Best of 2006, Blogged Live From Canada's Nutsack

TPO is about more than space disco and coke rap. Here is some more year-end best of.

Ten favorite tracks this year:

1. Joanna Newsom - Emily
2. Great Lake Swimmers - Song for the Angels
3. Grizzly Bear - Knife
4. Band of Horses - The Funeral
5. Evangelicals - My Headache
6. Sunset Rubdown - A Day In the Graveyard II
7. Destroyer - Rubies
8. The Octopus Project and Black Moth Super Rainbow - (Var.)
9. Junior Boys - In The Morning
10. Growing - Cumulusless

Five best Canadian rock records:

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Swan Lake - Beast Moans
The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Five best Gypsy Folk/Rock records:

A Hawk and a Hacksaw - The Way the Wind Blows
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
DeVotchKa - Curse Your Little Heart
Man Man - Six Demon Bag
Espers - Espers II (more minstrel than gypsy, really)

Five big fuckups:

88.5 WXPN's format was changed to "acoustic dork shit only."
My Morning Jacket played the unacceptable douchebag venue The Electric Factory.
The Decemberists fussed after they got buried by Chris Ott.
"Top Back (Remix)", that's some monumentally bad rap.
Comets On Fire were self-consciously metal as fuck, and it sucked.

Honorable Mention:
Brightback Morning Light, Prins Thomas, Psychic Ills, Calexico, The Knife, Frog Eyes, Islands, Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution in Sound, Yo La Tengo, M. Ward, Liars, Akon's "I Wanna Fuck You"

Best Youtube videos:
Let's Paint TV

The Worst Christmas Ever

James Brown Dies On Christmas Day 2006

James Brown died today. James Brown died today? Impossible. The father of the UNSTOPPABLE GROOVE? Died? This man...



... died?

As I write this, exactly thirteen hours have passed since I heard the news on Temple's 90.1 while opening presents with my family this morning. I am now listening to one of those Urban reissue LPs that includes "Give It Up or Turnit A Loose", an alternate take of that song, "Get On The Good Foot", and "Make It Funky." All at once, I recall all the many happy memories that I have had listening to and enjoying James Brown's music. I remember listening to "Sex Machine" with Crazy Carl in the original Publications Office and breaking out into a series of awkward thrusting gyrations that would later come to be known as "The Mrs. Day Dance." I remember bringing a copy of In the Jungle Groove to some hip kids' dorm room in college and getting immediate respect. I remember getting drunk that night and dancing on one of their beds to "Funky Drummer." There was the time when Chris, Nick and I freaked out to "Get On The Good Foot" at one of Nick's Lampoon parties. I remember staying up until three one morning listening to the entirety of The Payback. I couldn't get over the record's peculiar beauty. It was so fucking real.

This hurts too much. James had a way of just making you feel better about yourself, a way of putting a little smirk on you face. Somehow, I felt safer knowing that he was still around. Knowing that for all the terribly egregious Bono performances, James Brown was still grooving. But now the groove has died, and Soulwax have become the deepest assholes in the world.

A Very Thankful Christmas

T.P.O. is thankful for Dan Bejar.


The Publications Office surveyed celebrities nationwide, asking them what they were most thankful for this Christmas. Here are some of our favorite responses.


Young Jeezy:

I am thankful for the game. Shit's been good to me. The game is as real as it gets. The beauty of the game, it's like, you move your shit and then you got stacks, and your stacks turn into Phantoms, and then it's like you don't give a fuck no more and you can just be ya self. Like me, I like to wear white shoes and a gold watch and not give a fuck what any other man think, and that's just me, you know? The game is life and it got me where I am now, on top, and it's like, who got shit to say to me now? It's so fucking real, it's like I'm so big and tall it's like I roll on STILTS. Yeaaaah.


Stephen Colbert:

I am thankful for my writers and their relentless energy. Just the other day, I was in a big rut. I felt run down, out of ideas, at the end of my rope. I was on my way over to the writers' conference room to tell them not to bother with tonight's show. But when I opened the door, I saw thirty jokes waiting for me on their whiteboard. Everything was going to be just fine. And I ended up using all thirty, too... I was so inspired by their energy, and respectful of their devotion to comedy, that I couldn't bring myself to say that one was funnier than any other.


