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The CHIRP Blog
Shawn Campbell writesShawn Campbell’s Best of 2009
Throughout the month of December we’ll be posting lists of the best music of the year as determined by the volunteers that make CHIRP what it is. Today’s is from CHIRP’s President, Shawn Campbell.
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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Self-Titled (Slumberland) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
I love a pop song. Make it a nice, fuzzy, lyrically-nasty-but-sweet-sounding pop song with male-female vocals, and that’s even better. The best C86 record since, if not 1986, at least the last Velocity Girl album. -
Phoenix – Wolfgang AMadeus Phoenix (Glass Note) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Proof that, at least occasionally, what’s good and what’s popular can collide. When I first heard them years ago, I never would’ve tagged this French band as a future Next Big Thing, but with bigger production and a strong set of songs, WAP is impossible to deny, whether you’re a giddy Twilight fan or a jaded indie rocker. -
C. Joynes – Revenants, Prodigies and the Restless Dead (Bo’ Weavil) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
A step outside my usual realm for this gorgeous, pastoral instrumental album from a young guitar player often compared to John Fahey. Perfect rainy day, time-to-think music. -
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy EP (Matador) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
From the moment I heard his name (and later, when I learned it was his REAL name), there was no way I was not going to like Kurt Vile. The fact that he’s got a bit of a lo-fi Springsteen thing going on doesn’t hurt either, what with my previous Springsteen guy, Craig Finn, letting me down by using the exact same “this means so much to me” stage patter for the last several years – but that’s a whole different story. Undeniable songs about going places and standing still. -
Rose Melberg – Homemade Ship (K Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
The onetime Tiger Trap and Softies frontwoman delivers another album full of quiet, lovely, wistful songs. No worse for it being exactly what we’ve come to expect from her. A good book, a warm afghan, a cup of hot chocolate. -
Hidden Cameras – Orphan (Arts & Crafts) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Another band whose sweet vocals and general twee sensibility run head on into some very, shall we say “mature,” lyrics, their self-identification as “gay church folk” is surprisingly on the money. With great big production that finally lives up to the band’s legendary live shows, this feels like the album Hidden Cameras have always wanted to make. -
St. Vincent – Actor (Matador) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Annie Clark is a mysterious creature, with her lovely voice, disturbing lyrics, mean guitar playing…sometimes seemingly detached, other times, on the verge of a complete breakdown. Some say “quirky,” but there’s too much darkness here for that label to fit. You find something new every time you listen to this record. -
Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You (Capitol) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Yeah, it’s glossy and got played on the Mix, but the songs are clever and hilarious, and the whole thing is a tremendous amount of fun. -
Passion Pit – Manners (Frenchkiss) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Another album that got a lot of exposure this year, and I liked it from the first time I heard it. Hey, I like to dance. I like to sing in a falsetto. What’s not to love? -
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains (Sister’s Den) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Yes, along with twee indie pop, I also like grand, sweeping guitar rock, and this debut from four young Staten Islanders offered up several, alongside plenty of shorter, more exuberant pop songs. Couldn’t really pull it off live in the middle of the afternoon at Pitchfork, but the record is solid and enjoyable, if not groundbreaking.
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Favorite boxed set
Big Star – Keep an Eye on the Sky (Rhino) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
The easy pick this year is the Beatles’ Mono Box, but this long-awaited Big Star set has gotten less press, and holds plenty of treasures. Early glimpses of Chris Bell, songs that have been floating around the Big Star collector world for ages, an entire previously-unreleased live set…far more rewarding to discover “new” Big Star tracks this way, than to live under the threat that the current incarnation of the band will decide to record another album.
Favorite Compilation
Various Artists – This LP Crashes Hard Drives (Numero Group)
The Numero Group can do no wrong, and the Record Store Day comp that they curated (actually consisting of one track from each of ten great specialist labels) was no exception. Not only is every track a standout (raising the question, can every track BE a standout?), but the packaging is top-notch as well, with a gatefold sleeve that holds posters, stickers, zines, and more goodies.
Favorite EP
Very Truly Yours – Reminders (Self-Released) MySpace
Local indie popsters opened for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Schuba’s this past spring, and garnered some positive attention following that show. This EP is full of charming, catchy songs featuring sweet boy-girl vocals. As you can see by now, it’s the kind of thing I am completely powerless against.
Mike Gibson writesMike Gibson’s Best of 2009
Throughout the month of December we’ll be posting lists of the best music of the year as determined by the volunteers that make CHIRP what it is. First up is Mike Gibson, CHIRP’s Director of Online Media.
