I’m traveling and hanging out with some old friends right now, so I’ll see you in the new year. Happy new year!

Posted every Thursday On Sale Soon is a weekly series of the tickets going on sale that weekend.

Where to get tickets: The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, Fillmore, Warfield, and other Livenation venues. Another Planet booked venues like Greek Theatre @ Berkeley, Palace of Fine Arts, etc. Bimbo’s.

Not much going on sale this week.

On sale Sunday Dec 30:
1/14 Eek-A-Mouse, Pato Banton & The Mystic Roots Band @ the Independent
1/30 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals @ the Independent

Double check all information as venues and promoters often change on-sale times and days up until the last minute.

These are hilarious. Buffalax has taken some Indian music videos and “subtitled” them, not with the translations of what the lyrics are, but with Buffalax thinks the Hindi (or Urdu?) sounds like.

Another one after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the songs I’ve been most obsessed with in 2007. I have been doing the song obsessions weekly series since nearly the beginning of this blog, giving me a good record of what I’ve been obsessed with this year. Most of them (click to see full list) were among mentioned previously in the song obsessions series but some were before that time and some were other peoples obsessions that I then became obsessed with or some were just slow-burning obsessions (if there can be such a thing).

I’m not picking these songs; they picked me, getting jammed in some little nook of my brain that made me need to hear them many times, often on repeat. This list isn’t simply my most played songs this year, though that does factor in–obsession requires a need to hear it again. I also take into account the urgency of that need initially and the urgency over the longer term. The level of my music evangelism of each song–that is, how much I wanted to tell others about it–also was taken into account.

In a way this is the third of my best of series of year-end “best of” 2007 pieces, after concerts and releases (albums, EPs, box sets).

The songs that I’ve been most obsessed with in 2007 in order of approximate level of obsession:

1. Jenda Wight Luxury of Time (original post)
   I actually used the phrase “holy shitballs that’s a beautiful song!” and threatened not to be friends with people who wouldn’t listen to this it back when I first heard this track. The instrumentation is unbelievable and Jenda’s just-breathy-enough voice works wonders. That this track came seemingly out-of-nowhere and that surprise factor definitely helped me get hooked.

   Jenda Wight – Luxury of Time (mp3) (available at artist’s myspace)
   

2. Beatbeat Whisper Lulu (pre-song obsessions)
   Again the surprise factor help me get hooked. This track combines an anglo-folk ballad style that I like and I’m familiar with with ethereal sounds in a way that make it seem like it’s floating right into the deepest part of my brain.

   Beatbeat Whisper – Lulu (mp3) (buy)
   

3. Magnolia Electric Co Shiloh Temple Bell (original post)
   This song breaks my heart every time I hear it; I am arrested in whatever I’m doing or thinking for the three minutes and nine seconds of the song (and probably a few afterwards). Jason Molina (also of Songs: Ohia) has written some pretty amazing songs in his time, but this might be his best and it is certainly among my favorites. It’s deadly simple: just a guitar and his warbling voice; it’s not even recorded that well (his vocals clip) but somehow it’s so much more than just that.

   Magnolia Electric Co – Shiloh Temple Bell (mp3) (buy)
   

4. Or, the Whale Call and Response (original post)
   The wow-now-it’s-time-to-wake-up! lead-off track to the surprising debut album (and number 1 album of the year) from Or, the Whale. I listened to this track like crazy when I first got it and that continued for months in my car and on my ipod. I was also playing this track for anyone who would listen.

   Or, the Whale – Call and Response (mp3) (buy)
   

5. Lightning Bug Project Message To Myself after Franny was Born (original post)
   Brian Miller (who is tLBS) emailed me and it was when I heard this song that I knew I wanted to hear more. The opening’s piano part and vocals are good good, but it’s really when the chorus and then the slide guitar hit that I took notice. It’s just a gorgeous song.

   The Lightning Bug Situation – Message To Myself After Franny was Born (mp3) (buy)
   

6. Port O’brien I Woke Up Today (original post)
   I was (and am) fascinated by how this song somehow stays in control despite how wild it seems.