Isaiah Thomas:

I am thankful for the fact that we young black men are still fighting for the right to live a street lifestyle all over America. It's our world too. This ain't no nice world. I ain't gonna let a man come into my world and tell me I can't take my life, everything I've learned in my life, and that ain't something he want to hear. It's like, I gotta get it the way I know it and you don't understand, well, something just might happen to you. And the way I see it, you earn your respect, you don't just go out and smile in a man face because the world try and say you need to be like a certain way.


Amanda Blank:

I am thankful for hard cocks beating up my pussy. Everywhere I go they want to give me the cock. All over Europe, even, they were telling me they want to lift up my skirt and fuck me right there on the speakers. They hear that bass and they know it's time to fuck. It's been a good year, I've been fucking pretty much nonstop. All over the globe, they wait in line to taste my pussy.


Conor Oberst:

I am thankful that I got to spend this year kind of out of the limelight. Taking some time off from writing and performing has just helped me put everything in perspective. It's hard when you let your thoughts bleed out of you onto the page and then the wind just snatches up that page and it swoops through the city streets, and the people tighten their scarves against the cold breeze. But I just like to sit by the fire with my girlfriend, uhh, girlfriend of the moment, heh, and sometimes I'll just be staring at the ceiling wondering if each crack in the ceiling of this crazy-ass New York apartment (God, I love New York) if each crack is like a memory, and it grows deeper as you age. I think we all keep our memories in our hearts, and each heart is like a picture that we all look at every day.


Tom Brady:

I am thankful for George Bush, the Republican party, and their efforts over the past year. It's always been fashionable to resent those who know best, those who look out for your safety. What's really hard is to stick to the principles of success every day, to wake up in the morning and do your best. There is a lot of negativity out there about leadership and success. But I'll tell you this. Where would I be if I screamed at my offensive line every time they let up a sack? Where would I be if I ignored my dad when he told me to hurry up or I'd be late for practice? A real man responds to strong leadership. We should all be thankful for those who work hard and stick to their guns.


Prins Thomas:

I am thankful for the groove.

Morality 101

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Take My Piss

In his write-up of Hot Chip's The Warning (#2) for Stylus' "Top 50 Albums of 2006" Evan McGarvey penned:

If The Warning’s intelligent, game phraseology (“What can you find in a drain?”) won’t win you over, peep the destructive, cleansing swagger: “I’m a mechanical music man, and I’m starting a fire. / Hot Chip will break your legs / Snap off your head / Hot Chip will put you down / Under the ground.”

As someone who has read Neil Strauss' The Game, I know that "What can you find in a drain?" is not good Game. You don't want to neg your competition, an act that implies a low estimation of self, instead you want to neg the girl. So Evan, if Hot Chip were in fact using "intelligent game phraseology" they would have said something along the lines of "What can I find in you, drain?" And if you want music with a "destructive, cleansing swagger", you should listen to Wolf Eyes not Hot Chip.

Honestly, I don't get it. Is it because Hot Chip are English? Cute? Play synthesizers? Pitchfork ranks "Over and Over" #16 in its Top 100 Tracks of 2006 and "Boy From School" #7 and The Warning at #26 on its Top 50 albums list. Stylus has "Over and Over" #23, "Boy From School" #11, with the album again at #2. First, I consider "Over and Over" a 2005 jawn, maybe even 2004 depending on how far ahead on the ssX curve you were when the song leaked. "Boy From School" is a good song, but it's not 5 stars. It's something every "indie" kid can identify with, the "We tried but we don't belong" line. However, Alexis myopically repeats the line way too often and by the end of the song it loses its initial, devastating punch.

