Monthly Archives: February 2012

Feb 29 2012
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Hidden Gems

NANJING AT NIGHT

AIR – RUN

I lived in Nanjing for a brief period in 2005. Despite speaking fluent Mandarin, and having a good understanding of Chinese culture, I always felt like I had landed on a different planet. Maybe it was because I had lived in Taiwan for so long and had an irrational fear that every government official in China sought to persecute me for it. Maybe because having only lived in democratic countries, the mainlanders who had been indoctrinated and subjugated felt alien to me. Or, maybe it was just because I would walk around alone at night listening to Air’s new album Talkie Walkie, with the creepy little song Run left on eternal replay. I found Air’s new album in a cramped CD/VCD shop near the Nanjing University campus. I bought it after a good friend (Chris A.K.A. Big Bear) raved about their debut album Moon Safari. I instantly related to Talkie Walkie’s other-wordliness and sense of discovery, which made it clear why it was used in the film Lost in Translation. There was a dark and insular, but also lush and bright quality to it. Run had a particularly peculiar quality. It made me feel like I was moving in slow motion when I listened to it, like I was going at the pace of the vocals, or the chorus synth. However, the world around me was moving in fast forward, at the pace of the nervous 808s. With the hyper-development that China was going through, and the contemplative state I found myself in, the relative speeds were probably not that far off. With this unforgettable song worming its way through my mind, I watched the cranes build and the human masses hustle in the dark-but-bright streets of Nanjing at night.

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Feb 25 2012
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Hidden Gems

BROTHERLY LOVE

ANNUALS – BROTHER

It’s a pity the Annual’s 2006 album Be He Me didn’t live up to the grandeur of its first song Brother. But at least we have Brother, and it definitely is fantastic. Taking style tips from Arcade Fire’s Funeral, Annuals take a song about the feeling of lose within the family and turn it into a stadium-sized epic tune. It deceivingly starts off quiet with crickets and a softly finger-picked guitar. Then the song hits 1:51 and the double drums and electric guitar take it to dizzying heights. Adam Baker’s chants turn to screams, and it ends far too soon in a crash of cymbals. This is the kind of music I hoped to see in The Suburbs, maybe on their next album.

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Feb 25 2012
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Hidden Gems

HOLD ON JUST A SECOND… I LOVE THIS SONG

ANDREW BIRD – ANONANIMAL

Try saying this ten times fast “See a sea anemone, the enemy see a sea anemone, and that’ll be the end of me”. Half the fun of this song is singing along – “The vicious fish was caught unawares in the tenderest of tendrils”. Apparently the song was inspired from an episode of Planet Earth (not a big surprise there), but I could only guess as to the meaning. Perhaps that like the sea anemone, he will developed a specialized way of catching prey, which would be represented by concert goers in the music hall. He will find a way to catch the ears of everyone who attends. Kind of a stretch, I know. But the meaning is unimportant, it is the sounds that matter. The beautifully looped strung and plucked violin, with the looped guitar, makes for an amazing sound. Andrew’s commitment to his quirky lyrics keeps you invested up until the point when everything dies down and the song transitions into 30 seconds of some of the best music I have ever heard. Drums, handclaps, and violin merrily dance together (yes, the instruments are dancing merrily) and then Andrew and his violin match note for note in the very enjoyable and melodic sing-along portion – “Hold on just a second, don’t tell me this one. You know I know this one, I know this song, I know this one, I love this song.” It is really breath-taking. Then the song transitions back into the original format but with the introduction of a harder electric guitar to allow Andrew to push his voice further for the conclusion. I wasn’t a big fan of Andrew’s album Noble Beast, so this great track truly is a diamond in the rough.

