered amber brew, mixes two of my favorite beer characteristics. I am lucky that it is too much of a hassle for me to go downtown to fill up my growler with this. But maybe I can sneak away for just a bit this afternoon…

Best Mass Produced Import – Newcastle. This has been one of my favorite beers for years. This is such a smooth and tasty beer, I can’t envision a time when this isn’t one of my go-to beers. I like it so much that Newcastle United is now my second favorite English Premier League football club. Ironically, I have never had a Newcastle in England. It is a little better for me in the winter than the summer, but you won’t see me turning one down in July. Bonus points for the awesome little keg you can get. I love drinking from this.

Best English Beer - Sam Smith’s Nut Brown. This is a bit of a special occasion beer to me. It is a little darker than the typical amber beers that our littering this list. I’m sure it’s all mental, but drinking this makes with this of sitting in a pub in Londontown with dark brown paneling on the walls and highlights of footy on the telly.

Best Mexican Beer - Dos XX Amber. I love me some Mexican food. See previous post on Burrito Week and the spare tire around my middle as evidence. Whether I am at a dive taqueria or sitting in my kitchen, the wonderful tastes from south of the border go down more smoothly with a Dos XX Amber. I am noticing a lot of beers on this list are amber beers. I think I am gravitating toward a type.

Best Fruit Beer – Pyramid Apricot Ale. Ape Ale has been in my life longer than any other beer on this list. I’m not a big fan of apricots, but somehow this unfiltered wheat beer has just the right amount of subtle fruit flavor to love. I’m just gay enough to like a good fruit beer, but so often it is overdone. But when it is done well, it is fabulous.



Best Local Brewery – Rubicon. The Rubicon is a wonderful midtown place. It just has the right kind of feel to it. I like going there for lunch. I like going there for a mid afternoon break. I like going there for a late beer. It is a simple enough place with great food and better waffle fries. Rubicon harkens me back to Mrs. Sexy’s law school days when we would meet some of her lawyers-of-the-future friends and share a basket of fries and a pitcher or three of tasty beer. This was in the early days of craft brewers and the beer was something special and unique. I would refill my Rubic’s Cube of beer for special drinking occasions. My beer of choice back then is no longer available. One of my favorite beer names is Monkey Knife Fight. Unfortunately, that is too Sierra Nevada-y for my tastes. My beer of choice is the humbly named, wait for it, Amber. It’s a nice, smooth malty brew as you would expect from a beer so deftly named. Stop by for a basket of waffle fries and tell them the Big Sexy sent you.

This makes me think of the top places in town to grab a brew. Here’s my list.
1. Crawdad’s on a sunny, warm Spring day
2. Rubicon
3. Fox & Goose
4. Beach Hut Deli
5. Pyramid Brewpub

I’m very much looking forward to the Kilt Pub. Please do your part to help this new business. http://www.kilt-pub.com/index.html I know I will.

Best Sam Adams – Octoberfest. Samuel Adams is my favorite brewery. I can’t wait for a trip to Boston. I like many of their beers. Sammy Light was even beer of the year for 2009. I love the Cherry Wheat, Old Fezziwig, Blackberry Witbeir and Summer Ale. But topping of those is my BS Beer of the Year 2010, Octoberfest! It is a deep, rich beer with the slightest amount of bite for those cooler Fall evenings. Makes daylight savings time more palatable and gears me up for the holiday season.

With all of this information, none of you have reason to drink and weak or bitter beer. It doesn’t suit you. I know I’m thirsty now. Cheers!

BS Awards: Top 10 Albums of 2010

There is a big difference determining the best album of the year and the best songs of the year. To really stand out as an album, the whole listening experience must be critiqued. The best albums will be able to transfix me for 35 to 55 minutes and earn the right to be listened all the way through and in the official track listing order. Here are my top albums of 2010.