Such diminishing returns resound on all of The Warning's tracks. They grab the listener's attention early, but by the halfway point they get stale. They each possess sounds and structures that remind me of a lullaby. So they are soporific, which can be useful, it just seems to me not quite as useful as something that impacts your life, makes you more awake, makes you see things more clearly. I truly don't understand how a narcotic can be a "top" record.

Leader of the Pack

Not what it looks like

A phenomenon took this country's digital cable audience (or maybe just my roommates and people that came by our house on Friday nights) by storm, the National Geographic Channel's The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. Cesar is simultaneously assertive, comical, authoritative, rigid, naive, and absurd. He also has several homosexual tendencies. He likes to imitate the behavior of some of the dogs, which for some reason usually involves him arching his back and getting on his knees and shaking his shoulders and making noises such as "Adi, didi, didi."

Above all, though, Cesar is a dog's best friend. He understands dogs as dogs, not as toys for human amusement or emotional crutches, but as complex creatures with whom one must choose to enter into a relationship. He fulfills the primordial needs of dogs under his care. He treats them as instinct-driven animals, not as human beings, and it is easy to see the results on the dogs' own faces. They repay Cesar for his leadership with good behavior, loyalty, and affection. Few things could make life more enjoyable than a dog that is willing to requite its owner's love. Thus, unanimously, we declare Cesar Millan, Dog Whisperer, our "Man of the Year" for 2006.

Yup, Yeah Me Too

Thanks Google Image

Ed. Note: We may or may not do more of this year-end stuff. You know how this time of the year is.
--JS

As I listen to way too much music, I think I owe a few year-end lists to myself. The sole criterion for the lists was how much of my time each particular item occupied. I multiplied according to my iTunes and iPod counters. I think the results are pretty interesting.

Genre of the Year: Disco

Albums:
1. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
2. Booka Shade - Movements
3. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
4. The Knife - Silent Shout
5. Man Man - Six Demon Bag
6. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
7. Spektrum - Fun at the Gymkhana Club
8. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I'm Dreaming
9. VA - [DCR Presents] Death Before Distemper
10. The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams

Tracks:
1. Escort - Starlight
2. LCD SS - 45:33
3. Delia & Gavin - Relevee (DFA Rmx)
4. The Clipse (Feat. Pharell) - Mr. Me Too
5. Junior Boys - In The Morning
6. Padded Cell - Unknown Zone
7. Dub Kult - Chick
8. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Radio Edit)
9. Prins Thomas - Fehrara
10. Tahiti 80 - Big Day (Idjut Boys Main Remix)
11. Rihanna - SOS
12. Kaito - Color of Feels (Album Mix)
13. Rick Ross Vs. Simian Mobile Disco - Hustlin' Hustler (Cadenece Weapon Hi-Speed Edit)
14. Kaos - Cerebral Tremolo (Brennan Green Edit)
15. The Orichalc Phase - Respond in Silence
16. Dondolo - Dragon (Shit Robot's Fire Breathing Remix)
17. Amerie - Take Control
18. Sonic Youth - What A Waste
19. Shit Robot - Wrong Galaxy
20. Lindstrom - Another Station (Todd Terje Rmx)
21. Delia & Gavin - Relevee (Carl Craig Rmx)
22. Superpitcher - Enzian
23. Sascha Funke - In Between Gates
24. Robbie Williams - Lovelight (Soulwax Ravelight Dub)
25. The Juan Maclean - Love Is in the Air (Mock & Toof Rmx)

New Artists:
1. Sunset Rubdown
2. Escort
3. Shit Robot
4. Brennan Green
5. Cadence Weapon

Indie Folk? We Got 'Em

I still need your digital camera

Archer Prewitt, Angela Desveaux, Honey Church, Ponie Heart
The Khyber
12/12

First, a big thank you to the hardworking folks over at Philebrity for plugging this one. I would not have found out otherwise. Second, I should let you know that I've decided to give up on big shows. If there's going to be more than 500 people, I don't want anything to do with it. Chances are the show's all ages, and half the crowd will be full of sixteen year olds that are already becoming way too absorbed in alt-scenesterism and drugs and are running around the venue like chickens with their heads cut off. Case in point, the Broken Social Scene show a while back at the Electric Factory was down right egregious. There was a big performance going on, and from what I observed, CJR and I were the only people trying to watch it. So when I saw that Archer Prewitt, this cat whose latest record, Wilderness, I've liked a lot for the last couple of years (you can read this to find out exactly why; I agree with it entirely) was playing The Khyber on a Tuesday night, I said to myself, actually uttered it out loud, "perfect." And I was not disappointed. At no point in the night did the crowd exceed 30.

