2009: The Year in Non-Metal
In case you're keeping count, this is the 200th post on Entartete Kunst!
Before the year is gone, I wanted to leave you with 20 cool tunes that will not hurt your poor widdle ears. Here's a look at some non-metal stuff I enjoyed during 2009: pop, indie and art rock, hip-hop and what have you.
With the sudden lack of promos coming my way, I must admit that in 2009, I was not as adventurous nor as adamant about hearing musicians I didn't already follow. If it were not for friends with varying tastes, I might not have heard more than half of the songs on this list. So, let me take this holiday moment to thank all of my dear friends, not just the cool music-sharing ones. Even if I did not see you or even speak to you as often as I would have liked this year, I am incredibly grateful for your place in my life. Your encouragement and companionship during the jobless months and the quitting of the cigarettes (2 months and counting) have really helped me get through. Things aren't that terrible, but I long for time and funds to shed this hermit-like existence and venture back into the real world, where people are learning and growing and doing... I would love to hang out with so many of you awesome motherfuckers, I cannot keep count. I will surely see you in 2010. After all, it is the year we make contact.
1. "Weird Al" Yankovic - "Skipper Dan" (Internet Leaks, Volcano): Regardless of my strange burst of superfandom this year, this was the best guitar pop single I heard all year, a perfect example of Al's ear for hooks and a uniquely poignant look at unfulfilled potential that will resonate with anyone who works a shittier job than they deserve to be working.
2. Beirut - "The Shrew" (March of the Zapotec, Ba Da Bing!): On a split EP with himself (the other half of bedroom electro-pop, Holland, is credited to Realpeople), globe-trotting New Mexican Zach Condon took his wistful indie-folk project south, teaming with Mexico's 19-piece Jimenez Band for an unfortunately brief set of sad and dusty border songs.
3. DOOM - "Cellz" (Born Like This, Lex): Long Island's masked supervillain returned to lambaste the lazy status quo, his signature mush-mouthed wordplay matched with beats ranging from comically kooky to criminally complex, his laid-back indie rap venom given a suitably apocalyptic intro here by Charles Bukowski.
4. The Octopus Project - "Wood Trumpet" (Golden Beds, Peek-A-Boo): The Austin outfit stretched out a bit on this EP, curiously sounding more like a regular old indie rock band than ever, whereas this joyful, danceable instrumental (presumably an older composition) is the sort of thing that drew me to the band in the first place.
5. Phish - "Light" (Joy, JEMP): The planet's premiere jam band came out of hiatus and personal turmoil with an accessible pop slant to their proggy ambition, this tune an expert balance of rootsy groove and slinky spaceout, pensive and hopeful in equal measures... although I think overall I prefer the more eclectic bonus disc that came with the box set.
6. Eels - "Lilac Breeze" (Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire, Vagrant): Anything was bound to be a letdown after the career-defining majesty of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, but E's reversion to the primal rawk-meets-tuneful folk of the Shootenanny! era felt unnecessarily slight, despite possessing a number of endearing individual moments such as this horny charmer.
7. Method Man and Redman - "Four Minutes to Lock Down (feat. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah)" (Blackout! 2, Def Jam): With only a few concessions to modern mainstream hip-hop cheese, Meth and Red's long-awaited sequel proved they still have the skills and interplay to leave most permanent duos in the dust. When they're joined on this track by two of Method Man's Wu-mates, it's pure East Coast kung fu brilliance.
8. The Most Serene Republic - "Don't Hold Back, Feel a Little Longer" (...And the Ever Expanding Universe, Arts & Crafts): The seven-member Ontario band long regarded as a mini-Broken Social Scene took its lush pop into loftier environs, boy/girl vocal harmonies melting into the grand dynamics of the collective, heard here at their most sprightly and stimulating.
9. The Mars Volta - "Desperate Graves" (Octahedron, Warner Bros.): A rare hot spot on the Texan outfit's lovely but uncharacteristically mellow fifth LP, this track redefined "power ballad" into a shuffling, nervous beast of prey. If Ced and Omar had mixed in some of the whirlwind punk-prog from their side project with Hella, Octohedron would have been a more well-rounded MV disc.
10. Kool Keith - "Black Lagoon" (Kool Keith Presents Tashan Dorrsett, Junkadelic): DJ Junkaz Lou provided some astonishingly strange beats for a decent set by the wildly fluctuating New York MC, who plays a "regular guy" character, one who's quick to diss or defecate on all that is wack, loves the ladies, mutters his own weirdo chorus hooks... no, Tashan's not too removed from most of Kool Keith's other guises.
