Listening Post: Spoon and Mid-2007 Best Of List(s)

Since at Standardchuck's we don't like to create anything original, all we can do is critique the opinions posted by others. Thus, another edition of the Listening Post.

First, here's a review of the new Spoon album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, where we listen to the intro, a chorus, and the final 20 seconds of each track:

1. "Don't Make Me A Target" - Man, does this track remind me of...well, every Spoon song ever...which is fine by me, since Spoon is reliable, well-crafted guitar pop. Not a great chorus, and finishes a bit rough.
2. "The Ghost of You Lingers" - This song sounds like a Gary Epstein song.
3. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" - The sixties soul sound needs to be resurrected...oh, wait, thanks Amy Winehouse, and this song. I have a few friends who say that they hate the sound of the sax and the soul sound. Sure, E Street and the 80's overused the sax accent, but there's something so guttural and sexy about a nice tenor sax. Oh, hell, I listened to this entire song...great song.
   
4. "Don't You Evah"
5. "Rhythm & Soul"- Finger snaps, hand claps...you know, one thing I will never forget, working at an independent record store in Greensboro, North Carolina, I remember an exchange where I told the co-workers (including dark haired, plastic framed glasses guy who looked like the Verizon "Can You Hear Me Now?" guy, the fat dude with the green lantern shirt who listens to death metal AND Neil Sedaka, and the blond guy with the ponytail and vintage sweaters who always, ALWAYS picked the Magnetic Fields when it was his turn to choose an album to play over the sound system) that I really liked the Get Up Kids single "Mass Pike." The fat guy yells from the back, "Hand claps are where it's at...but the Get Up Kids suck raggedy."
   
6. "Eddie's Ragga" - A ragga.
7. "The Underdog" - This song reminds me of Billy Joel. Is that a good thing? Good buildup.
   
8. "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" - I'm offended by this title and my quitting of smoking...I skip this song.
9. "Finer Feelings" - Funky...I'm sure people at Ottobar BritPop would dance to this, but without a smile. I'm craving some Clash right about now.
10. "Black Like Me" - You can't...always...get...what'cha want.

Overall...from the 10 minutes I've listened to (total running time ~36 minutes), I'd have to give this a hearty thumbs up...3 Jon Brion's out of 4.

--------------------------------

So, while perusing the nice, free mp3's for sampling at elbo.ws, ran across this post from the blog The Yellow Stereo. Three brave souls have compiled a "Best 10 Tracks of 2007" thus far. The compilers had four rules:

A. One song from each artist only
B. No remixes
C. Nothing that hasn’t been released yet {chuck's note: double negative!}
D. Nothing from around this date

So, what I'll do is now listen to all the tracks and give you my stream-of-consciousness ramble for each track, followed by a bracketed quick decision of life (thumbs up) or death (thumbs down). Are you not entertained?!!

PJ's Picks

1. "I Was a Daughter" Basia Bulat - Oh hand claps, but the fast, exotic hand claps! Ompah, ompah, this song suffers from the exhaustion I feel concerning the precious Sufjan Stevens syndrome that has infected much of the indie world. The middle third is beautiful, allowing Basia's voice to stretch out and take over the song, but the hand claps and snare drum just distract. The song is too layered with instrumentation, following a quirky Wall of Sound approach. I will check out more Basia but I will have to decide [DEATH].
2. "No Comply" Studio - Off the bat, I hate this song. I'm imagining Smurfs skipping through a hallucinogenic forest...then the guy starts singing, and I imagine the Smurfs being given the "come hither" Duran Duran eyes, and the Smurfs succumbing. There's smiley, giggly coke-fueled butt shaking. I'm sure this is playing in the background at the meeting that Hans Gruber led to plan the takeover of Nakatomi Plaza. [DEATH]
3. "My Punishment For Fighting" The Rosebuds - I know, the band name probably comes from Citizen Kane, but for some reason I imagine that scene from Tommy Boy where Chris Farley rubs his nose against his "naughty pet" dinner roll. So far, PJ, you're batting an 0/3 as far as matching up with my musical tastes...this song is great if you really like Eurotrash. [DEATH]
4. "The Magic Position" Patrick Wolf - Don't get me wrong...I like some Eurotrash, as well as what I like to term Rainbow-Pop (exemplified by Junior Senior). I really like this song...having jammed to it for a while, ever since it was posted on MOKB. Its hokey, cheesy, unabashedly happy...it extrudes the hip wiggles out of even me, and I'm practically a 2x4 when it comes to dancing. What would the magic position be? The Butterfly? The Lotus? The Blow Up Doll Raft? [LIFE]
5. "Plasticities" Andrew Bird - If you haven't listened to Andrew Bird, then I turn my nose up at you in mock outrage. His album "Armchair Apocrypha" is a fantastic album...my personal favorite track is "Heretics." Sensitive naval-gazing music that is also aurally interesting. [LIFE]
6. "Ain't Never Been Cool" Lucky Soul - I imagine that PJ would be really happy in a world like "Hairspray." Bubblegum...too sweet. Just to nitpick, its COOL, not COO. [DEATH]
7. "Don't Lose Yourself" Laura Veirs - Liz Phair meets the Postal Service...I'm only going to vote positively on this song because I don't hate it. [LIFE]
8. "Mistaken For Strangers" The National - I love the song "Fake Empire." Great song that builds slowly until breaking into a mood similar to the feeling after a good, long torturous cry. This song is really loud in the bass department, which is unique. I've heard better 2 minute ditties, but its alright. [LIFE]
9. "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger" Of Montreal - Something happened to Of Montreal over the years. I remember them as purveyors of sappy sweet pop confection, folksy and strummy, like a happier American version of Belle and Sebastian. Then they found techno sounds and quirky lyrics that betray a bitter heart. Sure, you can rail against the commercial sellout with the Outback Steakhouse commercial song, but the new album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is great...I mean, really great. The words are bitter pills wrapped in dance music that intrigues the ears with hooks a plenty. [LIFE]
10. "Left Foot Stepdown" The Bees - I thought we ended the one word band names after the run of Strokes and Killers, but here comes the Bees. Really, there wasn't a band called the Bees in the history of rock? The B Sharps...now that was a band. This song is a ragga, horns, choruses (reminds me of "Fernando's Hideaway")...I'm sure that there are plenty who will not like this type of backward gazing, but I have to say, this is a great track. A little ominous, just the way I like my singles...sneaky. [LIFE]
11. I'm not going to review this song...its supposed to be 10...respect the guidelines.

