ChordStrike

The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Because of its long, storied history, jazz has existed in recorded form longer than the format, or even concept of the album has, which certainly complicates making a list of the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time. There were many incredible, influential, and vital jazz musicians who never released a single album--many, if not most of those who created and shaped the genre in its early days are included in that group. However, this is a list of the greatest jazz albums of all time, not the most influential or innovative jazz musicians of all time. Here are the rules we used to compile our list:

• Legitimate album releases only: no collections, compilations, singles, or EPs.
• Reissues, even those with tacked-on bonus tracks, qualify for inclusion.
• While we typically only allow one album per artist, due to the collaborative nature of jazz as an art form, and the drastically different styles played by single artists within one career, we will allow multiple albums by the same artists.

Don't agree with our list? Think we hit the right note? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, visit our 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time page to see some artists we love who didn't fit the criteria, but whose importance can't be underestimated.

1. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
2. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
3. Charlie Parker / Dizzie Gillespie - Bird & Diz
4. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
5. Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis
6. Getz/Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
7. Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
8. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
9. Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
10. Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser
11. Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert
12. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
13. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
14. John Coltrane - Blue Train
15. Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
16. Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here
17. Dexter Gordon - Go!
18. Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport
19. Alice Coltrane - Journey In Satchidananda
20. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
21. Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans
22. Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
23. Naked City - Naked City
24. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
25. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
26. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
27. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro
28. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
29. Pharoah Sanders - Karma
30. Abbey Lincoln - Staright Ahead
31. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker With Strings
32. Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Somethin' Else
33. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
34. Coleman Hawkins - Body & Soul
35. Art Blakey - A Night in Tunisia
36. Stephane Grappelli - Afternoon in Paris
37. Andrew Hill - Compulsion
38. Thelonius Monk - Monk's Dream
39. The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity?
40. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
41. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
42. Benny Goodman - The Famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert 1938
43. Oscar Peterson - The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival
44. Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
45. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit
46. George Gershwin - Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue
47. Grant Green - Idle Moments
48. Sun Ra - Secrets of the Sun
49. Patricia Barber - Mythologies
50. Charles Mingus - Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
51. Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder
52. Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook
53. Blossom Dearie - Once Upon a Summertime
54. Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures
55. Lionel Hampton & Stan Getz - Hamp & Getz
56. Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley - Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley
57. David Axelrod - Song Of Innocence
58. Weather Report - Heavy Weather
59. Albert Ayler - Slugs' Saloon
60. Branford Marsalis - Trio Jeepy
61. Roland Kirk - We Free Kings
62. Shirley Horn - Travelin' Light
63. Sonny Rollins - A Night at the Village Vanguard
64. Diana Krall - Live In Paris
65. Clifford Brown - Clifford Brown with Strings
66. Milt Jackson - Bags & Trane
67. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
68. Etta Jones - Don't Go To Strangers
69. Herb Ellis - Ellis in Wonderland
70. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
71. Rosemary Clooney - Blue Rose
72. Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
73. Helen Merrill - Helen Merrill
74. Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
75. Stanley Clarke - School Days
76. Brad Mehldau - Elegiac Cycle
77. Joshua Redman - Wish
78. Jason Moran - Artist in Residence
79. Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad's Blues
80. Moondog - Sax Pax for a Sax
81. Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From The Underground)
82. Duke Pearson - The Right Touch
83. Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album
84. Chick Corea - Return To Forever
85. Bill Frisell - Blues Dream
86. Sarah Vaughn / Lester Young - One Night Stand - The Town Hall Concert 1947
87. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights
88. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Full Force
89. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
90. Jimmy Scott - Mood Indigo
91. Elis Regina - Elis & Tom
92. Pat Metheny Group - Offramp
93. Stan Getz - Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
94. Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet - Husky
95. Cuong Vu - Come Play with Me
96. Anthony Braxton - Five Compositions (quartet)
97. Madeline Peyroux - Careless Love
98. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
99. Max Roach - M'Boom
100. Robert Glasper - In My Element

--Alan Wiley

R.I.P. Vern Gosdin: "The Voice" of Country

As reported today, "The Voice" of Country, Vern Gosdin, has died at age 74.

One of his best-known songs, "Chiseled in Stone," was voted 1989 song of the year by the CMA. In the tune, an older man tells a younger man who is going through tough times, "You don't know about sadness 'til you faced life alone | you don't know about lonely 'til it's chiseled in stone."

A number of contemporary country stars mourned the loss.

"He was one hell of a country singer and helped me out a lot on my very first tour," George Strait said in a statement.