11. Antony and the Johnsons - "One Dove" (The Crying Light, Secretly Canadian): I can pile adjectives between "Antony Hegarty's" and "voice," but I cannot adequately describe its eerie allure, nor why it's such an engaging presence among the British band's mannered chamber pop, capable of fluttering to majestic heights or plummeting to the depths of elegiac despair.
12. Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" (Blood Bank, Jagjaguwar): Justin Vernon's one-man band became a full unit on this EP, yet the native Wisconsinite still sounds blissfully desolate on all but the title track, a characteristically pretty folk number left over from the debut days that crystallizes the breathless intimacy of fresh winter love.
13. Asobi Seksu - "Familiar Light" (Hush, Polyvinyl): By stripping some of the swirling shoegaze production and occasional Japanese vocals from their winsome dreamscapes, the New York quartet revealed themselves to be fairly ordinary pop rockers, although not without an occasional celestial highlight like this one left in their bags.
14. We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Quiet Little Voices" (These Four Walls, FatCat): Young Scottish aspirants to the throne of countrymen Frightened Rabbit, these dudes quietly dropped an excellent debut of soaring, post-punk-flavored indie pop, announcing themselves with this driving single that portends a healthy career packed with giant-sized anthems.
15. Black Lips - "The Drop I Hold (feat. GZA)" (The Drop I Hold, Vice): After thoroughly enjoying a portion of their set at Pitchfork, I was disappointed by the Atlanta garage rock hipsters' ugly new album, with this odd blues-rap track the sole standout for me... although, when I heard about this digital single version featuring one of my favorite MCs, I was mighty pleased.
16. múm - "Prophecies and Reversed Memories" (Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know, Morr): Ever twee and cuddly, the Icelandic collective moved even further from its intricate electronic origins and edged closer to regular indie pop territory, eclectic instrumentation and genial vocal glee helping to assuage the repetitive nature of this still-enchanting single.
17. Azeda Booth - "Squall" (Tubtrek, Absolutely Kosher): The Calgary outfit followed their impressive debut of rich electronic shoegazing with a half-new/half-remix EP (available as a free download), the original material such as this expanding their alien pop template with shiny, clattering, cooing density.
18. Zombi - "Spirit Warrior" (Spirit Animal, Relapse): The addition of guitar to the Pittsburgh duo's synth/bass/drum setup didn't affect their spacy sound as much as one would guess, as their vocal-free compositions still evoke night driving in a sleek European sports car while evading a horde of grey Italian flesh-eaters.
19. mc chris - "Neville" (Part Six Part Two, mc chris LLC): If the Libertyville-bred rapper/comedian wants to distance himself from the nerdcore movement, tracks like this brilliantly irreverent, reggae-tinged homage to Harry Potter's botanist pal Neville Longbottom aren't going to help his cause.
20. Porcupine Tree - "I Drive the Hearse" (The Incident, Roadrunner): Never afraid of an ambitious concept, Steven Wilson helms his long-running prog ship into dark and modern territory, adding the electro-cool angst of recent Nine Inch Nails to his signature Floyd/Beatles/Crimson melange, ending somewhat peacefully on this tuneful happy/sad note.
And... oh, what the hell. Here is a complete list of every musical performer I saw during the lean times of 2009, in order of first contact. I'd like to say with certainty that I will increase the final tally in 2010, but we shall see. Happy New Year, gang!
1. Something Beautiful
2. Suidakra
2. Alestorm
4. Týr
5. Ion Vein
6. Circle of Fate
7. Azeda Booth
8. The Show Is the Rainbow
9. J+J+J
10. Intronaut
11. Kylesa
12. Mastodon
13. Blackguard
14. Moonsorrow
15. Primordial
16. Korpiklaani
17. Kiuas
18. Earthen Grave
19. Dope
20. Luna Mortis
21. Gwynbleidd
22. Sheephead
23. Novembers Doom (x2)
24. Perzonal War
25. The Norwegian Beatles
26. Mr. Blotto (x2)
27. The Killdares
28. Seven Nations
29. Massed Bands (23rd annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games closing ceremonies)
30. Eddie Money
31. Fucked Up
32. The Antlers
33. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
34. Bowerbirds
35. Ponytail
36. Yeasayer
37. DOOM
38. Beirut
39. Matt & Kim
40. The Black Lips
41. The National
42. Phish
43. District 54 Orchestra
44. Scott Wesley Band
45. FOX
46. K. Michaels Band
47. Joe Walega's Happy Hearts
48. Blownload
49. Revolting Cocks
50. Hildur Guðnadóttir
51. Sin Fang Bous
52. múm
53. Sacred Dawn
54. Woods of Ypres
Before the year is gone, I wanted to leave you with 20 cool tunes that will not hurt your poor widdle ears. Here's a look at some non-metal stuff I enjoyed during 2009: pop, indie and art rock, hip-hop and what have you.