OVERALL RATING FOR PJ: The only surprise track was the Bee's smoldering Specials-type tune, but given PJ's love of gimmicky pop and utter disregard for rules and guidelines, I award PJ no points, and may God have mercy upon your soul.

Pablo's Picks:

1. "Imitosis" Andrew Bird - I like it (I'm going to go with the whole brevity thing, dude) [LIFE]
2. "(Antichrist Television Blues)" Arcade Fire - For some reason, my Internet is lagging, so in replacement, I will review the track "Bring the Ruckus" by the Wu Tang Clan. Wu Tang is tight. You know, my old PI, Dr. Bubba, loved a martial arts film called "The Five Deadly Venoms." Good movie...though I'm more partial to the Drunken Master series or the Once Upon a Time In China films. Anyway, Wu Tang gets a [LIFE]
3. "Ray of Zdarlight" The Avalanches - A Google search of "zdarlight" brought me the following line: "Zdarlight is a one sided super monster tune!" The track "Zdarlight" by Digitalism is a different song...with its own crappy CG video. Watch out, ravers, there are ugly CG robots in space who want to drink your glow stick juice! The Avalanches' song is a sped-up disco song. I'm not in the mood for this for the sun is out, I'm not drunk, and I'm not being felt up by Johnny Cakes. [DEATH]
4. "Sleepdriving" Archives - Sometimes I see only the word contained in a larger word...such as "chives" in "archives." Why is the word pronounced "ar-CHIVES?" You know, because of Frito-Lay, I associate chives forever with sour cream. This song would make me fall asleep while driving...pretty song. Too pretty. [DEATH]
5. "Elephant Gun" Beirut - I hate the drinking game that shares the same name as the band. Then again, I hate all drinking games. Song: multi-tracked affected vocals + mandolin + accordion = a crappy carnival song. If the lyrics were in french, this track could fit on the Amelie soundtrack. [DEATH]
6. "2x2" Get Him Eat Him - Love the name of the band. Checked out their homepage. What struck me most is that this is one of the geekiest looking bands of all time. Second thing, their label is named Absolutely Kosher Records. Third, they have a blog about sandwiches (oh so preciously entitled "Get Sammiches, Eat Sammiches"). Alright, so for the song, I grant thee [LIFE], for trying to be so damned likable, I cast thee [DEATH].
7. "Sunday Morning" K-os - Executed using a sound similar to Gnarls Barkley. What do you think of the chorus: "Everyday is Saturday night, but I can't wait for Sunday morning?" A world of eternal Saturday nights...I would have to reconfigure my wardrobe to include more club clothes and extra pairs of underwear...oh, who am I kidding...I don't need underwear. [LIFE]
8. "Mistaken For Strangers" The National - Good song, nuff said...[LIFE]
9. “Talking With Fireworks/Here It Never Snowed” | The Twilight Sad - I know a group of guys who will love this song. The group that love Sigur Ros, God Speed You Black Emporor, Mogwai, and freakin' wind chimes...I like the parts with the singing, but the rest of instrumental nonsense, I could do without. "I love you, always have, always will." [DEATH]
10. "Paris is Burning" St. Vincent - This is a well crafted waltz. Like the best of Tori Amos. A maddening cavalcade of hand claps and death march music. In other words, a novel attempt, but I still hate it. [DEATH]

OVERALL FOR PABLO - I like his choices a bit more, simply because there are downer songs included, not just the shiny, happy tracks from PJ's frivolous list. I think I was harder on Pablo, so I award him two kosher pickles out of four.


I grow tired of this post. Download these tracks and more from THE YELLOW STEREO. I promise myself...next Listening Post...focus on ONE CD.

So I end this with one final thought: check out the video for D.A.N.C.E by Justice...good video, not bad song.