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Feb 24 2012
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Best New Music

DIPLO GOES LOW KEY

USHER – CLIMAX

I’ve noted before that modern male R&B is a genre I have difficulty relating to. The cheeseball factor often triggers my gag reflexes. But if done right it can actually be very enjoyable. My music collection contains a few male R&B gems that get airplay, like Glenn Lewis’s Don’t You Forget It, The Weeknd’s House of Balloons, and Usher’s U Don’t Have to Call. It is when they get out of that “sex you right” mode and return back to earth that their genre can become the perfect vehicle to express hardships without sounding Emo. Take for instance Diplo’s collaboration with Mr. Raymond, Climax, which describes a relationship that is going nowhere, forcing both parties to decide whether to continue or not. It feels genuine, relatable, and mature  Although Diplo is know for his Jamaican inspired direct beats, he intelligently goes for subtlety with this track. Usher follows suit and restrains his voice for the verses, creating a very calm and cool atmosphere. Yes, it is still the kind of song you can light candles and get freaky to, but I also don’t have to be embarrassed playing it in my car.

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Feb 23 2012
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Hidden Gems

FROM BROTHER TO BROTHER TO BROTHER

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL – GHOST/UNTITLED

One of the greatest albums there ever was or ever will be, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, is far from a hidden gem. But this particular blog is not for the avid music collector, not for the Pitchfork readers, it’s actually not for anyone other than my big brother. My big bro, Ryan, has introduced me to so much great music over the years (A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Coldplay, Wintersleep etc) and has shared my love for great bands (Radiohead, Arcade Fire, The National, U2 etc). But Ryan is also a very busy man, and never quite had the time I did to go fishing for the best of the best. This is why he does not own any Neutral Milk Hotel, and this is why I dedicate this blog to getting my brother into Jeff Mangum and all his wonders. It seems like fate, as I only heard this 1998 album in 2007 because my younger brother Tim introduced it to me. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a critically acclaimed masterpiece created by Jeff Mangum, and is widely considered to be inspired by the life of Anne Frank (Mangum was greatly influenced by her diary). It is grand in scope, being dark, chaotic, cathartic, romantic, perverse, and gentle all at the same time. It was a major inspiration for Arcade Fire, particularly in its Baroque sound, its use of a multitude of different instruments, and its willingness to build to great heights and then shift quickly into a different mood. It is also simply incredible. All the songs are brilliant, but I am especially fond of the combination of Ghost and Untitled. So Ryan, follow your destiny, and check out these tracks.


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Feb 23 2012
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Best New Music

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

TINDERSTICKS – SHOW ME EVERYTHING

I have said this before, but the greatest band of the last seven years has to be The National. You may say I’m full of it, but Alligator, Boxer, and High Violet beg to differ. But all great bands stand on the shoulders of giants. The National is no exception, they stand on the shoulders of the Nottingham based band, Tindersticks. In 1991, When members of The National formed the university garage band oddly called Nancy, five Brits formed Tindersticks. Since they released their first album in 1993 they have become critical darlings, and put nine albums under their belt. Show Me Everything, a highlight from their new album The Something Rain, shows Tindersticks trading in their melancholy for coolness. It is still dark and minimal (I mean it is a Tindersticks song) but it has some swagger, some confidence. It is all in that electric guitar riff and unorthodox (for Tindersticks) synth sound. It is the kind of cool sophisticated music you expect the protagonist of a dark film to drive through the city streets to. The saxophone and background vocals give it a nice build and conclusion. It is definitely worth a listen. Check out two other tracks: The Not Knowing from their debut album, and Running Wild from Waiting for the Moon (but you may recognize it from the penultimate Sopranos episode).

The Not Knowing

Running Wild

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Feb 21 2012
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Best New Music

A SHOUT OUT

OLIVER TANK – HELP YOU BREATHE

I love the hunt for great new music. I listen to as many new songs as I possible so that I can find those tracks that are gonna remind me why I love music. When I was young it was word-of-mouth and Much Music (Canadian MTV). Then came the internet. At first I only knew of the Rolling Stone website, then I discovered Pitchfork, then Drowned in Sound, then Pretty Much Amazing, then Gorilla vs Bear. Now you have so many music websites and blogs that it can become overwhelming. Since music is so subjective, finding a site that shares your tastes is like finding a needle in a warehouse of hay. That is why I felt like I struck gold when I discovered Best New Tracks – http://www.bestnewtracks.com. This site is run by people who know great songs and have their ear to the ground with what is happening in new music. The site is user-friendly and simple, and the writing is informed and accurate. Good on ya. I just found this song on their site today. A chilled out mix of James Blake and Imogen Heap. Well, I guess that mix couldn’t be anything but chilled out.

Feb 19 2012
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Hidden Gems

A MORE PEACEFUL PLACE

BAABA MAAL & MANSOUR SECK – MUUDO HORMO

As a teenager I dreamed of visiting Africa. Of course, I knew nothing of the world then, so I had absolutely no clue where in Africa. The images in my mind would likely relate most with Sub Saharan Africa, in areas of the Serengeti.  More specifically the vast expanses of grassland in the Serengeti. In my daydreams I was always travelling in an old beat up jeep, under the warm sun and endless blue skies. Driving not on a road but on the grass, following the great migration off beside me in the distance. Everything is calm, I can’t hear the motor or the air I cut through, only the most relaxing of sounds around me. In 2008, as I was in the middle of my obsession with Boxer and Alligator, I read The National’s Celebrity Playlist on iTunes. Muudo Hormo appeared on the list, and as I previewed it, my first thought was that this was the music in my daydreams. This was the sounds under that bright blue sky. It didn’t matter that Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck were from Senegal, the opposite side of the continent. Or that this song wasn’t created until 1998, way after my daydreams would end. It was perfect. One of the members of The National described it like this – “It’s based on a repetitive, hypnotic guitar rhythm that I find irresistible and Baaba Maal’s voice and the gradual climax of the song are amazing”. He’s right. I would later realize those daydreams were a form of escapism from a chaotic youth, and symbolized my hope for peace and stability. Sitting in my office with sun pouring in, that is exactly what I feel listening to it now.

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Feb 17 2012
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Best New Music

ROCK N’ ROLL IS HERE TO STAY?

CHROMATICS – INTO THE BLACK

Recently I have had the chance to listen to some cool electro music. I purchased the new Burial EP, which was good. But I personally didn’t fall in love with it like most critics did (in fact I’ve only really loved Archangel by Burial). I watched the Chromatics video for their new track Lady, and it was good. But it didn’t catch my attention like their remake of the Neil Young classic Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). The song that revitalized Young’s career was meant as a metaphor to creating new music instead of fading away into irrelevance (not as a call to die young as some may have believed after Cobain’s reference to it in his suicide letter). Which makes it ironic that Chromatics remake of what is most definitely old music has in fact made them more relevant to me. Where Young’s version was hard-hitting with a thick distorted guitar riff inspired from the rise of punk music, Chromatics version feels like smokey lounge music with The One I Love-esque echoing guitar and low note piano. It feels like a darker statement. The ominous background synth and Ruth Radelet’s somewhat sad delivery gives the listener a sense that perhaps she doesn’t believe that rock and roll will never die. At the end of the song, much like Radiohead’s Videotape, all the human voices go away, the guitar is silenced, the strings are subdued, and all that is left is a dark hum and cold beeps. Unattached, unemotional, and un-rock n’ roll.

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Feb 12 2012
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Hidden Gems

THE MODEST CHAMPION

UGLY CASANOVA – PARASITES/HOTCHA GIRLS

Is Modest Mouse the best indie rock band ever? In my mind, absolutely yes. With four masterful albums in a row (from The Lonesome Crowded West to We Were Dead…, and excluding Sad Sappy Suckers), they go in my top five list of favourite bands, never mind the category of indie rock. It is Isaac Brock’s clever wordplay, his romanticism of blue collar life, his fevered spats of energy and insanity, his fragility, his creativity, that make him impossible to ignore. Which makes it pretty odd that I had never heard of Ugly Casanova, a side band Isaac Brock created (I suggest you take a look at the back story for this band, it is an excellent little piece of fiction). I found them yesterday while surfing through Last.fm, and these two songs stuck out for me. Parasites marches forward with a triumphant horn loop, and despite the morbid lyrics the song feels hopeful – “The parasites are excited when you’re dead. Eyes bulging, entering your head. And all your thoughts, they rot”. Hotcha Girls feels more meditative, more somber. It describes a simple life that slowly leads to nothing but death and rust and loneliness. It seems to tell a story of all the sadness of living in a small nothing town, and feeling small, feeling like nothing. More proof of Isaac Brock’s genius.


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