The 10 Best Albums of 2008 - #'s 5 - 1

5. Q-Tip - The Renaissance: While people waited 17 years to be disappointed by Chinese Democracy, fans of Q-Tip waited over nine years for the oft-delayed follow-up to his solo debut Amplified. Luckily the similarities between the two albums end there, since The Renaissance is a tightly-focused collection of Funk/Jazz/Soul/Hip Hop that is instantly likable, while Chinese Democracy is a convoluted cacophonous mess.

After being jerked around over the years by five different record labels, Q-Tip was finally able to release the album he had been hoping to give fans since 2002. With help from a slew of special guests (including the late J Dilla), Q-Tip was able to produce perhaps the most enjoyable record of the year. The first six tracks alone are enough to sell anybody on how great this album is. There's plenty of homages to old school 70's boogie and 80's Soul, and almost every track is single-worthy. If I had to pick my favorite song my answer would change each time you asked me, so why even limit myself and just listen to the entire thing from start to finish?

4. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours: This was THE album of the Summer for anyone who reads Pitchfork, owns a MacBook, and wears skinny jeans with a zip-up hoodie. While I don't quite fit that caricature (skinny jeans look pretty ridiculous on me), I can understand what the fuss was all about. Cut Copy just flat out know how to party.

As if there was any doubt such an infectious dance album would be produced by anyone else, DFA legend Tim Goldsworthy help craft the band's sound into something that is both at home in a warehouse party and on the radio. Yes, there are obvious nods to early Depeche Mode, New Order, and Disco, but Cut Copy manages to avoid bastardizing any of those influences. Instead, they meld those influences with 80's New Wave, Madchester, Psychedelic rock, and Pop to create a sound that is meant to take over any space it is played. As a result, we are treated to a few bonafide Dance anthems like "Lights and Music", "Far Away" and "Hearts on Fire," while ensuring that I have yet to grow tired of this record.

3. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.: OK, OK, I know what you're thinking, "another post about how great Deerhunter is." I'm not trying to shove these guys down anyone's throat, but it's hard to deny they make (if nothing else) interesting music. Bradford Cox manages to keep things interesting based on his preoccupation with corpses, endless stream of new music, and his general eccentricities, but the man knows how to keep moving forward, which is something I always respect.

Microcastle is definitely the most accessible thing Deerhunter has ever done. It's less deliberate than Cryptograms in its attempts to sound profound, using the sprawling sound of that album and channeling it to more structured compositions ("Nothing Ever Happened", "Little Kids"). Lyrically, Cox spends most of his time recalling his days as a childhood outcast instead of talking about exclusively about death.

Weird Era Cont. is a nice bonus album that stays truer to Deerhunter's noisy, experimental roots. It sounds much less like an album than Microcastle, but what it lacks in continuity is more than compensated by the plentiful moments of avant-punk and psychadelia that shine through ("VHS Dream", "Dot Gain," "Cavalry Scars II/Aux. Out"). With or without the inclusion of Weird Era, Deerhunter would've still made this list, but why give the fans one great album when you have enough material for two?

2. Portishead - Third: For anyone who loves to sit in a dimly lit room, strap on a pair of headphones, and revel in their own saddness, Third was your Chinese Democracy. The album you thought would never come finally materialized and (unlike Axl Rose's narcissistic exercise in prog-rock masturbation) it was a triumphant success.

How did they do it? For one, they didn't try to recreate Dummy or their self-titled second album. Nor did they try to reinvent the wheel and attempt to bite off more than they could chew. Instead, they took the core components of their sound (haunting vocal delivery, masterful drum and synth programming, and guitar noise) and used different musical influences to amplify them. Having such a strong distaste in being characterized as "Trip Hop" will cause a band to do that sort of thing...as well as allow them to take 11 years to complete it.

In order to completely divorce themselves with their 90's era aesthetic, Portishead relied exclusively on analog instruments and recording devices. Songs like "We Carry On" and "The Rip" artfully pay homage to Silver Apples and Krautrock studio nerds like Harmonia and Cluster, yet they are so much more complex than that simple description indicates. That's because there's an overarching theme of uneasyness that keeps the listener off balance by interchanging the mood from bleak melancholy ("Hunter", "Silence", "Threads") to chaotic self-doubt ("Machine Gun", "We Carry On", "Magic Doors").