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Windmill – Epcot Starfields (Friendly Fire Recordings) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Windmill’s sophomore album bridges the narrow gap between an optimistic future and a disappointing past. Science and technology create a majestic backdrop for tales we can all relate to; Tales of loss and disappointing everyone that is important to you. This delicate balance plays out perfectly in each song’s fragile composition. Simply put, I haven’t heard an album with this much depth in quite some time, and it quickly became the soundtrack of my summer commutes. -
Lemuria – Get Better (Asian Man Records) Amazon / iTunes
It’s no secret that I’m both a huge fan of well executed pop-punk and band’s that can help redefine a genre in 30 minutes or less. Lemuria does that, and more, creating one of the most intimate and heartfelt listens of the year. -
Future of the Left – Travels With Myself and Another (4ad Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
If I were asked to sum up Future of the Left’s second album in just a word, it’d be explosive. One of the best live acts around (and one we were lucky enough to get not once, but twice this year here in Chicago) has done the volume and fury of their live show justice on Travels With Myself and Another. -
Ume – Sunshower EP (Sonablast Records) Amazon / iTunes
This Austin-based trio has been putting out some of the loudest, most well thought out and perfectly executed rock this side of the Y2K scare. Lauren, Eric and Jeff may cringe when I say this, but if you’re looking for a snap judgment description for that sound Ume just clubbed your ears with, start with Kim-fronted Sonic Youth, turn the volume up a few notches, beef up the sound spectrum and you’re in the right zone. Here’s to hoping they get things together for their next full-length in 2010. -
Good Luck – Into Lake Griffy (No Idea Records) Amazon / iTunes
Great songwriters don’t write in verse. They tell stories that weave their way through the rhythm and chords that surround them. Ginger Alford and Matty Pop Chart solidify their spots amongst the greatest with the debut album from their new band, Good Luck. Wordplay that’d make John K. Samson jealous with some of the catchiest, smile inducing melodies I heard all year. -
Converge – Axe To Fall (Epitaph Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Just before they went out on the road leaving the country speechless in an opening spot on the Dethklok tour, Converge put out what is arguably their most progressive and intense album album of the band’s career. There’s just no one out there in the metal/hardcore communities doing anything remotely resembling what these guys are doing. This, along with the band’s seminal Jane Doe will still be at the forefront of the genre a decade from now. -
Busdriver – Jhelli Beam (Anti Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
With it’s opening indictment of “conscious rap”, Busdriver puts it all on the table, and when the dust clears we’re left with the most groundbreaking hip-hop album of the year. With his speedy delivery, pounding bass, freeform jazz drums and one of the best samples of the year (think third grade piano lessons), no influence was left unscathed, leaving me simply speechless by the end. -
Remember when you were a kid, spending your summers in the basement playing Nintendo all day with your friends? If you were anything like me, you used to make up your own words to the soundtracks that filled the day: Contra, Super Mario Bros., Gradius. Well, :( took it one step further by making a band out of it 20 years later. 8-bit pop-punk at it’s best. -
Strike Anywhere – Iron Front (Bridge 9 Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
People that say punk rock as a genre has become irrelevant haven’t listened to Strike Anywhere. More blast beat, sing-along, fists-in-the-air anthems that the band has been churning out now for the better part of a decade, but this time with a passion that hasn’t been seen since those first few albums. This one reminded me why i fell in love with the band all those years back. -
Tegan and Sara – Sainthood (Sire Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
This was a late edition to the list, but I’m an absolute sucker for crunchy synths, heartfelt lyrics and a great voice.
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Favorite album of the year that ACTUALLY came out in 2008
Fight Like Apes – And The Mystery of the Golden Medallion (Self-Released) Amazon / iTunes
Had this album come out in 2009, it’d have been the top of my list, for sure. Few albums combine melody, spazziness, restraint, poppiness, and crunch into something so fun and accessible. Now I just have to keep wishing they make their way to the US sometime next year.
Best result of a band reuniting in 2009
Coalesce – Ox (Relapse Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
I was stunned when I heard that the marble-mouthed marauders would be reuniting in 2009. I was even more floored when I actually heard the result of the band’s time in the studio. Not to mentioned the follow-up Ox EP that just hit the streets a couple weeks ago.
