BlogParty - September

Finally getting back on the BlogParty horse.

It's a fun summer - lost of music making and music listening. A lot of amazing albums are coming out this fall, I am excited to blast them out the windows of my new house.

Indie rock seems to making a serious come back along with late nineties post rock.

Is the dance-rock/electro scene passing along with the changing of the seasons? Just a down turn while all the derivative un-original makers make noise then slowly disappear to make room for innovators?

VA: BlogParty - September
(Zip file)

01. Tobacco - Street Trash
Black Moth Super Rainbow member goes it on his own. The BMSR aesthetic still lies underneath heavier beats. Only marginally less psychedelic.

02. Truckasauras - Porkwich
By the title, this should be a Mid-Western State NASCAR anthem. But delicate synths, blips and bleeps might not make for the best soundtrack for wet t-shirt contests and 'octane'.

03. The Honeymoon Killers - Ariane
Happy repetitive-without-getting-boring classic 80's track that should hopefully alleviate a bit of SADDness.

04. Love Is All - Big Bangs, Black Holes, Meteorites
Can't wait for the release of this album. One of the hundred things keeping me up all night is this track.

05. Metronomy - Heartbreaker
Best trying-to-get-over-your-ex-girlfriend lyrics ever, from the perspective of an annoyed friend.

06. Lykke Li - Breaking It Up (Punks Jump Up Remix)
They don't make dance floor remixes much better than this.

07. Poni Hoax - Antibodies
I fell in love with this song perusing the grocery store aisles trying to shake off the first hints of the bitter cold to come. The drums kept me warm.

08. Ratatat - Falcon Jab (Copy Remix)
The synth and kick stabs at the 1:35 mark make this track.

09. The Streets - The Escapist
Title says it all. A song for biking around watching leaves fall.

10. Jeremy Jay - Heavenly Creatures
There's warmth and intimacy in that cold and lonely reverb. I am sucker for roomy drums.

11. French Kicks - Said So What
The chord progression is merely hinted at, taking a back seat to vocals and rhythm.

12. Dianogah - A Breaks B 13. Dianogah - Lone Tree Point
A lot of late 90's early 00's post rock bands are releasing albums this year, from Sea And Cake to The New Year and Dianogah. Lone Tree Point has inspired many things in my life. Not sure how their latest album will stack up.

14. Rahim - Vision
Extremely catchy jumpy guitar line.

15. Awesome Color - The Moon
Off-kilter jagged garage rock. Last time I saw these guys they made, and handed out, blueberry pancakes.

16. Jay Reatard - Gamma Ray
The idea of taking the one-string-strung Beck version and giving it the power-chord balls-out treatment seemed like a mistake that bury the 60's psych-pop that makes the original so catchy. I was wrong.

17. TV on the Radio - Dancing Choose
High on the list of Best of 2008. Official Soundtrack of the fall.

18. Metronomy - Matthias Gathering
So hard to pin down. Spooky and schmaltzy (electro-polka?) at the same. I can not get it out of my head.

19. James Pants - Ka$h (Trizzy & XXXchange Remix)
A definite improvement on the original, which was like a bad mix of Money Mark and Bootsauce. A remix streamlined for the dance floor, eschewing being weird for the sake of being weird.

20. Vetiver - You May Be Blue (Neighbors Remix)
Sounds like fireplaces and quilted blankets in a ski chalet seen through wine-soaked eyes.

21. Roxy Music - In Every Dream Home A Heartache
Every time I catch Velvet Goldmine on the television, I have to reintroduce myself with Roxy Music, Brian Eno, T. Rex and the Stooges. I hadn't picked up on this track before, but its spooky vibe seems perfect for the dark grey rainy days.

22. Truckasauras - Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets
Happy 8-bit amazingness.

23. Alias - I Heart Drum Machines
24. The Pi Bulletin/Kilcolman - September For Clay
So far my fave from Alias' new record. Maybe I'm wrong, but the synth melody and tone sound eerily similar to a track I worked on with a friend of mine. Thoughts?

25. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - White Corolla (Daytrotter Session)
Despite the band name, this track is actually a nice quick glimpse into a happy supportive relationship between two people. The vocals work much better on this version than on the original.

26. Anathallo - The River
27. Bound Stems - Happens To Us All Otherwise
28. The Shaky Hands - Air Better Come
Is it just me or is there a 'delicate indie rock' revival going on in the latter part of this year?

29. Constantines - Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
I'm embarrassed that I'd never heard this Talking Heads song before. Covered here by the Constantines sounding their best E-Street Band encore.

30. The Lord Dog Bird - March To The Mountain
Perfectly dreary melancholic song to usher us into the foreboding season approaching.

Last Best Summer Time Track

Fucking Cold Like A DQ Blizzard

The last 10.

I wish I could say this wasn't grueling and a lot harder than I had expected. And it almost made me stop listening to any of these guys.

But I couldn't stay mad at them for long.

Fitting that the last 10 is Why? heavy. Aside from The Hollows, his tracks definitely have a fall season feeling for me.

Makes me crave turkey and pie, sweaters and comforters, huddling around candles in dive bars sipping whiskey for warmth, scrounging loonies for the jukebox.

Hot Dog Days of Summer

Woven Into The Fabric Of My Days

I know there really isn't much point in declaring any one song the best of anything, since it's also subjective.

That being said, Sippy Cup is the best track in this collection.

Although... The Last I Knew of You probably has the best lyrics. And We Will Have Vanished has the most unexpected outro. From bombastic thuds to happy jumpy guitar pop.

And...

Who cares, we all have different faves and they can be great cause for debate.

Finally the summer has arrived - just in time for the last long weekend of the summer. And just in time for some much anticipated new releases from Alias, Restiform Bodies and Tobacco.





Next post: The final 10 and a whole lotta Why?