The Sonic Parthenon Playlist: Autumn and the End of 2010, Part 1

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Every year it seems the Indie Rock world gets one representative to the big dance - the top of the charts, the Grammy awards, etc. The Arcade Fire appear to be the perennial delegate for as long as they release something. When The Suburbs debuted at number1, it arguably spelled the moment where the number one record in the country was heard - or even heard of - by the fewest number of people yet. That's the bittersweet rub in the Arcade Fire's success. And it makes tracks like "We Used To Wait" and "Month of May" ironic.

Atomic Tom - The Moment
The hard working boys in Atomic Tom hit pay dirt while yours truly was away in London being locked out of the 20-20's show in Islington. Taking advantage of modern bits of technology - namely Iphones and YouTube, the band made a video, the world went wild, and now they are living it up on the television and the charts. But they are the still the work-incensed band that was slugging it in New York City in the last couple of years.

Augustines - "Book of James"
With a flair for the dramatic and a voice to give you the shakes, this song made me think "it reminds me of the late, great Pela". Well what do ya know?! It IS Pela! Sort of. I should have recognized Billy McCarthy's voice in an instant. In fact I did. But I didn't think it was actually the man himself. Pela lives! Sort of.

The Capstan Shafts - "Quiet Wars"/Massy Ferguson - "Long Time, No See"/Poison Control Center - "Being Gone"
A trio of songs that got a lot of Ipod play that fall into a family of country/bar band mixes. The college rock anthem style of the Capstan Shafts is slightly different from the more twangy Ferguson and the jammy PCC, but together they make for a steady stream of Americana.

Cee-Lo Green - The Ladykiller
"Fuck You" - the song that dare not be named - would have been a scandal just ten or twenty years ago. Now it is an automatic hit and no one bats an eye. That's a victory. The Glee treatment was sort of a defeat (we're not on that bandwagon). The Goodie Mob half of Gnarls Barkley is still too dangerous for Ma & Pa America but he's too mainstream for Pitchfork, which makes him the King of the Sonic Parthenon Universe. If "Fuck You" wasn't enough, "Satisfied" and an unbelievably fantastic re-do of Band of Horses' "No One's Gonna Love You" bring home the bacon. If Soul Train was still going, Cee-Lo would be doing it on there, with Ben Bridwell probably helping him out.

The Colourist - "Oh Goodbye"
For a good run there, NPR's Second Stage podcast was delivering songs-to-notice as good as any of the big boy podcasts. This one sort of boggles the mind as being obscure. It is catchy, well-structured, and made for a hit. One of the best songs of the year.

The Corin Tucker Band - "Doubt"
The haunting voice of Sleater-Kinney finally got back into the mix in 2010 with a very natural record. She's sounding great and feeling great and doesn't seem to have lost any time since those first days when Sleater-Kinney made their mark. As if on cue, Carrie and Janet are now working together again as Wild Gift (with Mary Timoney no less). Could it be possible that 2011 will spell the return of...? A fella can dream can't he?

Diamond Rings - "Something Else"/The Hundred in the Hands - "Commotion"
The 80's are back. They've been back for a few years now. In fact, they are too back. Synthesizers are as prominent now as they were when George Michael and Mister Mister were breaking hearts (god help us). Throw in the auto-tune for good measure, and it appears the robot dystopia has finally come to pass. But it's not all doom and gloom. These two songs reflect what works. The Diamond Rings song has that dark side of the New Order tone to it, with a revved up rift to boot. Hundred in the Hands are building a lot of momentum, taking more of the club tack that Ladyhawke rolled with last year - in other words, the lighter side of the New Order tome.

Eliza Doolittle - "Skinny Genes"
A sweeter, friendlier spin on the saucy British ingenue, Eliza Doolittle has a nice, almost too-catchy, too-sweet ditty here. But this isn't what matters. What matters is getting her and Holly Golightly together for a tour.

Fight From Above - "Between The Curves"
Another NPR Second Stage winner - from a concept album about the City of Angels.

Fol Chen - "In Ruins"
If I was to think of what constitutes the music a trendy hipster would listen to in 2010, this is it. Making use of samples (including, yes, 80's samples), bubblegum pop melody, and a sassy female voice, what's missing? Feedback and distortion? I realize I am actually trashing all of this - but I still like this song.