Josh Turner called Gosdin a "singer of sad songs... the news of Vern's death puts me beyond sad," Turner said. "He was one of my unofficial vocal coaches. He taught me what 'country soul music' was. Country music has lost one of its ambassadors."

Fans continue to push for Vern Gosdin to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. You can find more details and join the cause here.

Rest in Peace, Vern Gosdin.

--Lucas Hilbert

Say Anything's Song Shop - Wanna Be A-mused?

According to this recent blog post on Popmatters, the singer and songwriter of emo-rock band Say Anything has offered to write personalized songs for fans at $150 a pop. Max Bemis (pictured left) asks for a paragraph or two of autobiographical information, or details of a specific situation to be written about, and he'll write it into an acoustic song and record it for you. It's a Song Shop, which I haven't heard of before in popular music. When 99% of musicians are struggling to make money from their art, it seems to me like a great idea if he can pull it off to fans' satisfaction. Painters and sculptors are routinely commissioned to paint or sculpt specific pieces for specific customers, yet the convention for music has assumed that the musician must come up with their own completely original ideas for a non-specific listener. Why? This still requires a great deal of creativity from Bemis - he's given an angle to start with, that's all. And I don't think $150 is too expensive - there will surely be plenty of big Say Anything fans willing to treat themselves to their own personal Bemis song.

Another interesting aspect of this, pointed out by the Popmatters blogger, is that the rights of Bemis's songs are vested in his record label, RCA Music Group - including any song from his Song Shop. Presumably this means that if he writes anything particularly good, or if he struggles to fulfil his obligations for the next Say Anything record, then the song he wrote for you could appear on the next Say Anything album.

So, I have a few questions.

Firstly, which artist would you most like to write a song about you, if money was no object? It's not quite as easy as "who is your favorite artist?". For example, I doubt a Kraftwerk song would emerge with profound lyrics about your written scenario (fun game: give your own words to "Pocket Calculator" and try to make it sound serious); and if you chose Sigur Ros or the Cocteau Twins - well, you're never going to understand the words! Also, a lot of my favorite artists are dead, so that rules them out straight away. Many more of my favorites - Neil Young, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder to name a few - are well past their best, which makes me wonder whether I'd rather have a not-very-good song from a legend, or would I rather choose a contemporary artist who's more likely to write a song I enjoy? Finally, you also have to think about just what a songwriter might do to you in the song - Eminem would probably kill you (you may consider than an honor, to be killed by Eminem in a song), and Al Green would probably seduce you. Again, you may consider that an honor!

Secondly, would you be pleased or upset if the song was used on the artist's next proper album? I think it would be great, something to tell the grandkids about - though they'd probably just say "who?" and listen to something new and noisy, instead of whatever ancient stuff their grandpa liked! But others might be upset by it, especially if their song was about something quite private.

Finally, are Say Anything any good? Admittedly I know next to nothing about them. I don't really have $150 to spend frivolously, but then again, it is my birthday in two weeks!

Own a Piece of John Vanderslice

Dead Oceans artist, John Vanderslice, is making an offer his most dedicated fans will be clamoring to redeem. According to the Dead Oceans site, the first 100 fans to pre-order JV's upcoming album, Romanian Names, will each receive a limited-edition, letterpressed wallet containing a small snippet of analog tape from the recording sessions. The most remarkable bit about it is that "John Vanderslice and Dead Oceans grant free reign and full rights to those that receive this tape snippet." Tres cool! Act fast and get your own piece of JV's new album here.

Check out a video of John Vanderslice and Magik*Magik Orchestra performing "Too Much Time" off the new album:

 

Fado: The Musical Soul of Portugal

So, I promised to write about a little-known musical art form in my last post, and although fado doesn't exactly qualify as little-known, I've found that it isn't widely known outside of Europe.  It's also a style of music that absolutely captivates me--lyrical, textured, and soul-stirring, I just can't get enough.

Fado ("destiny" or "fate") is the national music of Portugal, and although its origins are uncertain, it most likely evolved out of African, Moorish, and/or Brazilian musical traditions.  Fado in its current form can be traced back to early 19th century Lisbon.  It was adopted by Lisbon's working class, and by the early 20th century, fado singers (known as "fadistas") could be found performing in brothels, taverns, and town squares. 

Steeped in melancholy, fado is intended to evoke what the Portuguese call saudade--a term which is almost impossible to translate, but is often described as bittersweet nostalgia, or the longing for something precious which has been irrevocably lost. 