Best “Anniversary” re-issue of 2009
Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary (Sub Pop Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
The 10th anniversary of “emo’s finest moment” saw the remaster/reissue of this classic with a fuller sound/bonus tracks and a nationwide tour proving that the band hasn’t missed a beat. (We’ll of course ignore those final couple of albums, sigh…)
Most pleasant surprise of 2009
Weezer – Raditude (Geffen Records) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Listen, I’m just as shocked as you are. From the piss-poor post-Pinkerton track record to the half-assed cover art and absolutely ridiculous song titles (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To I Want You To? Really? That’s what you’ve got for us Rivers?) this album had failure written all over it. But you know what? I can’t stop listening to it. While the album will never match the Matt Sharp era output, it gets back to what Weezer does best, which is taking all the formulas and clichés of modern pop music and turning them on their head. Give it a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Best album from a fake band that is better than most real bands
Dethklok – The Dethalbum II (WIlliams Street) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Who’d have thought that a cliché metal band created as the subject of a late-night cartoon would not only release one of the most crushing albums of the year, but also that they’d be the headliners for hands down the best show of 2009. If you got a chance to catch Dethklok as they toured the US this summer with Mastadon, High on Fire and Converge then you too would know that Brendan Small and Gene Holgan have more than enough chops to stand out in front of the novelty and crush your skulls in the process.
CHIRP DJ writesDreams Are Illegal in the Hood
Urban Punk is the newest street wear line created by husband and wife team, Fred and Fallon Jones. Since the launch in March 2009, they have become a hit in the Chicagoland area.
Urban Punk was established after the two creative personas formed the idea because they were fed up with the stereotypes and violent acts that were happening in Englewood. Finding unique apparel to wear to house parties was also an issue in which Fred encountered.
The raw and edgy types of clothes in the Urban Punk collection evoke a different way of expressing oneself opposed to guns and drugs. The logos consist of multi-colored lettering, with the initials U and P intermingling. “It is what it is,” says Fallon of Urban Punk. It can be different for each person who wears it, with the meaning of their clothing subjective to one’s own thoughts.
Their latest designs show a baby holding up the middle finger. Fallon adds this expression can mean many things, including “F” society right now especially since the nation is under so much stress. “If the message offends you then, Urban Punk is not for you,” says Fallon.
Who are they? Fred, a tall overwhelming friendly individual and his beautiful wife Fallon are the owners of this urban movement and are both native southsiders. Fred and Fallon wanted to create something that helps and has ties to the Southside of Chicago. Stereotypically, people envision the Southside full of gang bangers and drug lords. How ever this is not the case with these two individuals who do not fit this stereotype. They are extremely intelligent and eloquent.
They embodied, “the get fresh attitude and straight forward bluntness of the clothing,” as Fallon likes to describe the concept of Urban Punk.
While speaking with them you could not help but notice their attire, Fallon dressed in hot pink leopard leggings, black bangles and a black Urban Punk T-Shirt. Fred rocked an inspired theme “Kid & Play” high top fade, high top sneakers coupled with a black Urban Punk hoodie to complete the ensemble.
Throughout their hard work and creative vision, UP has grown from a local grassroots movement to now catching the eye of some very influential people within the music industry. The patriarch of the funk music genre, George Clinton is a fan of their designs and fashion forward clothing line. In addition, famous Chicagoans are beginning to take notice like Phil G and Rhymefest.
“We are not your cookie cutter line,” says Fred. Urban Punk has a fall look book coming out and they are making efforts to remain timeless. The Jones’ say they are willing to work hard despite the fact money is tight, all efforts are going into what they believe is a great opportunity.
For more information on Urban Punk visit @ http://urbanpunkchicago.blogspot.com/ and to purchase their t-shirts visit Leaders 1354 (located 672 N. Wells Chicago, IL).
Mike Bennett writesiPod/MP3 Friday Shuffle — Black Friday Shopping Edition
It’s the Day After Thanksgiving! So please do your patriotic duty and go shopping! There may be a $10 DVD player or a Jonas Brothers robot set that you have to get! When you take a break from rampant consumerism, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up. Yes, the gift of music is always the best!
- Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions — I Loved and I Lost (The Anthology 1961-1977): One of Chicago’s soul greats, Mayfield mastered so many different aspects of soul. This is superb tender ballad, with Mayfield emotionally rendering the lyrics with his falsetto, but never oversinging. The horn arrangements are really sweet on this track.
- Sloan — Live the Life You’re Dreaming Of (Never Hear The End Of It): This Canadian power pop band may not have peaked yet. One of the few bands that has managed to carry four songwriters without any of those dreadful “artistic differences,” and, more amazingly, maintain its core sensibility, Sloan may have reached a peak on this 2006 album. The band churned out 30 songs which displayed every facet of the band from hard rock to pop on par with XTC and The Beatles to tender ’70s singer-songwriter type material, like this song, one of the few numbers on the disc that runs past four minutes.