With the sudden lack of promos coming my way, I must admit that in 2009, I was not as adventurous nor as adamant about hearing musicians I didn't already follow. If it were not for friends with varying tastes, I might not have heard more than half of the songs on this list. So, let me take this holiday moment to thank all of my dear friends, not just the cool music-sharing ones. Even if I did not see you or even speak to you as often as I would have liked this year, I am incredibly grateful for your place in my life. Your encouragement and companionship during the jobless months and the quitting of the cigarettes (2 months and counting) have really helped me get through. Things aren't that terrible, but I long for time and funds to shed this hermit-like existence and venture back into the real world, where people are learning and growing and doing... I would love to hang out with so many of you awesome motherfuckers, I cannot keep count. I will surely see you in 2010. After all, it is the year we make contact.
1. "Weird Al" Yankovic - "Skipper Dan" (Internet Leaks, Volcano): Regardless of my strange burst of superfandom this year, this was the best guitar pop single I heard all year, a perfect example of Al's ear for hooks and a uniquely poignant look at unfulfilled potential that will resonate with anyone who works a shittier job than they deserve to be working.
2. Beirut - "The Shrew" (March of the Zapotec, Ba Da Bing!): On a split EP with himself (the other half of bedroom electro-pop, Holland, is credited to Realpeople), globe-trotting New Mexican Zach Condon took his wistful indie-folk project south, teaming with Mexico's 19-piece Jimenez Band for an unfortunately brief set of sad and dusty border songs.
3. DOOM - "Cellz" (Born Like This, Lex): Long Island's masked supervillain returned to lambaste the lazy status quo, his signature mush-mouthed wordplay matched with beats ranging from comically kooky to criminally complex, his laid-back indie rap venom given a suitably apocalyptic intro here by Charles Bukowski.
4. The Octopus Project - "Wood Trumpet" (Golden Beds, Peek-A-Boo): The Austin outfit stretched out a bit on this EP, curiously sounding more like a regular old indie rock band than ever, whereas this joyful, danceable instrumental (presumably an older composition) is the sort of thing that drew me to the band in the first place.
5. Phish - "Light" (Joy, JEMP): The planet's premiere jam band came out of hiatus and personal turmoil with an accessible pop slant to their proggy ambition, this tune an expert balance of rootsy groove and slinky spaceout, pensive and hopeful in equal measures... although I think overall I prefer the more eclectic bonus disc that came with the box set.
6. Eels - "Lilac Breeze" (Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire, Vagrant): Anything was bound to be a letdown after the career-defining majesty of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, but E's reversion to the primal rawk-meets-tuneful folk of the Shootenanny! era felt unnecessarily slight, despite possessing a number of endearing individual moments such as this horny charmer.
7. Method Man and Redman - "Four Minutes to Lock Down (feat. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah)" (Blackout! 2, Def Jam): With only a few concessions to modern mainstream hip-hop cheese, Meth and Red's long-awaited sequel proved they still have the skills and interplay to leave most permanent duos in the dust. When they're joined on this track by two of Method Man's Wu-mates, it's pure East Coast kung fu brilliance.
8. The Most Serene Republic - "Don't Hold Back, Feel a Little Longer" (...And the Ever Expanding Universe, Arts & Crafts): The seven-member Ontario band long regarded as a mini-Broken Social Scene took its lush pop into loftier environs, boy/girl vocal harmonies melting into the grand dynamics of the collective, heard here at their most sprightly and stimulating.
9. The Mars Volta - "Desperate Graves" (Octahedron, Warner Bros.): A rare hot spot on the Texan outfit's lovely but uncharacteristically mellow fifth LP, this track redefined "power ballad" into a shuffling, nervous beast of prey. If Ced and Omar had mixed in some of the whirlwind punk-prog from their side project with Hella, Octohedron would have been a more well-rounded MV disc.
10. Kool Keith - "Black Lagoon" (Kool Keith Presents Tashan Dorrsett, Junkadelic): DJ Junkaz Lou provided some astonishingly strange beats for a decent set by the wildly fluctuating New York MC, who plays a "regular guy" character, one who's quick to diss or defecate on all that is wack, loves the ladies, mutters his own weirdo chorus hooks... no, Tashan's not too removed from most of Kool Keith's other guises.
11. Antony and the Johnsons - "One Dove" (The Crying Light, Secretly Canadian): I can pile adjectives between "Antony Hegarty's" and "voice," but I cannot adequately describe its eerie allure, nor why it's such an engaging presence among the British band's mannered chamber pop, capable of fluttering to majestic heights or plummeting to the depths of elegiac despair.
12. Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" (Blood Bank, Jagjaguwar): Justin Vernon's one-man band became a full unit on this EP, yet the native Wisconsinite still sounds blissfully desolate on all but the title track, a characteristically pretty folk number left over from the debut days that crystallizes the breathless intimacy of fresh winter love.
13. Asobi Seksu - "Familiar Light" (Hush, Polyvinyl): By stripping some of the swirling shoegaze production and occasional Japanese vocals from their winsome dreamscapes, the New York quartet revealed themselves to be fairly ordinary pop rockers, although not without an occasional celestial highlight like this one left in their bags.
14. We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Quiet Little Voices" (These Four Walls, FatCat): Young Scottish aspirants to the throne of countrymen Frightened Rabbit, these dudes quietly dropped an excellent debut of soaring, post-punk-flavored indie pop, announcing themselves with this driving single that portends a healthy career packed with giant-sized anthems.
15. Black Lips - "The Drop I Hold (feat. GZA)" (The Drop I Hold, Vice): After thoroughly enjoying a portion of their set at Pitchfork, I was disappointed by the Atlanta garage rock hipsters' ugly new album, with this odd blues-rap track the sole standout for me... although, when I heard about this digital single version featuring one of my favorite MCs, I was mighty pleased.
16. múm - "Prophecies and Reversed Memories" (Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know, Morr): Ever twee and cuddly, the Icelandic collective moved even further from its intricate electronic origins and edged closer to regular indie pop territory, eclectic instrumentation and genial vocal glee helping to assuage the repetitive nature of this still-enchanting single.
17. Azeda Booth - "Squall" (Tubtrek, Absolutely Kosher): The Calgary outfit followed their impressive debut of rich electronic shoegazing with a half-new/half-remix EP (available as a free download), the original material such as this expanding their alien pop template with shiny, clattering, cooing density.
18. Zombi - "Spirit Warrior" (Spirit Animal, Relapse): The addition of guitar to the Pittsburgh duo's synth/bass/drum setup didn't affect their spacy sound as much as one would guess, as their vocal-free compositions still evoke night driving in a sleek European sports car while evading a horde of grey Italian flesh-eaters.
19. mc chris - "Neville" (Part Six Part Two, mc chris LLC): If the Libertyville-bred rapper/comedian wants to distance himself from the nerdcore movement, tracks like this brilliantly irreverent, reggae-tinged homage to Harry Potter's botanist pal Neville Longbottom aren't going to help his cause.
20. Porcupine Tree - "I Drive the Hearse" (The Incident, Roadrunner): Never afraid of an ambitious concept, Steven Wilson helms his long-running prog ship into dark and modern territory, adding the electro-cool angst of recent Nine Inch Nails to his signature Floyd/Beatles/Crimson melange, ending somewhat peacefully on this tuneful happy/sad note.
And... oh, what the hell. Here is a complete list of every musical performer I saw during the lean times of 2009, in order of first contact. I'd like to say with certainty that I will increase the final tally in 2010, but we shall see. Happy New Year, gang!
1. Something Beautiful
2. Suidakra
2. Alestorm
4. Týr
5. Ion Vein
6. Circle of Fate
7. Azeda Booth
8. The Show Is the Rainbow
9. J+J+J
10. Intronaut
11. Kylesa
12. Mastodon
13. Blackguard
14. Moonsorrow
15. Primordial
16. Korpiklaani
17. Kiuas
18. Earthen Grave
19. Dope
20. Luna Mortis
21. Gwynbleidd
22. Sheephead
23. Novembers Doom (x2)
24. Perzonal War
25. The Norwegian Beatles
26. Mr. Blotto (x2)
27. The Killdares
28. Seven Nations
29. Massed Bands (23rd annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games closing ceremonies)
30. Eddie Money
31. Fucked Up
32. The Antlers
33. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
34. Bowerbirds
35. Ponytail
36. Yeasayer
37. DOOM
38. Beirut
39. Matt & Kim
40. The Black Lips
41. The National
42. Phish
43. District 54 Orchestra
44. Scott Wesley Band
45. FOX
46. K. Michaels Band
47. Joe Walega's Happy Hearts
48. Blownload
49. Revolting Cocks
50. Hildur Guðnadóttir
51. Sin Fang Bous
52. múm
53. Sacred Dawn
54. Woods of Ypres
posted by SoulReaper at 1:02 PM
1 Comments:
I know you're resistant to this kind of thing, but... Facebook has been paramount in my keeping in touch with people.
I'd go into more detail, but I've got a Scrabble game with Mark Langton to finish.
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