Artist - M. Ward Album - Hold Time Release - Feb. 17, 2009 (Merge Records)
“It’s networking." responded a stripper when asked how she ended up in the porn industry.
Matt Ward, or simply M. Ward, is a singer/songwriter from the Portland, Oregon area, embraced by all tiers of music junkies and casual fandom. His slow burn to fame came about after his 2001 release Duet for Guitars #2.
M. Ward’s enigmatic qualities subdued his media attention, keeping him a well guarded secret to the Portland area for a few years. That was until he caught the curiosity of fellow musicians like Conner Oberst, the White Stripes and Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, who would bring him along on tour as their supporting act.
Not only playing solo, he had caught the attention of actress and raspberry-laced vocalist, Zooey Deschanel, and the pair would go on to record as the vintage '60s pop, She and Him. As rumors have it, Oberst is also currently in the works of forming a band with Ward.
Embracing his expressive, deft guitar playing and clever ways of making me feel like my dad when thoughts like, “They sure don’t make music like this anymore,” run through my head, M. Ward is the sort of guy who clinches the imagination and follows each album with a thick haze of satisfaction.
I’m going to preface this with an, ‘I’m sorry’.
Music swapping is a highly lucrative, yet evil deed. Things just sort of happen; it starts off innocent, than the music swapping gives you that bashful look and you can’t resist. Next thing you know you and the illicit music are sitting on the hood of your car while Zeppelin plays softly from your flat stereo system, watching the radio tower flicker in the distance and discussing if Bob Weir of the Dead was really all that bad.
You decide that he is. Afterward, you take music home… and take things slowly.
And don’t act like you’ve never done it… you’re all culpable. Every last one of you has intentionally pirated music whether it is the act of downloading or receiving the aforementioned download.
Hold Time, M. Ward’s sixth studio album, is guilty of being just as addictive and gratifying as his other albums.
For those who are familiar with any of M. Ward’s work, it obvious here that he’s doing something different: it’s less rustic and more pop. In all its continuously feel-good greatness, Hold Time is a step in a different direction, but not in the opposite.
Never Had Nobody Like You, is another retro pop signature of the lunar connection between Ward and guest vocalist, Zooey Deschanel; a track which could easily be slipped onto Volume 2.
Ward’s style both transcends the music itself, but never exceeds its limits. He’s become a pioneer of his own frontier, but on tracks like One Hundred Million Years, a folk/country tune in which any fan of Ward can take comfort, it’s obviously prime Ward - stripped down, idyllic and fills the room with a sense of wonderment.
Hold Time makes well of Ward’s most recent musical ventures, disclosing an evolved sound with the promising ring of his prior albums. He never lets go, never gets ahead of himself. It’s right where it should be.
Consistency is essentially one of, if not the, biggest set-back in music. It's an epic blunder which leaves the listener sitting in a dark room, stuck in a melancholy state, caught between disappointment and rage pondering two things, "Is there a God?!" and "Did I just blow $15 on this crap?"
Failures in recent music history:
Sammy Hagar. Jimmy Page pimping out Kashmir. Whoever introduced Paul McCartney to Wings. Fall Out Boy and the subsequent bands following in their footsteps. Whoever thought a rap/metal fusion was a good idea.
That short list didn't include bands who thought doing a concept album was a good idea or groups who went disco or those who just recorded a bad album... and there are hordes of them.
It's what happens when you've been with the same band for too long and/or you just decide that pumping out an uninspired album for the sake of annual record sale projections - it's understandable, we'll still love you pre-insert album title here.
It's the same love that drives a Detroit Lion's fan to getting "0-16" tattooed underneath the team logo on their back.
matt pond PA is a band that never changes. It can be a disastrous thing, if it weren't for the fact that matt pond PA produces some of the best music available.
matt Pond PA can be considered many things: chamber pop, baroque, indie rock - basically anything you'd want to. Headed by the eponymous singer/songwriter Matt Pond who, as one might guess, originally formed the band in Pennsylvania in 1998.
Pond plays the role of the revolving door, tossing out band members and pulling others into his lush, textured world of music. The biggest change followed after Pond uprooted himself from Philadelphia and moved to New York City in 2003.
After meeting Brian Pearl (guitars/piano), Dan Crowell (drums), and Steve Jewett (bass) he would create the strongest lineup to date - at least according to the masses. Everything before that is just as vivid and symphonic as their most recent albums - my personal favorite being TheNature of Maps from 2002.
matt pond PA fabricates a moody atmosphere stationed between three, unrelated terms: rapturous, confessional and the abstract form of Newton's Third Law of motion.