1. The National – High Violet. I never did a review of this album when it first was released. The reason… I knew I would like it the more I heard it. Usually, it is wise to listen to an album at least 5 times before forming an opinion. With The National, that number is closer than 20.
High Violet is more of the same that produced the wonderful Alligator and Boxer albums from previous years. High Violet is full of clever metaphors and deep, melancholy stories sung with the rich baritone of Matt Berninger. The best way for me to enjoy The National is to read the lyrics and really try to put together what Matt is trying to tell me. Once I get an understanding for it, I can really feel the songs at a deeper level. Matt is now married with kids and many of his songs tell of his emotional struggles with his new life.

I don’t think I can put this album in quite the same class as those The National’s previous albums. On those albums, there are few up tempo songs and High Violet doesn’t quite have anything that you could consider a rocker. The closest would be Bloodbuzz Ohio, which barely scratched the Top 20 of 2010. This is still an excellent album that I have probably listened to three or four times a week all year long. It is and has been my go to album when I really feel like a need a solid, soul touching, listening experience. Hearing the first strum of Terrible Love makes my blood tingle and my heart slow. Any album that can make your body, soul and heart react in such a positive way has to take the top album award.

2 . The XX – XX. In April, this album was named album of the first quarter of the year here: http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/album-of-year-2010.html. Surprisingly, the album hung on to finish this high. I find myself still going to it, despite the fact that I first heard it at the start of the year. Not one song cracked the Top 20 songs of the year, but there were probably 5 in the top 50 and a couple in the top 10 cool out songs of 2010. There is just a really good feel about the whole album. Like any good album, I don’t like to shuffle the songs when I listen to it and I don’t skip to certain songs. I start with Intro and listen until my ipod stops. I feel better at the end then I do at the start. I don’t know what more you can ask for from an album.

3 . The Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever The Hold Steady might be my favorite band. That’s hard for me to actually place. That’s like me trying to pick a favorite son or a favorite beer. It can’t really be done. THS is up there though. I really liked this album, but it didn’t quite hit as high with me as their previous albums did. Still, an excellent album that earns high praise. Here’s what I said when the album was released.
http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/cd-review-hold-steady-heaven-is.html

4. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown. Despite giving this album 4 stars in my initial review (found here http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/cd-review-kings-of-leon-come-around.htmlml), I feel I gave the KOL a bit of a rough ride in my prose. However, the more I have listened to this album, the more I have listened to it. It really is very good. I just needed to readjust my expectations. I also had to overcome one of the worst album covers of 2010. The worst part about it is how incongruous it is. Here’s the list of the 3 worst covers of albums I have in 2010.

1. Ok Go – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. Not only a horrible cover but a horrible title. Seriously, WTF?
2 .KOL – Come Around Sundown. Stolen from Jack Johnson’s rejected covers.
3. Weezer – Hurley. A picture of the big guy from Lost? Really?

Of course, I need to keep it positive… here’s the top 3.
1. Gorillaz – Perfect for the band and album
2. Everyone Was in the French Resistance – Nice Casablanca reference
3. The XX – So simple, it’s beautiful

At the end of the year, as with all good albums, I like to listen to Come Around Sundown front to back without skipping songs.

5. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This really shouldn’t even make this list as I didn’t own it until after the Big Sexy fiscal year ended. However, it is such a powerful and notable album, I couldn’t keep it off. See the review immediately below. This is number 1 on a lot of year end lists. Even with better fiscal year planning, I don’t think this would’ve finished any different than it does now on the BS List.

6. Gorillaz – Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach. The more time I spent on Plastic Beach the more I enjoyed it. The Gorillaz do not hook me with lyrical content. They hook me with hooks and fun phrases. Damon Albarn has lined up many guests on this album, especially on the standout tracks. On the title track, which opens up the album, Snoop Dogg lays down the vocals in his own way with genius lyrics such as "click clackin, crack-a-lackin, full packin, mo’ stackin, actin’ a fool when I teach. Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach". Snoop has several other choice lyrical cuts. De La Soul spits out the jams on Superfast Jellyfish. Lou Reed brings his voice to Some Kind of Nature. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from The Clash rock on Plastic Beach and I’ve seen them playing live with Damon Albarn during the Gorillaz tour.

