Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2008: Part 1

The 1900’s
The Chicago pop band picked up right where they left off in 2007 with a swell show at Union Hall in January. Are they still together though?

AC/DC
With the very first notes of "Rock n' Roll Train" there was no fooling as to who was back and back as only they can be. Angus, Malcolm, Brian, Cliff, and Phil don't get together very often these years but when they do, the world is a little bit more fun.

Action Painters
Two reviewed gigs this year - including a Bowery gig that completely trounced the Siren Festival going on earlier in the day - established Action Painters as THE band to watch in New York City. The single "Supermarket" only helped that cause. And they'll be your band to take you into 2009 should you choose to attend their New Year's Eve gig at the Lit.

The Airborne Toxic Event
If there was a Best New Artist Award on this blog, here would be your winner, with little in the way of competition. Their debut LP is certainly the best candidate for Album of the Year (if there were to be candidates). And their live show is up there with the cream of the crop. The new master of the crafty hook, Mikel Jollet has put together the most exciting band to debut from west of the Mississippi in a very long time. They'll never play Pianos again but you can say you saw them when, before they blew the lid off the world.

Be Your Own Pet
They were a bit too much when they debuted (with the grand exception of "Damn Damn Leash"). Then they released a mainstream label record this year that featured "What's Your Damage?" and "The Kelly Affair" and it was all "woah this band is for real". They even generated a bit of punk rock controversy with their label over some content. Then they broke up. Just like that. Punk.

The BellRays
At long last, the BellRays returned to New York and with textbook precision (and a new record) made the case as one of the truly heart-pumping yet soul-satisfying acts to emanate from a now very healthy Southern California scene.

The Black Keys
I'm not going to kid you. I wanted to dislike the new Black Keys record, Attack & Release. This nice and very talented but nevertheless stoic duo from Ohio is one of the landmark bands of the decade but their energy seemed to have run its course after the disappointing Magic Potion and the Chulahoma EP. And the prospect of working with Dangermouse did not translate to automatic excitement. But as it happened, the Auerbach-Carney song-construction company recaptured its old glory and Dangermouse caught the band's sound like lightning in a bottle. Fittingly enough, they've become one of the bigger bands out there and they deserve it.

Black Kids
Along with Vampire Weekend, Black Kids burned the hype candle so bright and caught an insta-backlash so severe, that candle blew out before the LP even debuted. Unlike VW however, there was little love left for this pretty annoying band from Florida. But damn if the hooks on some of the cuts fight through the incredibly dumb lyrics. Anyone who dislikes "I've Underestimated My Charm Again" needs to relax. But it is probably a good thing I didn't see them live because there has yet to be a single positive review in that department.

The Blacks
Their 2007 record, Nom De Guerre, started to gain traction (and my attention) in 2008, and while the Hipstervese was too busy trying to have the Vivian Girls' babies, this trio out of Frisco reminded us what it is like to just appreciate a hook whilst absolutely shredding your amps to beautiful pieces.

Basia Bulat
"In the Night" was one of the singles of the year sung by a Canadian folk dame of the highest caliber, cute as a button, with a fine album (Oh, My Darling) and a beautiful supporting gig with DeVotchKa to boot. If the Grammys had any decency she'd have been the big nominee this year.

New From The Blacks: "Ammunition" & "Gravitas"

Amalgamated online record label RCRD LBL is putting out a new EP from Frisco kids the Blacks, and they've put two of the tracks up for free download. Dig the X reference on the page, as well as the timeliness of having a song called "Gravitas".

The Blacks are Here...and They Were at Union Pool

Amazing Baby; The Blacks; Suckers
@ Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY - August 16, 2008

Amazing Baby were a neo-hippie mostly psychadelic, slightly old time metal big band. If you like the genre, they got the job done.

So I had the write-up for the Blacks all planned out, see? It was going to begin with "You gotta give credit to this band just for taking the most oft used adjective in band names in this, or maybe any, decade, and turning it into a right proper noun. Take that Angels, Halos, Hollies, Keys, Lips, Mountain, Rebel Motorcycle Club, etc etc etc!" But lead singer and guitar player Louisa Black went ahead and said it all herself at the gig, post-performance, thereby ruining my set-up. Dammit.
Anyway, the Blacks are tremendously good. They have a very distinct source for their matieral: No Wave. Louisa and her two cohorts have a slight whiff of Teenage Jesus & The Jerks and a more contemporary flair for early Yeah Yeah Yeahs but at the same time, they rely on grinding out concise, sharp, pure rock n' roll melodic mayhem. JDK Blacker plays a tambourine like no person ever before in the history of time. And this is a good thing. And he wears a white suit well. Gavin in the back is exactly the kind of drummer people will be talking about. All put together, this is a new, exciting band that also reminds us of all things we've liked about music this decade and a couple decades back. Take that! Period!

Suckers are not as nondescript as their name suggests. Led by a very potent voiced, powerful bluesy singer, the band dabbled in a little bit of everything tonight, from the aforementioned blues to dance-pop to distortion-rock. It worked very well pretty much overall and this is yet another band to keep an eye on.

Three Bands I Like as of Today That I Probably Won't Be Seeing: The Heavy, The Blacks, and Titus Andronicus

Soul-thing known as the Heavy are in town this week for three dates.
The Blacks are in the middle of a four night swing through New York - 3 nights at Pianos, described on their site as an audience participation extravaganza, and the fourth night at Union Pool opening for...the Heavy.
Also you gotta give it to the Blacks - the most used color/adjective in rock music today and they just decided they would just take it on its own. There. Eat that all you Keys, Angels, Lips, Hollies, Rebel Motorcycle Club, Halos, Mountain, etc etc etc. Eat it!

Titus Andronicus will be playing this coming Saturday at Silent Barn and will be opening for Los Campesinos! (themselves a not too shabby work-up of poppy rock n' roll).