Often incorporating other string instruments, such as the cello and the violin, matt pong PA creates a unique sound not often heard in the genre.
As one of the hardest working bands, at least as far as recording - they've released roughly seven LPs and EPs over the past six years. matt pond PA is consistently talented, creating their brand of mellow indie rock.
The only gripe: as the in-house songwriter, Pond is sometimes too innocuous and too vague. Never does it take away from the music, nor does it make it any less tolerable. At times, the lyrics seem to try to convey too much interpretative surrealism that are too inexplicit to make sense. On most occasions though, the lyrics are just too well written to not be recognized.
"Night comes in and takes our light as we turn once again in the sun; we don't have to drift out of sight, as the shadows will fall and run."
Amid dulcet instrumentals and catchy pop choruses, the integrity of the music is never left out in the rain as catchy hooks aren't relentlessly pounded against your head like a caveman trying to play Neil Peart's drum set; they're more overt and it's the kind of music you want to have stuck in your head as you go to sleep.
PS - You can download "The Freeep" legally and free, here.
I try to do what I say I'm going to do... so here's another take on the Top 5... not as pretentious either.
Someone else's Top 5 Albums of 2008
By: Kayloni Wyatt
5.) Santogold - Santogold
After accidently coming across Santogold on YouTube, my first thought watching her perform was, “Why the hell is MIA performing? I thought she was pregnant?”
I was wrong because Santogold is much less annoying than MIA.
Her music is a brand of her own, with punk, new wave, and eclectic all over her album ‘Santogold’.
After giving the album a good few listens, it grew on me. Her first single “Les Artistes” was an indie/rock hit and made her a fixture among music artists and critics. The album has received great praise in 2008 from magazines and the industry itself.
www.myspace.com/santogold
4.) N.E.R.D - Seeing Sounds
I’ve always been a fan of this band, until they broke up out of nowhere in 2005. I settled to listening to their second album Fly or Die for a while until I eventually lost it…on purpose.
But, due to random boredom, they got back together to make their third album, ‘Seeing Sounds’.
The first single “Spazz” received less airplay than their other single “Everyone Nose” which had a music video. I hated the music video due to Lindsay Lohan making a worthless appearance in it.
The album shows their true producing talent as every song is written by Pharrell Williams. Every song is more unique and unlike them, which makes it even better.
www.myspace.com/nerdofficial
3.) Does it Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You’ve Gotten Yourself Into
Does It Offend You, Yeah?, formed in 2006 out of Reading, Englad. Their electro/ dance punk sound has made critics compare them to Daft Punk, Justice and Digitalism.
As for the name of the group, according to an interview it came from an episode of the original British version of “The Office”. They have a way of screaming at you, literally. As soon as you go on their MySpace page at less one of their songs immediately grabs your full attention.
The one song that made me pay over $20 bucks just to get their album from a friend in the UK was “Let’s Make Out.” Every song is a different dance track that I guarantee has been played at a rave.
The only way I can hate this band is if I hear another one of their songs in a horrible movie trailer.
www.myspace.com/doesitoffendyou
2.) Lykke Li - Youth Novels
I’ve tried so many ways to avoid her when she first came out. I just remember seeing her video one day on MTVU in the cafeteria. However, I gave her a try when my two persistent friends kept singing her songs out loud and posting her other songs all over MySpace.
And I must say that I’m pissed that I actually avoided her.
Her music is a mixture of soul and electro and her voice makes it even better, even though she’s basically talking.
Rolling Stone magazine put her song “I’m good, I’m gone” in the # 24 spot for the 100 best songs of 2008.
She even did a cover of the song “Knocked up” which is originally by, and featured, Kings of Leon and that just makes her awesome.
www.myspace.com/lykkeli
And the drum roll please...
1.)Mindless Self Indulgence - IF
If you have never heard of Mindless Self Indulgence you need to choke on something…I don’t care what it is but choke!
I’ve never heard this band until 2007 when I went to Projekt Revolution and ended up working by the second stage, where new artists performed. MSI hit the stage with lead singer Jimmy Urine (yes, that is his name) talking about animals having sex and throwing condoms into the audience.
After their set I had the chance to get an autograph and picture with him. Yes, I just bragged about it, because it was that fucking awesome!
With their new album, IF their sound stays the same as their earlier albums. However, this album was even more of a big “Fuck You” to their record executives. Every song showcases Jimmy’s ability to make the masturbation and sex on the road funny.