The back half of the album misses a little more for me. It’s a little more of a sonic flow for me. I don’t skip the songs when listening to them, but I never come to attention. The first half does impress. Starting out with an orchestral intro into the Snoop song really sets the mood. I feel a little bit like I am traveling to a different crazy world while listening to the whole album. Each guest singer is someone I encounter along the way. When Damon sings, I feel like I’m back on our vessel heading to a new destination. Odd feeling for an album, but I like it.

7. The Black Keys – Brothers. You can find my original review here: http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/cd-reveiw-black-keys-brothers.html . As I previously stated, I love the start of this album. The first 5 or 6 cuts from this album are some of the best songs I have heard from the Keys. I never was able to embrace the second half of the album. A great album will grow on me and I will like it better 6 months after I first hear it then I did after the first 6 days. This album never did and I honestly haven’t fired it up lately.

8. Ok Go – Of The Blue Colour of the Sky. There were some very good songs from this album, but some very skippable ones, too. None of the songs were instant classics like Ok Go produced on previous albums. But they ran the spectrum (see what I did there?) of songs from very upbeat to mid tempo to ballad with success. Unfortunately, I could never get into a good rhythm on the album as a whole. There would be a couple good songs, then I’d have to skip one. They needed a better mix. Overall, there were enough very goods songs to crack the top albums of 2010 list. If Ok Go dropped the song count from 14, it might have made a better album. They promised to do one of their signature videos for every song of the album. So far, those have been like this album… some very good, so not so good.

9. Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree and Tallahassee. This falls to this low as both albums were released years ago. Plus it is two different albums. They are new to me so they get recognition in 2010. The Mountains Goats are very much a lyrical band. I would call if folk music, but it rocks a little harder than that. What makes these albums stellar are the stories they tell. They are both heart wrenching albums that the vocals and the music emote wonderfully. The Sunset Tree is about growing up in a home with an abusive stepfather. Tallahassee is about the unraveling of a marriage. Thankfully, I never had to live with a stepfather and I am happily married, but John Darnielle weaves the stories so beautifully and tragically that it is very touching. At the same time, the music reflects the highs and lows of life.

10. Kate Nash – My Best Friend is You. This was just good enough to sneak onto the list above those below. As mentioned in the Top Songs of 2010 post, I don’t think I’d actually like her as much if I lived in London. But I don’t, so I do. Her songs paint her as the brainy but sad girl who stays home along on Saturday nights, which is highly unlikely. They are pop songs but I can feel the twinge of real heart in the songs. That must be why I elevate her above typical pop fluff. I like her accent and most of the songs are catchy.

Honorable Mention: Travie McCoy – Lazarus (Uneven, but good when good), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Best Soundtrack!), QOTSA – Rated R (Excellent re-release), Weezer – Hurley (too soon after a strong ‘09??) and Jack Johnson – To The Sea (More of the same: good beach tunes).

2010 was a bit of a musical downer overall. 2011 will likely produce a much bigger flow of excellent albums. I’m already excited for new albums from Cake, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and maybe even The White Stripes and Them Crooked Vultures. Most exciting is knowing that I will have new bands that I cannot imagine as I type this.

CD Review: Kanye West - My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy

I don’t think when Kanye West sits down at his piano or computer or wherever he noodles out his songs, he’s thinking about a 43 year old, middle class white guy enjoying his product. If I cross his mind at all, it might be that he’s hoping I have a fly daughter for him. To be fair, when I sit down at my music store or computer or wherever I buy songs, I’m never thinking of him. I know of Kanye more for his name and as a pop culture reference more than I know of his music. Sure, I liked Gold Digger a couple years back, but when I heard Kanye had a new album out and that he was the musical guest on SNL, I really couldn’t care less.

A little later, I kept hearing positive reviews of My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy capped by a 5 star review in Rolling Stone. More than any other publication, I respect Rolling Stone’s music reviews. 5 stars?? Rolling Stone usually reserves that only for re-issues of Lou Reed albums or the latest Bob Dylan album. I don’t know if I have ever actually heard an album they have given 5 stars to. I am usually pumped if they give an album by an artist I like 4 stars.