Of course, Beth Gibbons is the perfect muse for this brand of painful narration as both her voice and lyrics conjure up nothing but images of loss and isolation. This is perfectly OK because the musical accompaniment offers such depth and organic feeling that she never manages to sound whiny or repetitive. It also doesn't hurt that her voice is among the most unique I've ever heard . In fact, this entire album proves that even after an 11 year hiatus Portishead is still a wholly original band.

1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science: It's hard to imagine that anything this year was better than Third, unless you are already familiar with TV on the Radio. In which case it shouldn't surprise you these guys were able to pull off such a tall order. Dear Science is simply the poster child for all the music that mattered in 2008. As if the band had listened to every acclaimed band/record of this year and decided to take ingredients from all of them, stick them in a blender and then poured it on top of their own signature sound.

Name a genre and TV on the Radio seemingly incorporated it in some way on this album. Thanks to their in-house producer/guitarist/keyboardist Dave Sitek, TVOR is well-versed in melding seemingly disparate musical influences into a cohesive composition. This produced some of the most memorable songs of 2008, like the Prince-aping "Golden Age" (so good that Prince probably sent his lawyers after TVOR before he realized he didn't in fact write the song) and hyper-paced "Dancing Choose", both of which brought together Funk, Afrobeat, Hip Hop, Soul, Art Punk, Dance, and noise to a convergence point that you couldn't help but listen to over and over again.

Lyrically the co-lead duo of Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe write songs that try to make sense of a world that is chaotic ("DLZ"), sad ("Crying"), and hopeful ("Family Tree") all at once. Considering the music and production quality echo those same sentiments, everything manages to sound coherent as a whole. This is no small feat and it is undeniable proof that TVOR's brand of creative is something that is all their own.

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I Felt Inadequate For Not Owning Any Silver Apples Music Until Today. So Should You

Photo courtesy of Flickr user bradleyloos

Silver Apples is one of those bands that seems to have been put on this Earth solely for the enjoyment of music snobs. Their career was brief (two albums in two years before seemingly vanishing off the face of the Earth for 30 years), their albums sold poorly, and the music was often far too abstract for the vast majority of the music-listening public. Of course, this means in the 40 years since their debut, Silver Apples has had (and continues to have) an immeasurable impact on contemporary music.

It is in this context that I have always heard the name mentioned. It isn't uncommon for me to read a review of an album I love and see a Silver Apples comparison being made. This was quite apparent when reading the many reviews of Portishead's Third, an album that readers of this blog know I hold in high regard. On several occasions critics would reference Silver Apples while praising Portishead's triumphant return to greatness, so finally I decided that I would put a stop to my ignorance and pick up one of their albums already.

For stuff this old and obscure torrent sites are usually a bad place to look (unless you have access within the guarded walls of Waffles.fm, or other private trackers), but luckily Amazon had the debut self-titled Silver Apples record available for download. I figured if these guys were as great as I kept hearing then the least I could do is pay for their album.

Within five minutes (counting download time) I could see their massive influence as plain as day. Silver Apples was released in 1968 (one year before Monster Movie, the first album by German musical geniuses Can) but within its 18 tracks you can hear elements of Portishead (Third is basically a darker, more bleak incarnation of Silver Apples), Suicide, Spacemen 3/Spiritualized, Kraftwerk, Stereolab, NEU!, and many more that originated on this album. The most influential element of the duo's sound was undoubtedly lead vocalist Simeon's mastery of a nine-oscillator instrument of his own invention, dubbed (appropriately enough) the "Simeon".

This instrument provided Silver Apples with the ability to manipulate and refine tones with more precision and quality than anything ever heard before. The result was an interesting (to put it mildly) interpretation of pop music, which was definitely light-years ahead of its time. It also helped usher in an era of musical experimentation with electronics (Krautrock, Brian Eno, David Bowie, etc.) that reshaped music dramatically for the next 40 years. I'm not kidding around, Silver Apples were that far ahead of the curve.

Listen to the comparison below to see what I mean:

Silver Apples - "Oscillations" (from Silver Apples)


Portishead - "We Carry On" (from Third)

>>>Continue reading "I Felt Inadequate For Not Owning Any Silver Apples Music Until Today. So Should You"

Coachella Music Festival - Day Two

Friday was a good warm-up for the more anticipated moments of the festival. While on the first day I spent most of my time in the the Gobi, Mojave and Saraha tents, Saturday was all about positioning myself in a prime spot for the Kraftwerk-Portishead-Prince trifecta that was to close out the main stage.