This album made my summer more interesting since my friend and I blasted it every day after work and during our road trips. In other words this album deserves to number one for one reason… “IT’S MOTHER FUCKING AWESOME!!”
www.myspace.com/mindlessselfindulgence
Honorable Mentions: Paramore –The Final Riot! Kings of Leon- Only by the night Jack’s Mannequin- The Glass Passengers The Killers- Human
Using "Dylan” as an adjective is nearly as overused as the terms "green", "global warming" and any acronym introduced to the common vernacular, including "LOL", "OMG", "TTYL" and my least favorite, "DUI".
I'm venturing to say that calling a band or artist Dylanesque is neither meaningful nor accurate, very few people transcend to the same plane of lyrically human existence as Bob Dylan. I'm not trying to accuse those artists of being lesser musicians, you just don't do it - he's too iconic to be replicated.
Nobody remembers Dylan for being anything more, or less, than Dylan. He's burned his legacy into the souls and minds of American pop culture forever and nobody can strip him of that. It's both an honor and privilege to be him.
Well, I'm going to break that rule.
Blitzen Trapper, an experimental, Americana rock band based out of Portland, Oregon, earns the right to be considered, Dylanesque.
Ok, well after that pseudo-rant I should have refrained from saying that and rightfully so. Yet, Blitzen Trapper captures one of the essential elements, belonging to a laundry list of elements, that can earn them a right of being Dylanesque.
They create an American experience.
As a beautifully comprehensive score capturing the essence of American folk music… it builds a connection. It’s like Chicken Soup for the Drifter’s Soul. It’s impulsive, passionate and embodies the same spirit that drove pioneers out west.
Trapper is not Dylan, just Dylanesque. They've crafted an art of mimicking a master and being good at it in a way in which they generate their own style. This is most apparent in their 2008 release, Furr, they render themselves as the kind of kids pictured driving cross country soaking in all things this land has to offer: the sky, the woods, the history and the future.
Swimming across all streams of music media, Blitzen Trapper switches veins from being the rootsy acoustic rock, like in the title track Furr about a coming of age 20-something coping with lycanthropy, to a funky brand of melodic pop and back again.
Playing as a sextet (for the math-impaired that's six members), Blitzen Trapper is a vastly talented group of musicians pushing this northwestern movement of rootsy music, alongside bands like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses into the rest of the music scene.
These will be the artists who spend their life playing the 'grizzly man and the sad man', the one’s left behind by time – torn away from their homes. These are the artists born of the wrong generation, of the wrong century, the ones who should have spent their formidable years living in a cabin on a pond.
There's something to be said about how excellent old school country music is.
People who know me tend to give me that awkward look where their eyes squint and they get that baffled look as their head tilts a little bit when I say that I like Chet Atkins.
Chet Atkins is one of the greatest finger picking guitar players. He's old school and he's definitely the kind of music people associate with a banjo and the state of Kentucky. A friend of mine gave me his Tribute to Bluegrass album... and it's immensely twangy and entertaining. It definitely rekindled my love for this style of music.
I'd also recommend checking out Doc Watson for anyone interested in Chet Atkins. Not quite a finger picker, but Doc Watson can carry the storytelling aspect of country music to a whole new level.
Led Zeppelin -
After longtime speculation that Led Zeppelin would go on without front man, Robert Plant, it's finally been confirmed that there are no plans for the band to tour.
*Insert sigh of relief*
A couple months ago after hearing that Zepp, minus Plant, was planning a 2009 tour, potentially, with Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge vocalist) taking up the reigns of vocals.
I was... distraught to say the least.
I obviously don't like to stand on my soapbox and preach... ehem, but I would have truly hated to see Zeppelin stoop like that. I'm sure it was not a matter of them selling out, they have enough money as it is, but the prospect of Plant not fronting the band is disheartening.
Ok, I said I would bring some other entertainment outlets to his blog and I am.
I went out on a limb and agreed to see The Unborn with some friends of mine.
I'm pleasantly surprised as to how much some horror movies don't fail (i.e. The Strangers), but I regret to say that The Unborn lived up to all my expectations.
It was terribly funny.
Definitely written and geared towards the preteen values of horror movies, The Unborn follows a babysitter terrorized by nightmares of her mentally ill mother, locusts and a florescent-blue eyed little boy who does nothing more than make gawky faces and scream a lot.
Screenwriter, David S. Groyer decided to make a witch brew of bad plot devices and came out with uninspired, anti-religious psycho-babble mixed in with a hit-and-run involving a kid on a big wheel.