While diligently working on the Monday after Thanksgiving, I somehow found myself helping the American economy by surfing Amazon.com. I had typed "amazing real estate deals" into Google. What can I do? Amazon was offering the download of MDBTF for $3. I was being dared to give it a try. I was glad I did.

There are a large number of musical guests and a variety of samples on this album. Most of whom, I don’t know. One of the best is Rhianna, who I like best when she accompanies Shy Ronnie. In this album, she is excellent on All of the Lights. Perhaps the best guest appearance is the very profane Chris Rock monologue in the last 4 minutes of Blame Game. Rock is talking to Yeezy’s girl. She is seeing Rock, who plays the "neighborhood (n-word)" and is the beneficiary of all the things Yeezy has taught her. One of the only clean sentences he says is one of the best - "I gotta thank Yeezy. Ima buy his album. I’m gonna download that (MFer). Ima shoot a bootlegger! That’s how good I feel about that (n-word)". OK, so maybe that wasn’t even close to clean. Here's just the Chris Rock part of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybK_HwHnIyE

The album is really put together well. The songs flow into each other and complement each other. The only thing that stops me from absolutely loving this album is Kanye. I didn’t think I liked him before. I liked the album right away and figured if I listen to the lyrics more closely, I will be able to uncover all his fronting and see a likable guy. Nope. He is self-referencial in every song. Even when it seems as if he is calling himself out on the wonderful slowed down jam, Runaway, he ends up being a prick. On the song it sounds like he is apologizing to his girl for having to put up with all of his crap. But in the end it is really more of a realization that he is a prick but what is she going to do?? Leave him? (N-word), please!

The other way Kayne’s over inflated ego hurts this album is many of the song’s lengths. Most of the songs would be better serves chopping off the last several minutes. There are a lot of people who love Kayne’s music, but Yeezy is Kayne’s biggest fan.

When it is all said and done, My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy is a diverse and wonderful piece of music. It is likely my favorite rap/hip hop/whatever the kids are calling this type of music nowadays album of all time. It is really well done. If it weren’t for Yeezy, I’d probably like it even more. But if it weren’t for Yeezy, I’d probably not like it at all.

Here is the 35 minute video/mini-movie for the album. Great production value, but good-god, is he a bad actor. Did I mention he loves himself? You’d think he’d go blind for all of his self pleasuring. Actually, this cuts down a lot of the overlong extensions of songs that are not needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA&feature=channel

Top 20 Songs of 2010

Fuck yeah! This year has more significant turns of the phrase "fuck" in my favorite songs than any other. As a long time fan of Green Day and Rage Against the Machine among other harder edge bands over the past 25 years, I’m not unaccustomed to hearing the stray swear word in my favorite songs. The best usage might be in Rage’s anti-establishment anthem Killing in the Name. The entire last minute of the song consists of Zach screaming at the height of passion "Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me" over and over again, until he finally punctuates it with a screamed "motherfucker!" at the end. Definitely fits the song perfectly.

I’m not really a big swearing type of guy. I prefer to keep my butchering of the Queens at a PG level. However, my top 20 in the Year of Fuck not only contains songs with said word in important parts of the song, but three actually have the word in the title of song.

Unprecedented.

As usual I will give you my favorite lyric of songs along with why I like them and a clip. This year I have added an "F Count". Here’s the list.

1. Fuck You – Cee Lo Green. This is one of those songs that is just a smash the first time you hear it. The melody is awesome. The significant amount of swearing is the charm of the song. Somehow all of the swearing doesn’t seem that dirty. You can totally feel for Cee Lo as he is weaving his story. I think my favorite lyric is how the song starts and continues as the chorus throughout "I see you driving round town with the girl I love and I’m like ‘Fuck you’". I am glad they released cleaner versions so it can have a broader appeal, but really the original version is the best.

F Count – 16 (plus plenty of S’s and N’s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU The is one of the best videos of the year as you watch chubby Cee Lo grow through the years and continue to get his heart broken by the same girl.

2. Hurricane J –The Hold Steady. I love The Hold Steady. They put excellent, clever lyrics to rocking beats with passion. That’s typically a home run for me. This song about breaking off a summer fling with a girl because the future isn’t there climaxes with the wonderful line "You’re a beautiful girl and you’re pretty good waitress, but Jessie, I don’t think I’m the guy."

F Count – 0 (Craig Finn keeps his songs about drugs and bars and hook-ups clean!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNBcDsL_gRkThe Hold Steady is a wonderful live band. Watching Craig on stage always makes me happy.

3. Yeah Yeah Yeah – New Politics. This song makes me want to run through a wall. It f’ing rocks! So much energy. So much passion. "Whatchu want from me. That’s just fucking killing me!" This song is an excellent example of proper swearing. Listen to the clean and then the original and tell me which one you feel is more passionate.

F Count - 9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II0uqBUewD0 Here’s the edited, more produced version of the video to protect your influential ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTlWB0RlDj0&feature=channel I assume those walls are padded.

4. Next Girl – The Black Keys. Dig out the dark glasses... This is a great rocking blues song about a guy who is finally getting out of a bad relationship. He’s promising himself that it’s going to be better next time. Perfect material for a blues song. The Keys bring all I could want for a blues song to this one. Great pounding bass. Soulful lyrics surrounding heartbreak. Driving rhythm. "My next girl will be nothing like my ex-girl. I made mistakes back then. I won’t do it again."

F Count – 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_PrT25o8Vs This video is awesome. I love the partying dinosaur. That Ty Rex can pull. What makes this video is the scrolling words on the bottom. Some of you might have missed the words. Please watch again.

5. No Money – Kings of Leon. My favorite song off an album that is growing and growing on me. This is easily the "rocker" on the album and one of the most passionate. I love the longing of "I’ve got no money but I want you so." But later in the song he talks about having so much he cannot handle it. I dunno. Great song though.

F Count - 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__8FCeZU26Y I couldn’t find a good cut of this song. What’s up internets? Here’s a live cut with OK sound. It is much better to hear the album cut.

6. Anything, Anything – Lucky Boys Confusion I cheated a little bit here. I actively looked for a remake to this 80’s song by Dramarama. That song was my favorite "under heard" song. I couldn’t have been happier with what I found from Lucky Boys Confusion. They did add the profanity of the year, but to pretty good use. I dare say this version is better than the original.

The song is wonderfully passionate and rocking. It boils an arch of a failed relationship down to 2 minutes plus. It takes the listener from the enamored passion of new love to the frustration of tired love to a bridge where it the singer breaks it all down and then takes you into the inevitable breakup and confrontation with the father in-law. I knew someone had to have touched this song again. "I’ll even let you watch the shows you want to see!"

F Count - 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVSvxOi_1U0 No video, but I could find the audio.

7. Dr. Feel Good – Travie McCoy. I had a big Gym Class Heroes phase a few years back. I figured that would be the end of them for me. The leader Travis seemed to like being a star and I didn’t think his musical integrity was strong. I assumed he would try to cross over to be a big pop star. I think to an extent he has. I figured I would like his solo album about as well as I liked him changing his name from Travis to Travie. I was wrong. Many of the songs hinted to what I loved about GCH. Clever and quick lyrics from Travis with a good hook. The hook here is sung by Cee Lo Green. This song was my favorite of several good songs off the disc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvNRyVzaSXU Why not a dancing Power Ranger?

8. Bang Bang Bang – Mark Ronson. My introduction to producer Mark Ronson was when he took a previously unknown to me Amy Winehouse and ruined an awesome song, Valerie by The Zutons. Ronson is a DJ that takes beats and brings in guest singers. Despite my dislike of Ronson, I was immediately enamored with this kickin’ number. The French girl singer mixed with the English rapper make a great combo. I love the "Un, Deux, Trois" countdown. This song hits my dueling Francophile and Anglophile sides it to one big European mashup.

F Count – 1 that I know of, my French isn’t that good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM6TCGltfHM Weird video fits the weird song.

9. Barely Breathing – The Hold Steady. Usually a THS song hits with me because the wonderful lyrics add to the great music. This is one of the lesser songs lyrically. It’s a bit about The Hold Steady’s ascent as opposed to a story about some crazy hoodrat. I do like the name check of "They Almost Killed Me" as Almost Killed Me is the name of their first album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwbtB7KVucw Another live performance from The Hold Steady. The album cut of the song sounds much better, but Craig Finn is one of the all-time best showmen.

10. Stylo – Gorillaz. I love the bass on this song. It took me a bit to like this song as much as I do. In typical Gorillaz fashion, there are guest artists. There’s a rap at the start. Damien Albarn, the main guy behind the Gorillaz actually sings the main part. But the headlining singer is some R & B legend that I should’ve heard of but haven’t. He picks up the song half-way in and does some soulful screaming. Who knows what they are even saying in this song. I do like the "Right now!" But throughout, the bass line repeats and repeats and repeats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhPaWIeULKk The animated Gorillaz come to life (kinda). A visit from Bruce Willis. A surprise ending. I’d love to see a Gorillaz movie.

11. Do Wah Do – Kate Nash. I am a sucker for Kate Nash. I know it is her English accent. I like plenty of English birds that I would never give their American counterpart the time of day. I also like Regina Spector and Lily Allen. They are so spunky. I’m sure if I ever do follow through on my every 4 years threat to move to Europe, I will dismiss English pop females the way I dismiss American ones now. But in 2010, I really like Kate Nash and her girl-left-home-on-a-Saturday night troubles. The best bit is the end when she finally says "I think she’s a bitch"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iD3Qq8imDI Not sure what I think about the video.

12. This Year – The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats were my musical "find" of the year. Two of my favoritist bands, The Hold Steady and Art Brut both listed The Mountain Goats as one of their favorite bands. I had never heard of them. Then, they (he?) was on The Colbert Report which rarely has a musical guest and when they do, it is usually someone special to my tastes. The Mountain Goats are really John Darnielle with his acoustic guitar. I’ll mention it more in the albums of year post, but his songs, while musically strong, are really borne of the stories told in the lyrics. This Year is about a 17 year old boy living with an abusive stepfather. It is ultimately a sad song, but it does show the kid’s optimistic spirit. He’s not going to give up, he’s going to make it to when he can finally move out. The song is about a day of rebellion where he forgets his troubles at home. Of course, at the end of the day, he comes home to further abuse, but he knows one day it will be alright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYCzDhaRV60 I neither understand nor like the video. The Mountain Goats need to be listened to, not watched. They are actually such vivid stories, the video could show the story, but this doesn’t. Try not looking at the screen.

13. One Clap & Getcha Popcorn Ready – DJ Steve Porter. Having a connection between me and my boys always increasing a song’s standing. I have loved DJ Steve Porter ever since his "Press Hop" video a while ago skewered athlete interviews, especially Allen Iverson "talkin’ bout practice". Porter hit with a pretty good sequel to that earlier this year. I had introduced those clips to my sporty boys, who ate it up. For football season, Porter came out with Popcorn Ready which was a dance beat mixed under interviews from OchoCinco and Terrell Owens. It’s awesome. Porter topped himself when Randy Moss was traded to the Vikings with One Clap. We spent many a drives getting the family’s claps all synchronized while cruising in Olive the Other Highlander. This might be my favorite Steve Porter mix ever. "Straight cash homey!" So many good lines to pick just a couple.

F Count – 0 (But they were thinking it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJcUlrkMNg Love the hair!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEdjDpSdQtQ&NR=1 "Got to keep rollin’, man!" The video is really the thing on both of these. You can then hear the song and visualize the video.

14. This Fucking Job – The Drive By Truckers. I know part of this inclusion goes all the way back to seeing DBT in concert a couple years ago. The song is a little "Southern" for my typical tastes, but I can see Patterson Hood on the stage, singing this song and grinning like he just won Hillbilly Idol. He has so much fun up there. Bonus points for not swearing in the song despite the song’s title. "I thought this job sucked when I had it, but now that it’s gone I know what bad is". Preach on, brother.

