Pitchfork Fest & Recent Music Purchases

So B & I are going to Pitchfork Fest this year, and we figured we would go to two of the three days since we will have Mac in tow. When I bought the tickets a couple months ago, most of the lineup had not been announced. In the past, Friday has only had one or two shows that I've really wanted to see, so I picked Saturday and Sunday. I thought there would be the most bands we would want to see those days. Damn. Here are some of the acts performing on Friday--tune-yards, Battles, Guided by Voices, Neko Case, James Blake, and Animal Collective. I was kind of curious to see tune-yards after seeing this video--



Though I have seen Battles and Guided by Voices before, I am still a little disappointed. I would've really liked to see Neko Case. There still are some great bands playing on the days we will be there though. We get to see The Dismemberment Plan, Fleet Foxes, Destroyer, Superchunk, Baths, Deerhunter, and TV on the Radio. Plus, I always get exposed to some good stuff I haven't heard before. I think it is going to be fun. We just have to get Mac some of those noise-cancelling headphones, and we are all set.

Recent music purchases--

• Fleet Foxes--Helplessness Blues
• TV on the Radio--Nine Types of Light
• Peter Bjorn & John--Gimme Some
• Wild Nothing--Gemini
• The Antlers--Burst Apart
• Chris Bathgate--Salt Year
• Explosions in the Sky--Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
• ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead--Tao of the Dead
• Beastie Boys--Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
• Vessels--White Fields & Open Devices and Helioscope

Once again, I've bought way more than I have time to appreciate. So far, I've just been enjoying listening to Peter Bjorn & John. You may have heard their song "Second Chance" on a Bud Light Lime commercial (which would've annoyed me in the past, but now it just rolls off my back). Here is a video of them playing "Second Chance" on a crappy late night show.

This weekend I...

...coached a track team
...went to a Cubs game
...mowed the lawn
...finished a novel
...finished Portal 2

My Kingdom for a Pick

I wonder how many guitar picks my dog has ingested. I bet it's a lot. Either that, or gnomes exist.

Early Morning Movie: The Insider

I've been doing something kind of strange lately... getting up at 5 a.m. and watching half of a movie before I get ready for work. I then watch the 2nd half the next morning. Is this odd?

Anyway, today's early morning movie is The Insider, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. I only have one thing to say about this movie (at least until I watch the 2nd half) and that one thing is HOT FAXING ACTION!!!1111.

We just got done watching Half Nelson. Let me start by saying I can really appreciate the great performances by Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps in the movie. I appreciate the fact that Gosling's character is not a stereotypical Christ-figure teacher who has no vices and has come to save the inner-city children from ignorance. I appreciate the writing and the Broken Social Scene soundtrack.

But dear Lord is this movie depressing. Oddly enough, the movie's "Consensus" on Rotten Tomatoes describes it as "inspirational." The movie does start out showing Gosling's Dan Dunne to be an effective, engaging teacher, but it is all downhill from there. The scene where his thirteen-year-old student Drey (Epps) discovers him smoking crack in the locker room bathroom is a punch to the stomach. At one point, Dunne discusses how "God's creation is imperfect" with the class, and it feels like the movie is ramming that idea at my brain the entire time. The writers try to throw the viewer a hopeful bone at the end when Dunne shaves his wild-man beard and shares a corny joke with Drey, but it just isn't enough for me.

Bleeps

I had a friend tell me recently that he was getting tired of all the electronic music that is popular these days, and sometimes I feel tired of it too. Animal Collective has had a lot of attention this past year, and I am a fan of their stuff. I was listening to Four Tet on the way to work today, and it reminded me what kind of electronic music I appreciate. Four Tet’s Rounds manages to sound textured and organic despite being mostly electronic. The bleeps, sweeps, and creeps all sound frayed and burnt around the edges. I like electronic music that is wool and not nylon. I like the notes to be shorn from musical sheep, not woven on a sterile industrial loom.




I'm pretty sure Four Tet has a new album out soon as well.

Top Ten Albums of '09

10. Deastro--Moondagger
9. The Dodos--Time to Die
8. Cass McCombs--Catacombs
7. Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavillion
6. Grizzly Bear--Veckatimest
5. Ramona Falls--Intuit
4. The Mountain Goats--The Life of the World to Come
3. Dinosaur Jr.--Farm
2. Polvo--In Prism
1. Mew--No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away...

Winner of the best run-on sentence/fused sentence title award goes to Mew. This album is also awesome; they seem to care about both creativity and good songwriting. The first song, "New Terrain," can be played forward and backward and still be a song. "Introducing Palace Players" has a very syncopated, odd rhythm, a creative drum part, and an extremely choppy guitar part that all come together to make a great song. "Hawaii" is one my favorite songs I've heard in a while. You should check out this band if you haven't. Another great thing about Mew is that the rest of their releases are worthwhile as well. I've found "And the Glass Handed Kites" to be just as good as the newest album.

The numbers are fairly meaningless on the rest of this list. The top five are full of great songs, but 6-10 have only a few songs on them that really grabbed me. I know some people will gasp when I say that about Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective but oh well. The song of the year for me was probably "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear, and I'm guessing if I spent more time with that record, I would come to love it more.

Honorable Mentions:
-Mount Eerie--Wind Songs
-Wild Beasts--Two Dancers
-The Twilight Sad--Forget the Night Ahead
-Dirty Projectors--Bitte Orca