Now, in order to convey my experiences of the day accurately it is important to understand one important thing. Each band I saw fell into one of three categories: those who rocked it, those who sucked, and Prince. Yes, Mr. Nelson's performance was so special that it deserved its own special category. If you were there, then you know such hyperbole is totally within reason. If you weren't, then there's some nice videos at the end of this post to give you an idea.

The day got off to a wonderful start with a high energy set from Carbon/Silicon. Mick Jones was the center of everyone's attention as he posed and paraded around the stage with his trademark guitar punk style and gabbed with the crowd in his incomprehensible cockney accent. I was borderline giddy seeing one of my musical heroes (the dude was in THE ONLY BAND THAT MATTERED people!) in the flesh, and even more excited when they closed their performance with a cover of "Police and Theives." Since Mick and the boys refuse to cover Clash songs, covers of songs the Clash covered are good enough for me.

Next up was perennial Coachella favorite Cafe Tacuba. I have seen these guys at least 10 times previously, but I am always game to watch them again. And with Coachella always drawing a significant Latino following, their crowd was sure to be full of enthusiasm. The band played many favorites like "Chica Banda", "Chilanga Banda" and "La Ingrata" while also integrating some material off their newest album Sino. The crowd went wild as they waved flags, danced around, "heckled" the band (a playful show of respect) and sang every word. What surprised me the most was seeing a decent amount of gringos who knew all the words. Thank you very much, KCRW.

From there it was off to the Sahara tent to see nerd dance superstars Hot Chip. While they certainly blew away the crowd with their beats and electronic gizmos, the crowd was so damn big that I could only hang out way in the back. No matter, as there was plenty of entertaining people dancing on the grass to keep me interested (see the picture of the dancing scarf guy).

Afterwards it was time to make my move to the main stage. I knew Kraftwerk would have a sizable, but not enormous, crowd so making my way straight to the front wasn't a problem. I had one goal and it was to get up close photos of German robots, followed by some great shots of Portishead and Prince.

Kraftwerk played a wonderful set, which isn't hard for them since 99% of everything they do on stage is pre-programmed anyway. Nonetheless, the crowd was treated to a history lesson of the origins of modern dance and early hip hop in the form "Trans-Europe Express," "The Model," "Computer Love" and many more favorites. As is to be expected, ze Germans treated us with wonderful video screen visuals and even an appearance by real German robots. As many people who know me can attest, I have a soft spot for robots.

After Kraftwerk's dazzling set, the second most anticipated moment of the weekend was finally here, the first US performance by Portishead in over 10 years. Playing half old material and half selections from their new album Third, the Bristol trio seemed very comfortable on stage and sounded exactly as good as I hoped they would. Beth Gibbons showered us with her amazing voice, all the while looking as if she would cry at any moment(yes, she is every bit as sad in person as her lyrics suggest). Geoff Barrow worked on the Mini Moog, drum machines and turntables like the mad scientist we all think he is; and Adrian Utley strummed away on his guitar creating a lethal combo of understated melodies and metallic noise. The performance proved to me that Portishead deserves every bit of praise that critics bestow upon them.

Speaking of deserving high praise, the Main Event of the Coachella Music Festival came about 50 minutes after Portishead exited the stage in the form of Prince. To say this man is talented performer is and understatement. The man is Sly Stone, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix all rolled into one.

From the large cast of characters that joined him on stage (including Morris Day, Sheila E, a full brass section and backup singers), to the theatrical guitar solos and the epic song medleys, every second of Prince's performance was a spectacle. On top of that, he managed to play well past the festival's curfew (he ended at 1AM, curfew is midnight) and even covered Radiohead's "Creep" and the Beatles' "Come Together." Also, did I mention he played "Purple Rain"? PURPLE FREAKING RAIN!

In the end, after everyones' faces had melted from the memorable performance, it seemed like the consensus was that the night Prince played Coachella was among the seminal moments of the festival's history. For me, it ranks as the best I had ever seen (and I've never missed a Coachella), just ahead of the legendary Daft Punk and Pixies performances.

Kraftwerk "The Robots" - Coachella 2008 from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo.



Portishead "Glory Box" - Coachella 2008 from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo.



Prince covers "Creep" - Coachella 2008 from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo.