F Count – 1 if you count the title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-S1r0JNikQ Patterson’s not nearly as smiley here and he’s all dressed up. He must have been nervous. Sounds good though!

15. Move to the City – The Blakes. I love The Blakes’ first album. It came from nowhere to take one my top albums of 2008. I was pumped to see they had a new album out and it stunk. This cut was the only song I really liked. It almost seemed out of place for how much better it was than the rest of the album. I found out that this song is an older song that just didn’t make the previous album that I liked so much. Something happened to this band along the way. Change guitarists? Sobered up? Found Jesus? Whatever it is I wish they could go back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=533_86NFbXI This was the only cut I could find of the song to post here. It is from the legendary Crocodile Café in Seattle, their hometown. I like the studio version of the song much better. This just gives you an idea of the song, but doesn’t let the back beat haunt the melody as much as it should.

16. WTF? – Ok Go. This was a strong cut from a good album. I can’t understand much of the falsetto of Damian Kulash. But I do like the claps and the crunchy guitar. Ok Go always gives me a positive vibe. I like the cut of their jib. "There’s just this thing about ‘cha"

F Count – 1 (not counting acronym )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12zJw9varYE They promised to do a video for every song on the album. There have been some really good ones so far. This one isn’t one of the good ones. I love that Ok Go is so video aware.

17. Superfast Jelly Fish – Gorillaz. I don’t love the chorus of the song. It’s a little light for this fun song. I do love the Gorillaz and this was a hit with me and my boys in the spring and summer. "All hail King Neptune and his water-breathers".

F Count – 0 (but there is on "freakin")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrPhtH2ZQJs As an animated group, I usually like to show the videos of the Gorillaz, but it’s cool to see them live. De La Soul spitting out the lyrics in front of a large band including a pair from the Clash.

18. Jesus Stole My Girlfriend – Violent Soho. This song borrows from the 90’s and I love it. Screaming passionately about how the Big Guy moved in on his lady. That’s kinda funny but it certainly sounds like it is tearing up the singer. Religion for the (cock)block!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzrAfkyq-xM Banging that long hair like its 1992!

19. Too Much Too Soon – Green Day? I loved the American Idiot musical when I saw in Berkeley last year. I haven’t been able to see it on Broadway and I’m more than a little disappointed. Yes… it sounds a bit like Green Day on Glee. I think it rocks more than that. I like the man/woman singing in the songs. It doesn’t sound like a bad cover that way. It is a re-imagining.

F Count - 2 (Come on, it’s a Green Day song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4a43pDaSI Unfortunately, I cannot find good quality footage of this in the show. Dang copyright law.

20. Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National. High Violet is not a singles album. It is very much something you listen to in its entirety and let the sonic experience rush over you. This was the most likely individual song on an album that I love. The music just touches my soul. I enjoy figuring out what The National’s songs are about. I’m saying this is about a guy who is going back home to live with his parents in Ohio.

The National’s songs are full of poetic imagery. This songs starts with "I stand up straight at the foot of your love. I lift my shirt up." In most rocks songs, you would be thinking, "Dude’s about to get some", but I contend that "standing up straight" is being respectful as your parents nag you to stand up straight and "lifting a shirt up" is a way to show you are vulnerable and not hiding anything. I think he has made mistakes, he’s broke and to an extent he realizes that he never appreciated the love of his family as much before. He’s getting a "buzz" from the love of his family "blood".

Or maybe dude’s about to get laid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfySK7CLEEg Might be the worst video in the history of music videos. The National’s music, much like The Mountain Goats really shouldn’t be set to a video. The music is the thing there, not a whole package. I truly believe Matt did this video as a protest to music videos. I mean, this video absolutely sucks. A good video makes me like the song more. This almost makes me like the song less.

2010 wasn’t the best year in music for me, but it certainly had it’s high points. Stay tuned for the top albums of the year. The song list does not necessarily translate to the album list.