Grinderman - Grinderman 2
The Fall of 2010 belonged to Grinderman, unopposed. With an album that actually sounded good from beginning to end, and a live show that spanked you red, it all seemed to flow easy and inevitably from the delirious "Heathen Child" video. After the smart roll-out, the sequel to 2007's glorious effort upped the ante with the best kick-off song in years - "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man" - a twisted slice akin to the first half of From Dusk till Dawn. As if that wasn't enough, "Worm Tamer" nailed it (especially as done by Warren on the Jools Holland program), "Evil" almost made Howlin' Wolf's song of the same name seem angelic, and "Halls of Montezuma" almost sounded from the U2 mold except in that much more derelict Cave sense of things.

Gross Relations - "You Don't Know Me"
While others are trying to sound 80's, this act is going for more 70's power pop. In fact, this song could be a dead ringer for Bowie's "Heroes".

Even Dylan <3's Obama

How impressive is Barack Obama (even with his Jerusalem flip-flop pandering)? He even has Bob Dylan speaking out in support of him, and in uncharacteristically (for Bob) direct, blunt, non-cryptic, non-cynical terms.

Amazing.

Could the Dylan/Springsteen/Bright Eyes/Arcade Fire/Decemberists/M. Ward concert for Obama be not far off from now?

A Big Weekend for Sam Cooke

Arcade Fire covered "A Change Is Gonna Come" at the Obama Rally in Ohio and She & Him covered "Bring It Back Home" at the Noise Pop show in San Francisco.

Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2007: Part 3

“Hero of Nineteen Eighty Three” by Peachfuzz
One of the few Little Steven pushed songs caught this year, this one was the best of the lightly picked bunch. A killer hook and fun lyrics made this bit of nostalgia a keeper.
Hear it here

The Hold Steady

• Live Show
  
• Record: Boys and Girls in America
• Song: “Hot Soft Light”
  

Like the previously mentioned Camera Obscura, the Hold Steady’s recent release came in 2006 but they dominated 2007. And I mean, DOMINATE. In a year in which more pop oriented and more delicate bands took center stage on the Parthenon calendar, this Minneapolis/Boston/Brooklyn/Ybor City bar band, with lyrics described elsewhere as “dense” and appropriately so, led the charge for fun, loud rock n’ roll. And unlike other bands that exploded into the Parthenon universe, the Hold Steady nagged and clawed. “Stuck Between Stations” was perfectly fine but not immediate, back when Boys And Girls in America was released. But in January, the arrival of “Hot Soft Light” changed everything. The raw power, the concrete structure, even Finn’s distinct voice, it all came together and that was it. The rest of the material, going all the way back to The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me and the Lifter Puller days, slowly made its way to the rotation and by the end of 2007, there was at least one Hold Steady song being played on an average of one a day. The redundancy in the lyrics may be Finn’s only flaw and it doesn’t really matter. See them live and that’s the end of everything. They’re a little too big for clubs these days (and the Dirtbombs will always dominate the club circuit anyway), but in the realm of midlevel bands, that live space between say, the White Stripes and the Dirtbombs, the Hold Steady fill the void. In fact, they not only fill that void, they own it, and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to take it away from them. Oh, and Franz Nicolay for President.
SPTV: Live at Terminal 5

Stuck Between Stations
Chips Ahoy
Live at El Rey - "How A Resurrection Really Feels"

“I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” by Black Kids
The major theme of 2007, broadly speaking, was the beyond-comprehension fast rise of blog-hyped bands. Later on, read the story of Vampire Weekend, which came earlier in the year, but for now read the saga of Black Kids. This Florida dance-pop band were unheard of weeks before CMJ but thanks to a demo and an Arcade Fire connection of sorts, they were the most hyped band of the marathon, pushed by the big reads in particular. The band was so new, they even admitted to not even being prepared for playing live. And the performance was indeed trashed, but everyone involved is still pushing on with the band and for good reason: Beyond all the hype, this song is damn good. Catchy beyond belief without being nauseating, this is a good signature sound to have and if they get the live show in order, this may be more than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. This could be…hell, Vampire Weekend.



“If This Ain’t Love” by Nicole Willis
For all the rage of that English broad who need not be mentioned, and even for all the rightful love of the exquisite Miss Sharon Jones, this old soul ditty slipped through and entertained, if at least for a few weeks.