Unfortunately, as I found out about Tuesday night so very last second (7:30) I missed opener Ponie Heart. But judging from the quality of the other opening acts, Honey Church and Angela Desveaux, I would have to think that it was at the least average indie folk / country, which depending on the mood your in, if you happen to be in the same self-pitying one that I was in Tuesday night, can be pretty endearing stuff. Reason why is it follows the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) formula to the T. The music was definitely without pretense, the majority of it written in 3/4 time, and performed by people who were obviously not 21 year old hipsters. Also remember they were playing for mere handfuls of people. It was like they were playing for me. Honey Church are a local getup that are currently a diamond in the rough. A little more diversity in the song structures, like some key changes, and more poetic lyrics and they'll have something. It was pretty much the same deal with Ms. Desveaux-- she just needs to come up with some sort of schtick to differentiate herself from the pack and she'll be fine. On the plus side, she and her band had some positive things to say about cheesesteaks. And without doubt all of these bands are much better live than John Vanderslice. Trust me.

Prewitt and band were great. Clearly, these guys are grizzled veterans of the indie scene. Keyboardist / laptopper / trumpeter, I think his name was Mike, was kind enough to reveal that he was 44. His long gray hair, goatee, and slightly more than hipster thin frame was far more refreshing, and far more provocative on stage than the anorexic-Asian-indie-hipper than thou-girl-keyboardist cliche. Not that I'm hating, anorexic Asians (as a matter of fact I'm currently accepting applications for an anorexic Asian hipster girlfriend in the comments section), just saying different is refreshing. But yeah, these guys were talented. As some of Wilderness' material borders on the saccharine, the band did a masterful job erasing any such traces live, even on songs such as "No More", "Without You" and "Wilderness." All of the songs played were infused with a psychedelic, hard rock edge, giving them far more pop and zest than on the record. It was very encouraging to hear a band which is at heart into "chill" music move out of its comfort zone and pump some enthusiasm into its live act.

This night was the best surprise I've had all year. I did not feel like it was a guilty pleasure either-- there were no thoughts of "but it sucks that these people will not get wealthy from doing this." Prewitt & Co. knew well what the turnout was going to be, but put forth great effort anyway. My guess, they did it because they needed to do it for themselves and for their art. And if that isn't an uplifting thought at a time when "indie" is becoming heavily commercialized, then I don't know what is.

Crate Digging 2006: Daft Punk's Homework

Just a couple of faces in the crowd

So much music came out this year, too much if you ask me. (check those 857 Papoose freestyles) Alot of it was really good too. It seemed like there was zero opportunity for crate digging this year. Well here's a dig for most kids 11 or younger in 1996. It's called Daft Punk's Homework. If you like electronic/house music, and haven't heard this, all of it, be prepared to hear something that's far better than 2006's batch of indifferent house. It's been 10 years. Reflection on this record and renewed admiration for it are more than fitting. So I made a card to express my feelings for a true benchmark in the history of electronic music.

My 10th Anniversary eCard to Homework



Dear Homework,

You've given me so much over the last ten years. You've given me "Around the World", still the world's quintessential party starter. Never have three words had such an impact on how I interact with music. Never have three words salvaged so many of my desperate nights. I think "Revolution 909" is the fifth best song ever. "Teachers" taught me everything I need to know about rock music, "Da Funk" everything that I need to know about robots. Where would dance music in general be without you? Would the vocoder's potential be realized? Would lengthy repetition be acceptable? Would there be "uncompromising" 4/4? Would people's shit ever really get lost? And you have more to give. Eventually the public will recognize "Oh Yeah" as the world's next great breakbeat track. Someday DJs around the world will hear the floor potential in "High Fidelity", "Burnin" and "Indo Silver Club".