   Port O’Brien – I Woke Up Today (mp3) (buy)
   

7. Mobius Band Friends like These (original post)
   As soon as the circuit-bent keyboards came in under the melancholy vocals, I am pretty sure I was hooked. The juxtaposition of dancey beat with the melancholy vocals and keyboard probably helps it get its hooks into my brain.

   Mobius Band – Friends Like These (mp3) (buy)
   

8. Coconut Records West Coast (original post)
   Catchy catchy catchy pop. It’s like someone made a pop song that was perfectly engineered to gain access to my head-nodding mechanisms.

   Coconut Records – West Coast (mp3) (buy)
   

9. Octopus Project Queen (original post)
   The seemingly simple but rhythmically-off time main figure, the catchy and interesting beat and follow-the-scale-up-and-then-down vocal line are, I’m pretty sure, what does it for me on this one. This is a song that shows no sign of getting old…well…ever.

   Octopus Band – Queen (mp3) (buy)
   

10. Kanye West Everything I Am (original post)
    Easily my favorite off of Graduation. Mix Kanye’s railing against pretensions and violence in hip hop with a fantastic sample and tasteful scratching and you have a winner, in my eyes.

    Kanye West – Everything I Am (mp3)
    

11. Madvillian Money Folder (Four Tet Remix) (original post, Dave’s obsession)
    This has been a slow burner. A few repeat listens one week and a few the next and a few the next. Four Tet’s production is crazy, dark and awesome and Madvillian’s flow seems is great. They seem to work very well together.

    Madvillian – Money Folder (Four Tet Remix) (mp3) (buy)
    

12. Dr. Dog Heart it Races (original post, Oz’s obsession)
    Listen listen, head nod, clap along, (potentially embarrassingly) sing along, (almost definitely embarrassingly) dance around. That’s how it goes just about every time I listen to this track…and then I press repeat.

    Dr. Dog – Heart It Races (mp3) (buy)
    

13. The Berg Sans Nipple Mystic Song (pre-song obsessions post)
    I was telling almost everyone I knew to have a listen to this track. Something about tracks with nice beats, deep synth bass lines and breathy vocals seems to work for me.

    The Berg Sans Nipple – Mystic Song (mp3) (buy)
    

14. Andy Samberg & Adam Levine Iran So Far (original post)
    It’s somewhat embarrassing to have an SNL song, a comedic song, as a top song obsession. But if they didn’t want me to listen to it simply as music, they shouldn’t have made it so catchy! Yes, the original sample in good, but the beat and vocals actually work really well, too.

    Andy Samberg and Adam Levine (and Richard James) – Iran so Far (mp3) (buy the original Aphex Twin tune)
    

Listening back through this list I feel like I could get obsessed with each all over again.

Honorable mentions:

• The Acorns Dents
• J Tillman Crooked Roof
• Or, the Whale Fight Song
• the Dodos Notes

I think I’m out of lists for a few days now…

As I mentioned I would, I returned to KZSU this week to do two shows, my best-of show and my Christmas special.

I had a lot of fun. I was a bit rusty and made a couple technical gaffs–I thought most of those were behind me after 5 years on the air, but I guess not.

Anyway, if you want to list to them or check out the playlists, here you go:

I once was Canadian Best of 2007 (playlist)
12/19/07 I Once was Canadian Best of 2007 (mp3, starts during Vanderslice’s “White Dove” and runs long)

3rd Annual I once was Canadian Christmas Extravaganza! (playlist)
12/21/07 3rd Annual I Once was Canadian Christmas Extravaganza! (mp3, starts during Darlene Love)

I’ll return to the air Jan 3 and 10 in the late evening before (probably) resuming a regular show the third week in January.

No need to rely on my unofficial schedule (though you may still) as the official Noise Pop 2008 schedule is up on their site (though it’s still partial).

Song obsessions are those songs that we listen to on repeat. I noticed that my obsessions are often a week long. I also thought that other people might have similar obsessions. I’ve collected a panel of a few like-minded individuals and gotten their “song obsessions of the week.” Quite often it’s easy to explain why the song is good; it’s much hard to explain why we’re obsessed. Maybe you’ll become obsessed with one of these.

–

Adrian (me):
Oh No! Oh My! – the Party Punch (mp3) (buy)

In preparing my best of 2007 list I was listening through some releases last minute and this one really stuck out. It’ really good, quirky pop. I’ve been listening to the whole EP (all 5 songs, 15 songs) pretty obsessively with this song and “Oh Be One” being the leaders in obsession by a slight margin.

–

Keith:
Hello Saferide – Long Lost Penpal (mp3) (buy)

My obsession with Swedish pop both current and past knows few limits, and when you add a female singer relating past teenaged angst through a darkly humorous filter … we’ll just say multiple buttons have been pushed. This song takes its time setting up the listener but the reveal is certainly well earned.

–

Natalie K:
Okkervil River – Listening to Otis Redding At Home During Christmas (live) (mp3) (live, buy the studio version)

The version off of the Golden Opportunities Mixtape. I’m not one of those people that gets depressed during Christmas time, but there is something strange about going home when that’s not really where your life is anymore. Fewer and fewer friends from high school make it back each year, or if they do, it’s only for a few days and it’s hard to get in touch. It’s even weirder for me, because my parents moved into a new house when I was in college, so it’s not even the place I grew up. But thankfully, I have three siblings that I’ve gotten closer to as I’ve grown up, which more than makes up for the lack of old friends coming home. I think this song perfectly encapsulates that strange feeling of calling someplace home when you’re only there a week or two out of each year.

–

Rob:
mewithoutYou – Messes of Men (mp3) (buy)

I realized a while ago that every time this song comes up on my shuffled iPod I play it back again at least two or three times. This happened again this week (only this time it turned into a dozen or so listens) and in the process I was reminded how much I love Aaron Weiss’ vocals and lyrics. Though Brother, Sister isn’t anywhere near as good as Catch For Us The Foxes [CFUTF is to my listening habits as Light Poles and Pines is to Adrian's-- nothing can touch it on Last.fm], they really haven’t ever put out anything that isn’t solid. I don’t know why this song in particular grabs me so much, though, only that for some reason just about every line in the song has jumped out at me
at one point or another… And then of course there’s the chimes. I’m such a sucker for chimes.

–

Posted every Thursday On Sale Soon is a weekly series of the tickets going on sale that weekend.

Where to get tickets: The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, Fillmore, Warfield, and other Livenation venues. Another Planet booked venues like Greek Theatre @ Berkeley, Palace of Fine Arts, etc. Bimbo’s.

On sale now:
1/12 Zion I @ The Independent
2/13 Drive-By Truckers @ Mezzanine

On sale Sunday Dec 23:
1/27 Poison the Well / The Locust / Dance Gavin Dance / A Girl A Gun A Ghost @ Slim’s
1/31 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals / Brandi Shearer @ Slim’s

2/1 Mary Gauthier / Mark Olson (co-headlining) @ Great American
2/3 Lyfe Jennings @ The Independent
2/14, 2/15 Buckethead / Kid Beyond @ Great American
2/15 Tab Benoit @ Slim’s?
2/21 Perpetual Groove @ The Independent
2/27 @ Jay Farrar @ Great American

3/26 k.d. lang with Dustin O’Halloran @ Palace of Fine Arts

Double check all information as venues and promoters often change on-sale times and days up until the last minute.

I’m back. I drove my car for the first time in four months and got a neat peek into what I was listening to on rotation in August 2007 from the car’s six disc CD changer that I had left stocked with CDs and hadn’t changed since.

Six CDs I was listening to a lot in August 2007:

1. The National Alligator
2. Or, the Whale Light Poles and Pines
3. The Botticellis Old Home Movies
4. Kings of Leon Because of the Time
5. Benni Hemm Hemm Kajak
6. Fionn Regan the End of History

Hmm. A number of those look familiar…

I’m on my way back to the Bay Area.

I’ll be back to blogging soon enough, but make sure to listen to me on the radio later this week. Why don’t you also peruse my lists?

This is my second in a series of “best of” lists for 2007. You can see my picks for best concerts. I also made “best of” lists for the following years: 2006, 2005, 2004.

For more “best of” lists, check out largeheartedboy’s master list of 2007 lists (meta!).

I call this my best releases of 2007 but that’s not quite true for a number of reasons [1] including that it’s a bit ridiculous to define my rather arbitrary taste as the one that matters. See below for a full explanation. In short, I try to balance how good I think it is (which is swayed by my expectations), an “objective” rating of goodness, and how much I wanted to listen to it (translating into how many plays it got).

If you want to see what albums I seriously considered for this list, look here.

Best dozen releases of 2007

1. Or, the Whale – Light Poles and Pines (original post)
   This wasn’t supposed to be this good. It’s a debut indie country rock album from a San Francisco band. From the first listen, I knew I liked this album: it had great singing and orchestration, catchy songs and a certain energy about it. and I was alternately obsessed with “Call and Response” and “Fight Song” (and “Prayer for the Road” and…). But I say that it wasn’t supposed to be this good because while I was surprised by it, it’s not life-changing or transcendental; it’s just a really consistent set of really good songs. This year I’ve played this album (according to last.fm and that doesn’t count the repeated plays in my car) almost twice as much as any than any other single album.

   Or, the Whale – Call and Response (mp3)
   

2. Magnolia Electric Co. – Sojourner (box set) (original post)
   This is a pretty stunning collection of three album-length CDs, one EP and various other things (DVD, medallion). My love is mostly concentrated in the gliding full band sounds of Nashville Moon and the often-breathtaking, stark and solo Shohola. The Sun Sessions EP and Black Ram are also not without their merits. “Shiloh Temple Bell” off of Shohola–a song that has broken me with its beauty more than any other this year–is practically enough to get this box set into this list, but there are many other strong efforts and each disc presents a new and consistently good sound.

   Magnolia Electric Co. – Shiloh Temple Bell (mp3)
   

3. the National – Boxer (original post)
   This is the first National album I really listened to and after hearing it and becoming obsessed with it, I listened to Alligator and Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers quite a lot. This is their best yet and what sets it apart is the orchestration. “Fake Empire” is a brilliantly arranged song, for instance, with the slow build of layers after the vocals end. It’s not just anyone who thing to write brass parts like that. The album works well from front-to-back as well. It has stand-out songs, but they never break the mood and neither do the weaker songs–though, wait, are there any weaker songs? I’m not remembering any…

   The National – Fake Empires (mp3)
   

4. Candie Payne – I Wish I Could Have Loved You More (original post)
   I’m still surprised when I hear this album. Somehow someone found a brilliant, unreleased gem of a 1966 album (uncommon, as most of the albums in those days were a couple singles and a fair share of filler), added some heavier drums and released it in 2007 (only the U.K. so far). Okay, that’s not the real story, but, as a person that loves and grew up on much of the music that’s called “oldies”, it’s nice to hear something that give me that kind of joy in production and pop songwriting. Candie’s voice gradually reveals itself to be a strength of the songs as well. I know of no other album this year or ever that when I heard some of it, made me buy the import copy and when I realized that what I’d bought was the import single of the same name, go out and buy another import copy, this time of the full album.

   Candie Payne – By Tomorrow (mp3)
   

5. Morning Benders – Boarded Doors (EP)
   This band has been showing quite a bit of growth. (Having heard some of their yet-to-be-recorded songs surely is some influence as well.) Their brand of heartfelt-but-not-too-wimpy indie pop is informed by decades of pop–they’ve covered Phil Spector (the Ronettes) and Roy Orbinson and sound great next to such acts in a mix tape. Frontman Chris Chu’s voice in uncommon in it’s effortless range and purity. This, their second EP, is a good step up from their previous Loose Change in terms of recording quality and songwriting. I’m really looking forward to their full-length.

   Morning Benders – Boarded Doors (mp3s)
   

6. Kanye West – Graduation (original post)
   While this isn’t my favorite Kanye album so far (that would be Late Registration), this album is a mostly really good combination of good production and sometimes meaningful lyrics, save the annoying two-fer of “Barry Bonds” and “Drunk and Hot Girls”. To all the hip hop purists, I’d like to note I’m not saying this is the best hip hop album of the year. It’s probably better categorized in my rather-indie-centric world as a good pop record that happens to have rapping and big beats.

   Kanye West – Everything I Am (mp3)
   

7. Jens Lekman – Night Falls over Kortedala
   I realized I hadn’t even posted about this album probably because of course Jens will put together a great album. I’m a Jens fan. I’ve liked his quirky but thoroughly catchy and over-the-top pop pretty much from the beginning. When I got Night Falls I emailed a friend to say something like “Yup, Jens is still the king of over-the-top Swedish pop.” I’d already heard the album’s best effort, “Opposite of Hallelujah”, so I unfortunately didn’t have the surprise of hearing that song for the first time in the album’s context.

   Jens Lekman – Your Arms Around Me (mp3)
   

8. Kings of Leon – Because of the Times (original post)
   I’m not going to be able to issue a big list of why this album is good intellectually or why this is good art (though, that’s not to say someone else couldn’t), but I just like listening to this album. It spent a huge portion of the year–months–in my car’s 6-disc CD changer and despite a rotating cast of other albums to choose from, I kept coming back to this one anyhow.

   Kings of Leon – Knocked Up (mp3)
   

9. On No! Oh My! – Between the Devil and the Sea (EP)
   With just 5 songs, just over 15 minutes of music, this EP was a dark horse. I was doing my last listens-through of various 2007 releases and I had a “wait, this is really good!” moment. I liked their debut album (buying the pre-order CD-r version, in fact) but it was inconsistent. This is a step up in both consistency of songwriting and loveliness of melodies. The end result is just a really fun EP of quirky pop songs.

   Oh No! Oh My! – The Party Punch (mp3)
   

10. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha (original post)
    Andrew Bird is extremely talented but–I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again–talent doesn’t necessarily make good music. Talent certainly helps the live show a ton, but in an album it’s just one part along with songwriting, production, orchestration and so on. I’m going to state this simply: I don’t think this is a complete album. “Plasticities”, “Simple X”, “Scythian Empires”, “Yawny At The Apocalypse” are four great songs that hold this album up among three other good songs (”Fiery Crash”, “Heretics”, “Dark Matter”) and a handful of average-to-boring ones. Still, those four songs are great and make this album well-worth the listen and deserving of its place on this list.

    Andrew Bird – Plasticities (mp3)
    

11. Benni Hemm Hemm – Kajak (original post)
    Benni Hemm Hemm somehow does the beautiful instrumentation and dynamic builds of post rock while still having concrete, and often soft, songs in there, like a Sigur Ros that has Reindeer Section sharing the stage some of the time. The end result is beautiful songs that pulls on you in many different ways.

    Benni Hemm Hemm – Brekkan (mp3)
    

12. John Vanderslice – Emerald City
    John Vanderslice is the man. But besides that point, he also writes really good songs and is one of the best working producers today. Recorded with a full band for the first time, this album has the most cohesive feel of any of his. JV has set a really high standard with his last two albums, Pixel Revolt and Cellar Door (both in my best-of lists for their years) and while I feel this isn’t quite up to that standard, if I take a wider view, this is still a very solid album.

    John Vanderslice – Numbered Lithograph (mp3)
    

(There are more releases that I wanted to include here. I might need to do an “honorable mentions” post later in the week!)

Four releases that would have made the list but were included in previous lists (in alphabetical order):

• David Bazan Fewer Moving Parts
• Bishop Allen Month EPs/ the Broken String[2]
• Elvis Perkins Ash Wednesday
• Fionn Regan End of History

Voted most likely to have me kicking myself for not putting it on this best list once I have enough time to sit down and really listen to it:

• The Lightning Bug Situation – A Leaf; a Stream (original post)
  This is a soft, tender, affecting and gorgeous album, but with all the found-sound and field-recording-type spoken sampled, I don’t think it has really had a chance to fully sink in. I’m sure there are a few albums from this year that will grow in my estimation after in the next weeks, months, years, decades, but if I had to pick one that I was most sure would, I’d say it’s this one.

  the Lightning Bug Situation – Message to Myself After Franny was Born (mp3)
  

[1] This list isn’t the best albums on a global level, just on my personal level. I say “of 2007″ but really it’s “of 2007 when considered in mid-December” and I’m sure if I’d made the same list a month (or even a week) ago or a month (/week) from now, it’d be different. While I try to consider albums fairly subjectively, “best” is also not really on an absolute scale as my expectations of an album effect how I rank them. If I thought an album would be amazing and it’s merely really good it might rank much lower than an album that I thought would be mediocre or bad or didn’t have any expectations of at all and is equivalently really good.

[2] Let’s be honest with ourselves, two new songs doesn’t really make it that much different. And, while we’re really being honest with ourselves, the Month recordings are as good or better than the Broken String ones.

My canuck KZSU radio DJing alter-ego will be returning later this week. It’s been a few months since I’ve been on the air. I have two specials in store for all the listeners.

Wednesday Dec 19 5:00-7:15pm PST will be my Best of 2007 show, playing a couple selections from each of my favorite albums of the year. I always enjoy doing this show because it’s often like a mix of my favorite songs of the year.

Thursday Dec 20 10:30pm-midnight PST will be my 3rd Annual Christmas Extravaganza show featuring the best indie, Motown, classic soul, classic country and other good Christmas songs. If you want to get a feel for the sort of stuff I’ll play, check out my playlists for extraveganza 1 and extraveganza 2.

You can listen at 90.1 MHz FM in the Bay Area or online.

I see Mark Kozelek (unofficial site) of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters just about every chance I get. He’s a great guitarist and singer and puts on good shows.

I didn’t rush out to buy ticket to his show at the Palace of Fine arts in April as soon as it was announced though. As soon as I heard that David Bazan was opening, though, I bought tickets. Now that’s a good bill:

4/26 Mark Kozelek, David Bazan @ Palace of Fine Arts, 8pm, $30, a/a

Tickets are available now.

In other Kozelek news, Sun Kil Moon will be releasing a new album April on April 1 on his own Caldo Verde Records. I’m looking forward to it, though I’m hoping it veers (veirs?) more towards Ghost of Great Highway than Tiny Cities.

Kozelek has more tour dates announced for Chapel Hill, Portland and Seattle with the last two also being opened by Bazan. For Bazan’s part he’s got more tour dates in the UK, Norway and Sweden in February.

I missed this the first time around, but I’m glad I found it now–I’m a big time Fionn fan and this is a lovely version of “Hunter’s Map.”

Song obsessions are those songs that we listen to on repeat. I noticed that my obsessions are often a week long. I also thought that other people might have similar obsessions. I’ve collected a panel of a few like-minded individuals and gotten their “song obsessions of the week.” Quite often it’s easy to explain why the song is good; it’s much hard to explain why we’re obsessed. Maybe you’ll become obsessed with one of these.

–

Adrian (me):
J Tillman – Crooked Roof (mp3) (buy)

This is a slow-burner of an obsession for me. No one song got a ton of plays for me this week but this one has gotten as many as any this week plus many more over the last month or so. Like I said this song just destroys me. It’s so beautiful and well-orchestrated that I just want to do nothing else but sit and listen–and I often do as I’ll forget whatever else I’m doing.

–

Keith:
Chromeo – You’re so Gangsta (mp3) (buy)

After a lovely evening of snow-shoveling the brain deserves some candy in the form of a funky instrumental. Chromeo’s latest showed how the kitsch meets 80’s retro-funk can become tiresome quick, it trades in the good karma earned from the first full-length. Perhaps they should have held back on the lame lyrics and left some of their choicer beats alone, like they did on this early tune.

–

Natalie K:
Two Gallants – The Deader (mp3) (buy)

I think a lot of good songs start off with some version of “So, now let me tell you/’bout this girl of mine.” The emotion in this song is tangible, and it’s still hard for me to believe that there are only two people in this band, given the bigness of their sound.

–

Rob:
Over the Rhine – Whatever You Say (mp3) (buy)

Over The Rhine can make some incredibly beautiful music. This song isn’t that, but it’s been stuck in my head regardless due to the fact that it has an interesting melody that is actually pretty easy to sing along with (a surefire way to have me annoying my officemates all week long.) The twangy guitar gives a nice, none-too-serious touch as well.

–

Dave:
The Editors – Munich (mp3) (buy)

I know I’ve chosen an Editors song previously, but Munich really snagged me this week. It just puts me in a good mood and gives a boost when I get really tired, in the way only a brit-new-wave-post-punk-dance-rock song can.

–