“Intervention” by Arcade Fire
Everyone else will go on about Neon Bible, but this was the one real stand-out song on that record. Is it “Rebellion”? No of course not, very little in this world compares to “Rebellion”. But it’s good enough for a mention.


Jesus and Mary Chain

• Live Show
  

One of the great bands of the 80’s reunited in 2007 and took the reunion on the road, however briefly. They may not be the most exciting, party-your-ass-off band in the world, but if you want the roots of the great thinking music going on these days, it traces in good part to these Scots. A band with the gloomy fuzzies, you gotta love ‘em.
Live on Letterman:


The Knitters

• Live Show
  

As long as Dave Alvin does sick solos behind the fun harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka, there will always be room for the Knitters. Dagummit.
"Wrecking Ball" live in Boston:


Langhorne Slim

• Live Show
  

How good was country rocker Langhorne Slim on that August night at Europa? This episode of SPTV is getting a third airing:


Les Sans Culottes

• Live Show
  
• Record: Le Weekender
  

It was a good year for Les Sans. Several solid gigs in support of a solid record, Le Weekender, led by the towering, massively wonderful smash “Les Enfants Terribles”.
Let's tie in LSC with another 2007 moment, the loss of Lee Hazelwood:



Little Amber Bottles by Blanche
2004’s If We Can’t Trust Doctors remains some of the greatest 40 minutes ever made in history. With that precedent, it was going to be near impossible for Blanche to top it, and though they didn’t get there, they made a hell of a stab at it. Also, through no fault of their own, the drama of getting this LP released and the start-and-stop shenanigans around that, took a lot of the wind out of the excitement for this one. That all being said, it is still a great album, led by last year’s fantastic “What This Town Needs” (which had a fantastic video released this year). If only “At Least I Didn’t Quit” found its way onto the record, this would have been closer to perfect.


Looker

• Live Show
  

One of the finer discoveries of 2007, though it was more a case of taking the initiative than just stumbling across yet another band. And what a pay off. Fun, snappy pop-punk and now even the Brits are hearing about it. Big things are in store.
WavedRumor's video of the same song at CMJ kicks the SPTV clip's ass from here to Pluto:


The Love Me Nots

• Live Show
  
• Record: In Black & White
• Song: "Move In Tight"
  

Let it be known here and now for all time: Only 3 bands that have ever requested the friendship of E.D. have turned out to be good. The dance-band Gorbachov, from Ireland; the BellRays – yes THE BellRays; and Arizona’s the Love Me Nots. Arguably the last band standing that has a good retro look, the LMN’s are breaking hearts out west most of the year. In 2008, they need to make a return trip East.

Live somewhere not in New York

Mercury Lounge
One of New York’s most reliable venues had a great year with two Yarrows gigs (though the house sound guy at the second gig can go suck a lemon), hosting the In The Red showcase at CMJ, being home to the discovery of Action Painters and Wormburner, and allowing Franz Nicolay to strum in a more simple, calm setting.

Metric

• Live Show
  

I’d still be shooting myself in the foot for missing Heavy Trash but Emily Hanes was just too vexing to ignore. It was worth it. One of the best gigs of the year. The sound was perfect, even for Webster, the light show was out of control, and everyone was cool at this gig.
"Dead Disco" at Webster Hall, via The Cocoon:


“Modern World” by Jesse Malin
Little Steven’s Underground Garage was barely heard at SPHQ this year but here’s yet another showcased track that stood out and nagged away. That program has still got it.
Video (of sorts)

Mondo Topless

• Live Show
  

What would a year in music be without Mondo Topless performing live somewhere? They never stop being good.
SPTV:


“The Moneymaker” by Rilo Kiley
Sure, Under The Blacklight was just about the most god-awful piece of crap released this year. Well…not really…but close. And this much-hated song is actually one of the better ones. And sure, the porn stars in the video were ugly as hell but that was just to make sure everyone knows how hot Jenny Lewis is. Campy fun on an otherwise overcooked turkey.


Morrissey

• Live Show
  

Stephen Patrick charms the socks off everyone, including all live show virgins. And the fact that he ended the show with a recent track that drove the fans mental proves he’s lost very little in the way of steps over the years.
And here it is!: