Sonic Parthenon's The Year in Music 2008: Part 7

The Ting Tings
I'm not going to kid you. I loved We Started Nothing. They may flame out faster than even Vampire Weekend, but brother, this is a band. Everything felt good, everything sounded good (it certainly did from outside McCarren Park). Every song was a damn hit. Anyone who didn't feel like moving to this band really needs to lighten up a bit.

Titus Andronicus
Their nom-de-song is a keeper, one for the parties and the workouts, and their Maxwell's opening slot for the Dirtbombs was compelling enough.

TV on the Radio
No big shock that Dear Science is one of the best albums of the year. If any band demonstrated a keen ability to make a more open-arms record than what they had previously made it was this band. Essentially, this band can do anything it wants and probably do no wrong. Good on them. And good on Tunde especially for his sly role in Rachel Getting Married and good on Kyp for that hauntingly good opening over the summer for Celebration as Rain Machine, and good on Sitek for helping the Dirtbombs out in a gear jam in Austin last Spring.

Vampire Weekend
Like with the Ting Tings, if anyone truly went out of their way to dislike this band, they really need to consider the concept of loosening up. A band doesn't need to be the greatest thing ever to be good. They just need to be, at the bare minimum, conducive to having a good time. And Vampire Weekend fills that role smashingly. Another record where everything is a hit and so what? Good. They were really only a B+ band going into 2008, but the backlash was so out of proportion, it made them look like an A.

The Virgins
Their opening for the Hold Steady in the Spring at Webster Hall was a lightning bolt of polished pop-rock and the "radio edit" of "Rich Girls" should have been coming out of every car all summer long. 2009 should be a big year for these cats.

The XYZ Affair
With a scene-stealing performance at the Bowery Ballroom in February, and lending "Evening Life" to the soundtrack of our lives, the good, young lads in the XYZ Affair made a sparkling contribution to 2008.

Honorable mentions:
The Bird and the Bee - "Birthday" is such a cutie of a song.

Bound Stems - "Happens to us Otherwise" was the "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" of 2008.

Brazilian Girls - "Good Time" is one of the best, if not the best, party songs of the year, and any band that tastefully covers the Talking Heads is a-ok in my book.

Don Cavalli - "New Hollywood Babylon" is a strange, spooky, captivating hybrid of India, folk, and hiphop.

Katie Costello - "Kaleidoscope" is a darn tootin' sweet pop single if ever there was one.

Katie Herzig - I know nothing about this woman except that "Wish You Well" haunts me everyday.

Holy Fuck - “Lovely Allen” was lovely indeed, an inspiring bit of instrumental heaven.

Honeyhoney – “Little Toy Gun” was an unexpected bit of Tex-Mex rock, a light version of something that belonged in a Tarantino movie.

Jaguar Love - They sounded terrible after literally 2 seconds at Siren Festival but then "Highways of Gold" turned out to be a humdinger of a single.

M.I.A. - Oh, "Paper Planes" - was there ever a better hiphop single that got a second life a year after its release?

The Notwist - once a metal band, now a provocative Indie pop band with "Good Lies". They could only be German.

Passion Pit - They are all over other lists but for purposes here, "Sleepyhead" was a truly great single. It would have been the "Paper Planes" of 2008 if "Paper Planes" hadn't come back. Instead it has to settle for the "D.A.N.C.E." of the year.

Saturday Knights - "45" was the funniest single of the year and sublimely smart too, and it's good that it came via rap.

The Stills - "Being Here" was one of those great Indie rock numbers, the kind you like to listen by your lonesome when feeling sappy, or at the very least, it didn't make you want to puke.

The Teenagers - "Starlett Johaanson" was the novelty hit of 2008. Moving on.

The Watson Twins - With "How Am I To Be" the Watson Twins sorta kinda proved that they were the secret to Jenny Lewis' solo success.

New From The XYZ Affair: Trials

The XYZ Affair have released a new EP called Trials, featuring three exciting, new songs. One of those songs, "Evening Life" is now available for download via Stereogum's e-digest subscription.

The XYZ Affair, Action Painters, Airborne Toxic Event, Tullycraft, My Teenage Stride, Others All in a Single Week

Tue June 10 - XYZ Affair and Action Painters at Music Hall of Williamsburg...for FREE.


Thu June 12 - Airborne Toxic Event at Pianos (the night before they open for the Fratellis at Webster Hall)


Fri June 13 - Tullycraft at Pianos as part of the NYC Popfest


Sat June 14 - My Teenage Stride (as well as well the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and others) at the Music Hall of Williamsburg


So to recap - Music Hall, Pianos, Pianos, Music Hall

Last time I saw the A.T.E., they played Pianos and I had to run after they played to go catch another a show at...the Music Hall. It's all connected.

Jukebox the Ghost; Morning State @ Mercury Lounge

Jukebox the Ghost; Morning State
@ Mercury Lounge
New York, NY - May 10, 2008

I know the XYZ Affair headlined the show. I know that. But something came up and I had to leave. I'll make it up to those boys, I promise. I know they put on another fine show.
Jukebox the Ghost, for what I saw of them, offered very friendly pop in a very friendly manner and in all senses, they were quite...friendly. A little hokey...but in a good way.
Morning State were by the book pop. Not "by the numbers". By the book. "By the numbers" is bad. "By the book" is good. Get it? They know what they're doing, and they're doing it right.

Sam Champion, Drug Rug, The XYZ Affair, Salt and Samovar @ Bowery Ballroom

Sam Champion; Drug Rug; The XYZ Affair; Salt & Samovar
@ Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY - February 15, 2008

So Sam Champion apparently isn't named after the local-turned-national weatherman. Yeah right. Either way, the band Sam Champion revels in an array of 70's arena, southern, and hard rock with many deviations to 80's pop rock (including a cover of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby"). It's easy to see why they've been a New York happening band for awhile, but they also really should have taken off by now. What's the hold up? This is prime material for major success.

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The other 3 bands of the night have all been reviewed before and while none of them were bad the first time around, they all exponentially improved since those first times.
Drug Rug has mutated some of the country stomp from the CMJ show into power chord rock n' roll. They can really get a fire going, especially lil' Sarah Cronin with her Angus Young-style spasms, using a guitar that's probably twice her body weight and practically her height. The band, which seems leaner from the first review, has really tapped into something solid, whether it be from their own material or in a cover of a friend of theirs, who is in a band called Viva Viva (though I swore Sarah said "Diva Viva" which had me wondering about the rhyming schemes and what they are smoking up there in Boston).


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Alex Feder and the lads in the XYZ Affair bookended their set with their twin power pop hits of 2007 but in the middle they played a sly take on Indie pop. They really sound like no one else. The affable, friendly quartet were joined by a small horn section to do a little Earth, Wind, & Fire post-Valentine's groovin'. Watch out for these guys: they had the largest crowd of the night. Side fashion note: guitarist/keyboardist Russ looked like the second coming of Billy Zoom last review in July, now he's sporting a Joe Jackson/Woody Allen combined look. It's good.


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Salt & Samovar seemed to offer a lot more than what was kind of a lumbering set at the O'Death show in December. They incorporate a larger sound, variations on rock and country, and maybe even a little surf on one or two songs?


DJ Awesome Goodtimes spun records between sets and now some observations: The Rapture's "Get Myself Into It" is a smash hit and PEOPLE STILL LOVE THE DARKNESS. THE DARKNESS. But the Strokes' "Hard to Explain" killed the crowd. That's right. New Yorkers were still sweet on the Darkness but not the Strokes. `

Whoever booked this show deserves a slap on the back. This is one of those rare gigs where every act on the bill is a known or budding quantity in the New York music circle. And it was the right mix. Kudos.

Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2007: Part 7

The XYZ Affair

• Live Show

Songs: “Little Fool”; “All My Friends”
The best-named band in New York is getting bigger all the time and they deserve it. The pitch perfect harmonies, the stellar riffs, - it didn’t get much better than “Little Fool” and “Ally My Friends”.


The Yarrows

• Live Show
• Record: Plum
  

Just go seem them.
SPTV

“1 2 3 4” by Feist
How much can be written about this? OK, how’s this: I’ve never seen the commercial! Ha! Damn good song, I don’t care what anyone says. As for “Best New Artist” nomination at the Grammy Awards…um…sure.


1990s

• Live Show
• Record: Cookies
• Song: “You Made Me Like It”
  

They had a successful run at CMJ and they also had the deserved good fortune to open up the Hold Steady/Art Brut show at Terminal 5. They may not have been the most harped-on Scottish band on this blog this year, but keep an eye on ‘em.


“23” by Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead was one of those bands that were hard to get used to. But this single is where the change happened. Ethereal, empowering, forceful – this is how that awful label New Age should be readjusted.


“99 and ½” by Mavis Staples
Ry Cooder treated Mavis well on her record and her sincerity is what it is all about.
Listen here

Last minute addition!:
“Guns of Navarone” by Maritime
In the last month of the year, this one is rising fast and furious. It’ll be on the 2008 list as well. Perfect Indie pop.
Stereogum provies the MP3