- Split Enz — Ghost Girl (Corroboree): Two weeks in a row for this Enz album. This is a mid-tempo tune from the pen of Tim Finn and showcases his wonderful voice. This number is heavy on the atmosphere with some alternating spooky and lacerating lead guitar from brother Neil and an ominous bass part.
- The Shazam — Gonna Miss Yer Train (Godspeed The Shazam): These guys are the Southern Cheap Trick, playing hard power pop influenced by The Who, The Move and, of course, the Tricksters themselves. In keeping with the title, this song chugs along, driven by a heavy bass line. Like the best early Cheap Trick the heavy rock is leavened by some strong melodies, particularly coming out of the chorus.
- Fleetwood Mac — Storms (Tusk): In some circles, this 1979 album, a million dollar double album that took two years to come to fruition, was considered an overstuffed mess. Over time, some folks claim that this is the Mac’s best moment. Certainly, this is where Lindsey Buckingham was able to unleash his inner Brian Wilson, and there are a lot of inspired tracks. That being said, the overall product lacks a bit of cohesion. Which isn’t the worst thing in the world, as the quality of some songs was revealed over time. This is a good example, a gentle Stevie Nicks ballad, with a very (and appropriately) restrained performance from Stevie.
- The Beatles — For No One (Revolver): A devastating break up song from the pen of Paul McCartney. This is a brilliant construction, with Macca’s elegant melody riding on top of the ebbing, percussive piano. On top of that, his lyrics are economical, yet they tell a full story. This is pretty close to a perfect song.
- Peter Brown — Dance With Me (Fantasy Love Affair): Brown was a D.I.Y. disco artist who managed two Top 40 hits — this tune and “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?”. I remember that he was featured on 60 Minutes, which was investigating the disco phenomenon. It turned out he recorded the bulk of this album in his bedroom. The song is a mid-tempo disco tune with strings, a prominent bass and that pea-soup beat. And the best part of the song is the middle eight, with soulful backing singers doing a choral “Row Row Your Boat” thing with the phrase, “You gotta keep dancing, because you’re making me high, you gotta keep, keep dancing, keep making me high.“ Or something like that. Over 30 years later, this song still sounds pretty cool.
- Danny Wilson — Girl I Used To Know (Meet Danny Wilson): Suave Scottish pop from the band who had a hit in the ’80s with “Mary’s Prayer”. If you like that song, chances are you’ll dig the tunes on their debut, as they all exude that passionate romanticism. This song manages to mix the falsetto vocals and swirling keyboard sounds with a shuffling rhythm that could have come off of a contemporary Smiths record.
- Shoes — Will You Spin For Me (Silhouette): The pride of Zion, Illinois! These power pop legends could not find an American label after being dropped by Elektra in the mid-‘80s. Hence, this album was originally only an import. Their earnest harmony laced guitar pop having fallen on deaf ears, the band threw scads of keyboards into the mix in an attempt to be more contemporary. It didn’t work over the course of the album, but on this track the electronics enhanced the tune, rather than worked against it.
- John Lee Hooker — Wednesday Evening (The Legendary Modern Recordings): What a commanding performer. There are only three elements in this ‘arrangement.‘ Hooker’s guitar, which plucks out bent notes and reverberating rhythmic strums, his wounded voice, and the constant sound of his foot tapping a rhythm on the floor. Even if you can’t fully grasp the lyrics, you know this dude is in trouble, and you can only hope the song he is singing is going to save him.
Nicole Oppenheim: Ear Candy writesMidwestern Housewife: I’ll Take the Physical Challenge
Holidays are anniversaries of a sort. We’re celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice/Saturnalia/Festivus like we do every year, by getting together with our families, eating huge meals, watching TV, and giving gifts. These holiday get-togethers are usually hectic and always chock full o’ nostalgia—we miss those family members and friends who are no longer with us and we reminisce about the events of past holiday seasons. We can’t help it. It’s either something in the air or those tasty gingerbread lattes that everyone mainlines this time of year.
At the risk of sounding like a bad Hallmark commercial, as I stood in a favorite coffee shop debating the merits of hot spiced cider versus said gingerbread latte, I came to the conclusion that life is short. This silly decision shouldn’t have required the amount of time and brainpower I was giving it. So, I’ve decided to make my new year’s resolution early this year—or late, depending on how you feel about Rosh Hashanah. It goes something like this: Don’t waste time sweating things like mortgages, waist circumference, and whether anyone at future class reunions will notice my ever-deepening crow’s feet. (Of course they will. And they’ll all have their own sets, too. Oh, the joys of aging.) Enjoy the time here because it is a precious thing that should be spent it in the company of loved ones and friends. Engage in enjoyable tasks, not tedious ones.