All the scares in the flick attempt to not be typical (and fail), most of which end up being hilarious - just wait for the boy stuffing himself in a medicine cabinet and popping out. It's awesome. Everything in the movie is so prolonged and contrived that it would take a double dose of Viagra to get enough blood pumping to make your heart rate increase. They are a lot like a Family Guy moment how drawn out they are.
Odette Yustman is a cardboard cutout of the babysitter archetype and her friends are even worse. They're the inbred offspring of The Hills actresses and Keanu Reeves with a speech impediment.
At least you get to see Gary Oldman use a shofar. Epic.
I don't try to be elitist or obscure with the music I like. It just happens that way. Now back to being obscure...
I stumbled upon Vetiver (the band below) not too long ago...
...and it's pretty much sealed the deal that I've become a fan of Naturalismo.
What is Naturalismo?
In the most user friendly fashion, a simple definition: It's experimental folk music with prides itself on the idea it takes a naturalistic approach to the genre.
Devandra Banhart, a fellow folk musician and close friend of the band, said in a 2006 interview that, "...[E]verything is a derivative of nature. Everything. Even the most plastic, most synthetic things are derived from nature. The source of them is found in nature at some point. Naturalismo becomes a completely all-inclusive thing...it’s this anthropophagic attitude towards the world."
Vetiver is easily one of the most original, but abnormal bands I've heard in a while.
It is typical acoustic and percussion laced folk music and yet, it’s enigmatically different. It exposes a sense of surrealism and warmth in its simplicity that can only be conveyed by personal love of the genre.
It’s so easily accessible, but it strives to be different, without alienating its fans and the casual listener.
Frontman/songwriter for Vetiver, Andy Cabic’s vocals aren’t quite on the same plane of weirdness as Banhart or Conner Oberst, but it is definitely identifiable.
Getting accustomed to Cabric’s voice isn’t nearly as abrasive as the wavering drones of Oberst, so for first time listeners, Vetiver won’t be as much of a daunting task as the first time I heard Bright Eyes.
Throughout their three studio albums, the entire band fantastically utilizes numerous instruments, specifically engineered to evoke a dreamlike coma – leaving you dazed and wanting more.
www.myspace.com/vetiverse www.vetiverse.com
P.S. - I understand not everyone is going to be as impressed by these guys as I am, but as long as you're open enough to new music that isn't always 'radio friendly', you'll always find something new and better out there. Music isn't dead, you're just not looking for it.
I know it’s extremely predictable to make a Top list of 2008, but I felt compelled to do so. These have been rolling around in my head for a month or so now.
My Three Part Disclaimer:
a.) You may disagree with this… and that’s fine.
b.) No, I have not heard every album in 2008.
c.) I’m not saying my musical preference is better than yours, but this is my own personal opinion and take on the albums.
5.) She and Him: Volume One
Two of the biggest factors as to why Volume One makes the cut:
a.) Zooey Deschanel
b.) M. Ward
Actors turned musicians tend to not… well, make good music. That is unless the actor turned musician was already a talented musician.
And that IS the case here.
An unlikely pair, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward combined their lifelong affinity for 60s and 70s pop music and created an ethereal album of revival-folk-pop - and did so flawlessly.
Deschanel's incredibly beautiful vocals, the subtle guitar playing of Ward and the layered harmonies which resemble that of the Supremes are just a couple examples as to how She and Him took a retro music trend, expounded on it and sent it to a whole new level of unexpected poppy, feel good music. They ultimately left their, now patented, throwback style on the top shelf - just out of reach from any other trendy wannabe artists.
www.myspace.com/sheandhim
4.) Thao Nguyen - We Brave Bee Stings and All
Running across Thao Nguyen was un-doubtedly one of the most surprising events of 2008. At the time she had just entered the Hotel Cafe' Tour roster (which the H.C. is currently my Mecca, by the way) and easily the best thing about the show (at least musically, Ingrid Michelson holds a special place in my heart - and other places…not saying the show wasn’t up to par).
Regardless of my attraction to chicks with red hair, Thao Nguyen is a tiny glint of hope for innovative new music. It equals that of throwing your grandmother’s china cabinet out a three story window, but with an effervescent, youthful melody.
She's scrappy, sexy and can play the shit of a guitar with a rockabilly flair that would make the Reverend happy.
We Brave Bee Stings and All is tattered pop/rock; combined with "confessional cannon" lyrics and happily disjointed emotions, Nguyen creates a punch-drunk-love affair.