Prince "Purple Rain" guitar solo - Coachella 2008 from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo.
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Portishead's Third Pisses All Over the Grave of Trip Hop. Thank God

As readers of this blog know, Coachella is a mere two days away (btw, if any readers are planning to attend, drop me a line) and that means the return of Portishead to US shores is imminent. It's been 10 years since the Bristol trio have performed in America and even longer (11 years) since the release of their last album. Needless to say, I'm brimming with anticipation for their performance on Saturday and the long overdue release of Third. With that said, I couldn't help myself, so I decide to fish out an advance copy via the torrent sites (don't worry, I am SO buying this album when it's released April 29th).

So how has the long layover treated the band? For one, any attempts to still classify them as 'trip hop' (a term they detest) should be met with laughter. Much of the rhythms on Third owe more to Brian Eno and Kraftwerk than they do to any hip hop artists. On album opener "Silence" a fierce marching drum beat combines with deep pulsating synth notes, haunting strings and Beth Gibbons' trademark melancholy to build a momentum that you think is leading to a big payoff, but instead just ends abruptly. At first I thought there was something wrong with the leaked copy of the album I had downloaded, but alas the ending is intentional and quite fitting. I think what Portishead is trying to tell us here is that this story doesn't start where the last one began, so take a quick time out and wrap your head around that concept before we proceed any further.

At this point my interest is sufficiently piqued. From there the slow droner "Hunter" acts a segue way to the album's more ambitious songs. One that standouts is "The Rip," a track that begins as a ballad with strummed guitar and Gibbons' beautiful desperate-sounding vocal, but eventually gives way to a catchy analog synth rhythm that's straight out of the Cluster or Harmonia Krautrock playbook.

Later on Portishead delves into noisy electronic experimentation on "Plastic" and "We Carry On", two songs that effectively carpetbomb trip hop back into extinction. The former is characterized by a start/stop percussion layered on top of a swirling drum machine that bears a resemblance to a propeller, while the later uses muted drums and a ritualistic synth beat (seriously, it sounds like it should be playing during a virgin sacrifice) as the backdrop for some good ol' fashioned guitar noise. Basically, it's the greatest song ever.

After the brief interlude "Deep Water", which pairs Gibbons' vocal with nothing but a mandolin (and is the closest we get to a 'happy' song), more noise comes our way in the form of "Machine Gun" (which has been discussed before) and "Magic Doors", which uses what sounds like an accordion fed through bagpipes, cowbell and a hesitating snare beat to create a dizzying sound that propels Gibbons' wail to wonderful heights.

Perhaps only one track, "Small", is reminiscent of the 'trip hop' sound of Portishead's past, but even here the beat is so deliberately slow that your attention ends up being focused more on the repetitive organ and the guitar reverb than anything else. This is not a coincidence as Portishead seems to go out of their way to draw a line in the sand between Third and their previous work. Everything here still sounds like Portishead, but the band asks us to take off our rose-colored glasses (actually, gray probably is a more apt color) and replace them with something much darker. Since the band manages to pull of this off so superbly, I have no problem obliging.

Listen to a special in-studio performance of songs from Third on Current TV's website.

>>>Continue reading "Portishead's Third Pisses All Over the Grave of Trip Hop. Thank God"

New Portishead Song! (AKA, Video of the Week Bonus)

This week must be when all the 90's electronic heavyweights make their return to the music scene. First Bomb the Bass unleashes their first new material in...well, forever, and now comes the first new Portishead song in nearly a decade! All we need is for Leftfield to make a new album and the week will really feel like I've stepped into a time warp.

Luckily the nostalgia trip doesn't extend to the sound of the music, which is markedly different than Portishead's previous output. "Machine Gun" shows Portishead embracing industrial noise more than ever before as Geoff Barrow blends metallic-sounding drum machines with Kraftwerk-esque synthesizer loops to create something that sounds like a soundtrack to a robotic death march. Of course, the mere presence of Beth Gibbons' dark angelic voice is enough to get me on board with the direction Portishead is going for here.

While it may not be as rhythmic as classics like "All Mine" or "Glory Box", the aim of the appropriately titled "Machine Gun" is seemingly to plaster the bands' 'trip hop' past full of bullets. Since they've made no secret about their disdain for that term, don't be surprised if this song is indicative of things to come throughout their long overdue album Third (out April 26). I, for one, cannot wait!

Portishead - "Machine Gun" (From the forthcoming album, Third)

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