Why the platitudes, you may ask? You can chalk it up to holiday-related nostalgia, but, as with many things, you can also blame Facebook. Thanks to a status update by one of my cousins, I was recently thinking about the last words of famous people. It got me curious, so I googled some of them. You’d be surprised how many pages are devoted to the subject. By and large, there were three themes: One, I’ve been a bad, bad person and am going straight to hell, so don’t bother praying for me (aka Repent Sinners! The end is near!). Two, I’m going to say something funny because I fancy myself a renegade and humor at this point seems inappropriate enough to cement my irreverent persona (see: Humphrey Bogart, Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas). Three, most applicable here, life is so short that I would give anything I possess to have just a few more minutes with the people I love. My dad falls into this latter category, so I find it especially poignant. (Sidenote: cancer sucks.)
This is what was on my mind while searching for just the right toy for my kids this year. I’m sure I’m not the only person on the planet to think about death while in a toy store at Christmas time, but really—what‘s the point? Is it worth giving yourself an ulcer worrying about whether Toys R Us will have enough of this year’s cool toy so your kid(s) won’t curse your name on Xmas morning? And what exactly does that teach your kids? What’s the point of walking around in a Norman Rockwell-inspired fog of idealized family life when in reality the same idealized set of people tend to drive you past the point of rationality in a mere 20 minutes? Of course you’ll have a profanity-laced meltdown a la Clark Griswold in “Christmas Vacation” if you set yourself up like this. Who was it who said that TV is the only thing that keeps families from killing each other over the holidays? Whoever it was was surely a modern day sage. (Now that I think about it, perhaps it was Bart Simpson. Yay, Simpsons writers.).
So, why do we delude ourselves into thinking materialism or notions of perfection are remotely important? And why do they always enter the forefront of our collective mind this time of year in particular? I realize these questions have been asked ad nauseum—Miracle on 34th Street, anyone?—and, because I’m not terribly clever, I’m asking them one more time. Seriously. So I’ve decided to dare my readers (all three of you—Hi, Mom!) to make this holiday season as stress-free as possible. Find the thing that drives you craziest about the season and neutralize it.
Hate buying useless crap for people just because it’s the holiday season and you think you have to? I dare you not to do it. Maybe buy one really nice gift, or, better yet, make something for your loved ones (DIY!! DIY!!) and leave it at that. It will be much more meaningful to the recipient(s) than a truckload of junk du jour and you will escape the mall zombies and subsequent stress, not to mention the amount of money and resources you’ll save on wrapping accoutrements. Your relatives will thank you and so will Mother Nature.
Hate cooking a huge meal for everyone—or worse, cooking a huge meal and then having people gripe about it? I dare you not to do it. Start your own tradition of pizza and/or Chinese take-out at holiday gatherings. I know I give thanks for my local restaurants all the time, why should the holidays be any different? Or have each of your guests bring a favorite food for dinner. Sure, you may end up with an entire table of donuts, goldfish crackers, and peanut butter cups, but is that really such a bad thing? At the very least it will be memorable, and isn’t that the point?
My family always wanted the “perfect” holiday. The problem is that such a thing doesn’t exist, hence the quote marks. Mom and Dad may have wanted me to remember fondly the Cabbage Patch doll for which they engaged in fisticuffs with other suburban parents when I was 7, the perfectly-roasted turkey at each Thanksgiving, and the lack of televised football at family shin digs each holiday season, and I do remember that stuff. But I also remember them freaking out about charred potatoes au gratin (Dear God! Now what will we serve our guests?!?), a tarnished silver coffee service set (Mom’s gonna be pissed! It never looked like this at her house!), and post-party stains on the rug (Goddamn that kid! He doesn’t understand the value of anything!!) Why? In the grand scheme, did any of that really matter? My dad’s last words were about how much he loved me and my mom, not about how much he wished he’d polished up that sugar bowl for Grandma’s coffee on Christmas Eve 1982.
So I dare you to have fun this holiday season. I dare you to let go of the stress and create something meaningful. Enjoy each other’s company as best you can. This is what I want for my kids. They will be getting toys on Christmas, but only a couple. They will be getting a tasty meal for Thanksgiving—sans turkey carcass as we’re vegetarians. And most importantly, they will be getting sane parents who show them that we care about THEM, not about stuff. I dare you to start your own traditions this holiday season—whatever you find most meaningful—and free yourself from needless pressure and corresponding regret. Enjoy yourself, because life is short.