I just wanted to let you know how much I still appreciate you. ✓+

Happy 10th Anniversary
JS

Yo Philly!

Warning: More low blows to follow

After an entire weekend of my TV time being saturated with Rocky Balboa commercials, I have concluded, Philadelphians, that we need to boycott this shit. First, the things that the movies stand for, brutal, gladiatorial violence, unrealistic optimism, machismo, stupidity, ridiculing the brain damaged, are not positive activities. These stigmata have become what our fair city is most recognized for. Second, Stallone while ostensibly harmless, is really quite the asshole. Third, do you think that it's going to end with this movie? I foresee no fewer than six additional Rocky movies.

Merry Xmas, Delaney:

Rocky VII: Rocky fights Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. Iceman: ... Rocky: Hey, how you doin, Iceman? Iceman: ...

Rocky VIII: Rocky fights the Super Shredder. Super Shedder: Super Shedder uuuggghhh! Rocky: Super Shredder uuuggghhh!

Rocky IX: Rocky fights Satan. Rocky: Hey yo Paulie, you can take the man out of the fight, but you can't take the man out of the fight...

Rocky X: Rocky fights Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer: I'm undefeated. Rocky: Yeah, well, you know, there's like a first time for everything, you know?

Rocky XI: Rocky fights Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson: The power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ flows through my right hand and the power of the great Aztec chieftain Huitzitlaloc flows through my left hand. Prepare to die. Rocky: ...

Rocky XII: Rocky fights the Highlander. Highlander: Rocky, there can be only one. Rocky: One what?

Indie Rock's Undisputed Queen of News Reviews Diplo's Next Record

Ladies and Gentlemen, Her Majesty, Amy Phillips



Diplo
Ivela Fresh Booty Blast*
[Hollertronix; 2007]
Rating: 9.8





Did I tell you about that time last November that I ran into Diplo at Chicago's ________ club? K, so I was there with my girls and Wes, we're on a first name basis now, just thought I'D let YOU know, so Wes, he was there with his boys. So I, an empowered young lady, approached him and introduced myself, "Hi Wes, Amy. No, no, Amy Phillips. Pitchfork." My gosh was he cute too, dressed in a long, white, plain tee. And that ass... Laaaaaadies! "Oh yeah, I met you at Intonation a couple of years ago. How's it going, Amy?" "Um, Dips (my pet name for him) are you still dating M.I.A?" "Hey, have I told you about my new project? I actually just came from the studio and have the recording on me. Maybe you could do something with it, like give me more good press that I don't deserve."

The story goes that Diplo went to the Ivory Coast to hand out some free copies of his latest mix Favela Strikes Back 2. Dips said, "I just felt like they (Ivory Coast) really needed some Favela."



People were very grateful to Wes for the gift, and took him back to one of their villages deep in the jungle. On the walk Dips was listening to even more Favela on his iPod, when he overheard some totally bitching afro-beat emanating from the jungle. A lightning bolt hurled down by Zeus himself, from on high, struck Dips. "Dude, this stuff mashes up really well. It's like uber tribal." And thus Ivela Fresh Booty Blast was born.

You might not believe it, but the blend results in something that sounds just like Baltimore House. That is to say, it's great booty music. "Drive Thru Revolution" is without doubt the "guns in the air" jam of the year. "We Got Rubber" sounds like it was produced by the Neptunes, whereas "Fucking Snakes" is more Timbo, but think Timbo and Missy, not Timbo and Justin. But don't think for one minute that this album is all fun and games. Like all great records, it's deep too. Clearly Dips' ventures into the third world have had a profound effect on him. How else could someone come up with as beautiful an album closer as "Rainforests and AIDS?" On this one Diplo does such a masterful job restraining the afro-beat and the favela wails that while listening to it you'd swear he has AIDS.