Her voice assails over lyrics that go straight for the kidney punch. Nguyen generates the ferocious notion that her youthful tendencies are nothing to be taken lightly. With disparaging words and fashioning images of frenzied youths taken too lightly, she took the unorthodox route to adulthood.
www.myspace.com/thaomusic
3.) The Avett Brothers – The Gleam II (EP)
The Avett Brothers is simply one of the most talented bands out there and they've been recognized as such.
Delivering one of the best live shows and always coming back home to North Carolina to play, they’ve garnered a following of fans ranging from 76 year old bluegrass junkies, frat boys, neo-hippies, etc - all sharing the same... 'tree' during the show.
The band has truly changed since releasing their first album in 2000. The Avetts', made up of Scott and Seth Avett, Bob Crawford, and occasionally Joe Kwon, are pure ecstatic energy, the closest thing to a nuclear reactor you can get without growing a banjo out your ass.
Within a matter of seconds The Avett Brothers flow from a ferocious punk energy to twangy likings of Chet Atkins to the concise love of lyrically strong tunes as the Beatles.
The Gleam II is not quite an LP, but more of an extension of 2007's Emotionalism. It's solid groundwork for a constantly maturing and changing band that is bound to a natural sense of the music they create.
This band is creating a following that will note it, “one of the the best things to happen to music since the beach guitar.” (Maybe that statement won’t be as well received as I perceive it, but the beach guitar is badass.)
Either way, I've never met a person who dislikes the Avett's.
www.myspace.com/theavettbrothers
2.) Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
This is the epitome of why I think the UK genetically modifies its children, sort of along the same lines as Utah or USC breeding football playing monsters.
They create some of the best music.
It's an album that has no need for the buffer effect. It's direct and has no need to play with euphemisms.
Lyrically, it has the same consistency as wet concrete and is sly enough to make its way into a subconscious dive, sticking with you long after the last guitar riff in "Heads Roll Off" fades out.
As vocalist Scott Hutchinson's chew toy, Frightened Rabbit's sophomore album is brutal, stripped down and personal. It's lyrically as close to emo as you can get without eyeliner and ambiguously 'feminine' band members. This is mature, personal and is something everyone can connect with.
www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit
1.) Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
There’s a tranquil ripple effect within music composed with the same archaic and soothing qualities equating that of a religious experience – it’s rare and is a bit like petting a unicorn - you instantly think to yourself, “Did that just really happen?”
Fleet Foxes’ self-titled album is a feat of some opulent love and passion for a universal language, often taken for granted.
Vocalist Robin Pecknold’s shy demeanor and ‘skinny kid’ syndrome (allergies) were cause for an awkward teen to stay indoors and submerse himself in all things melodic and compelling. A fondness of some of the greats: Young, Dylan, Cash, among others, factored into a withdrawn kid spending more time with his guitar than breathing between measures.
Fleet Foxes is a product of a folk movement throughout the Pacific Northwest and thus far… have mastered said movement. The band describes their music as, "baroque harmonic pop jams" and that is exactly what it is.
Lyrically, Fleet Foxes captures a supernatural essence of a world completely secularized. It’s the sort of experience that comes along very rarely in a lifetime and, as cheesy as it sounds, can completely transcend day to day lifestyles.
The album catches the same organic, acoustic resonance as harmonies recorded in a medieval cathedral. It’s haunting, harmonious and utterly refined. It’s the work of understanding a medium often littered with factory produced facsimiles - and doing everything opposite of that.
I've had this blog for some time now, not sure why because my life is neither interesting enough nor am I that self-involved that I can necessitate telling you about my day to day activities.
Music.
That's the theme here. There will probably be some focus on other entertainment outlets but it'll be the main one.
I hope to create a blog that someone will go to, read and take something away other than, "What a pompous piece of crap."
Hence, why I plan on duping others (like that story about the carpenter and the oysters) to contribute their own opinion - so I... a.) Won't be the only one to blame. b.) Add dissenting opinions other than my own for everyone's well being.
The Dead Weather Yim Yames Modest Mouse Noah and the Whale Delta Spirit
-August 9
This is Makeshift Music
This is a music blog. This is my music blog and it's my own opinion, although you may agree or disagree with me on what makes music good.
I don't claim to know a fraction of everything I should - which I don't. I'm not a Greenwich Village kid who thinks they're too hip or too cool to listen to the radio. I don't wear a fedora. I'm not typing blissfully away on a Mac Book at a cafe' nestled in East Village with an organic hemp messenger bag filled with paper-back Wallace novels and newest low-budget foreign films.
I'm not that guy.
This is my opinion and my editorial. I'll try to be fair. I'm opinionated. I'm human.
“It’s networking." responded a stripper when asked how she ended up in the porn industry.