Not only is Wes hot, but he's a visionary too. Who else could have realized the potential in fusing indie with the 3rd world with the butt? No other record of 2007 will have the same global impact as Ivela Fresh Booty Blast.

-- Amy Phillips, July 11, 2007

* Denotes Best New Music

LATER THAT DAY...

Pitchfork News Bulletin

Today, July 11, 2007, Ivory Coast terrorists have flown an airplane into Phildelphia's brand new Comcast Tower. The Comcast Tower was so big that the ensuing fire destroyed all of downtown Philadelphia. I still hate Philadelphia. Anyways, thank god, ladies, no harm came to my Dips. Wes had already arrived in New York for his show tonight at the Knitting Factory.

Posted by Amy Phillips in terror on Tues. 07-11-07: 01:15 P.M. CST | Permalink

Don't ever eat mushrooms before you go to the Electric Factory.

Tahiti 80 Rock The Upstairs @ World Cafe (And Subsequently Fire Their Booking Agent)

Tahiti 80's last visit to Philly was @ The Khyber in November '02
(photo credit: www.bullette.net)

Let's get one thing straight from the start: after interviewing Tahiti 80 in '02 and giving their second album, Wallpaper for the Soul, a few extra listens, I quickly realized this band is too often (unfairly) dismissed as "just another French-pop band." That's the first thing you need to know.

Second, the only other Philly venue that could have been worse for this show than Upstairs @ The World Cafe would be the Kitchen @ The World Cafe (coming Summer '07). Tickets were $18 flipping dollars! In 2002, these guys didn't even sell out The Khyber on what were probably $8 or $10 tickets. I'm not pretending to be the smartest booking agent in the city, but money issues aside, this show belonged in a dirty club that holds no more than 200 people ready to dance their asses off. What type of person is content to watch Tahiti 80 from a dinner table? There are a ton of amazing venues in Philadelphia that can host great rock and/or dance shows (T.P.O. knows b/c we've been to all of them twice), so it's a real shame that Tahiti 80 ended up at the cleanest and most sterile venue in the city (on the bright side, they do have above-average acoustics). The point is that, unfortunately, someone pegged Tahiti 80 as "just another French-pop band" (yet again) and thought they'd be perfect to play in what is essentially an over-priced restaurant decorated like a Philly-hotel-bar-tryin'-to-look-like-an-NYC-hotel-bar, which by the way is perfectly suited for certain other kinds of live music. Booking Tahiti 80 to play this space was like booking a dog show to take place on a dirt bike course. Apples. Oranges. Et cetera. Exceddera. You see? There is a difference.

Despite this being a terrible episode of "When-Bad-Venues-Happen-to-Good-Bands," it was actually still a great performance. For this tour, Tahiti 80 effectively broke down their endearing blend of electro, dub, soul, and pop-rock and nearly stripped it to the bare minimum. Leaving us with a traditional guitar/bass/keyboards/drums rock show, the band played tracks spanning all three of their albums. Faves like "Mr Davies," "Soul Deep," "Big Day," "Changes," and "Here Comes" (complete with audience chanting the "Whoa oh oh" part) were excitedly played the same way you know they were written: with a simple arrangement, with smiling nods between band members, and without the dude from Fountains of Wayne suggesting that the snare drop out for 32 bars while a dub kick booms in replacement. Don't get me wrong, I think Tahiti 80's production sound typically strikes the perfect balance between unique and derivative. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant change to hear Tahiti 80 let go of their production-dependent style and be confident enough in their songwriting that they were willing to play without the 10 keyboards and 5 drum machines that they had for their last tour. Sure, maybe their touring budget was just reduced this time around because they only half-filled The Khyber in '02... but their songs still reflected the same beauty, tension, and sincerity that makes this band worth listening to in the first place. And that is a solid testament to the fact that Tahiti 80 is not "just another French-pop band."


Q: What did one Frenchman yell to the other while riding a rollercoaster?
A: Ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

Warren Hill: The World's Next Rainmaker

One man's acetate another's rain.

eBay has ruined what would have been the best Antiques Roadshow ever.



But seriously, WTF?