Fadistas sing of despair, betrayal, unrequited love, and the challenges of daily life.  Despite these dark themes, fado isn't depressing--not to me, at least.  Rather, I find it earthy and intense and cathartic, like a good cry.  Check out a performance by modern fadista Mariza (credited with helping to revive fado's popularity) and let me know what you think.

-Bri Nguyen

Best Classical Albums of 2009 - so far

Leopold Stokowski: Bach Transcriptions, Vol. 2
Conductor: José Serebrier
Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony

As the authentic performance movement started to gain momentum 35 years ago, these transcriptions became a common point of derision. Why would you take the hallowed works of J. S. Bach and bastardize them with "modern" instruments? One of the marks of a Stokowski or a Beecham is that they took great works (as did Bach) and re-voiced them for their orchestras. Also, as the D minor Toccata and Fugue that opens this recording reminds us, through Mickey Mouse, Stokowski brought transcribed works to a massive audience.  These transcriptions are good, but it's the Olympian grasp of ensemble that is what this disc is all about. This is amplified by the fact that José Serebrier knows the Bournemouth Symphony like the back of his hand, and he was mentored in his youth by Stokowski, himself. There is no new ground here, just a stunning and ravishing exercise in orchestral beauty, recorded and staged with excellence (thank you Naxos). These sounds are good enough to eat.

Vivaldi
Soloist: Daniel Hope
Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe
I'm in two minds about encouraging this sort of album, but the playing and the repertoire have won me over.  It teeters close to the type of vehicle superstars use to strut their stuff.  I'm referring to the glossy, themed production, with a lush cover, with only one or two words in the title, that contain repertoire from all over the place, to show what a particular race horse can do.  Although Daniel Hope's recent offering looks the part, further comparison would be unfair.  His theme is Vivaldi that hasn't been beaten to death, and there is a great selection of well and lesser well-known works here.  Get it right and Vivaldi is a home-run.  He has a sense of theater and dance that the other Italian Baroquers never quite capture, and Hope latches into both in these pieces.  It's not exactly a bonus track, but Anne-Sophie von Otter - joins the band with the subdued, but beautiful aria "Sovvente il sole". I was sorry when the album came to an end.

The Guarneri Quartet
The Hungarian Album
Where's the American music?  I don't have a slew of new world compositions but I have returned to this album a few times.  A couple of years ago the Guarneri announced that they would stop performing as a quartet in 2009.  I don't know whether this will be their last release, but if it is, one of my favorite American groups is going out on the right note.  On offer are three quartets, two of which are by Ernö Dohnányi (D flat major and A minor, respectively), but it's the middle offering from Kodály that I keep going back to.  A little more challenging, tonally, this gem does not look west for influences, but is a rustic exploration of Hungarian folk idioms, even bird-song and musical fragments that build to a full-blown Hungarian dance at the climax of the second movement.  Distinct and different music, given a clear, cohesive voice, by a group that will be missed.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905"
Conductor: Vasily Petrenko
Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Finished in 1957, the eleventh symphony commemorates the massacre of hundreds of Russian demonstrators by the Imperial Guard, outside the Winter Palace, in January, 1905.  Part of the brittle terror locked in this work comes from the fact that while Shostakovich was working on this piece, Soviet tanks were dealing with Hungarian students and demonstrators, with a similarly cruel hand.  That terror is not locked in there anymore.  Conducting phenom', Vasily Petrenko was still 20 years away from being born when this was written but he brings a level of cohesion and understanding that makes this one of the most accomplished, dynamic readings of this work, I have ever heard.  I've got goose-bumps just penning this.

Bob Dylan: "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" Video

Utterly distracted, I forgot to alert ChordStrike readers to the fact that we've got the new Bob Dylan video, a montage of B&W photos from Bruce Davidson's "Brooklyn Gang" series set to "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'," from Dylan's upcoming new album, Together Through Life. See it here through May 20.

     --Jason Kirk

Susan Boyle, Viral Videos, and Idol's Worldwide Appeal

If you’ve spent any time surfing the Net this past week, chances are you’ve seen the video of Susan Boyle, the 47-year-old singing sensation who stunned judges on the reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent and garnered more YouTube views than Tina Fey’s portrayal of Sarah Palin (source). 

Being something of a viral video junkie, I admit to being one of the early discoverers of Susan's video, and I confess to having pushed the play button more than once. Call me sappy, but I like seeing underdogs succeed (despite speculation that this whole thing was stage managed). And I liked seeing the way Simon Cowell’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline when Susan started singing.

Apparently, so did millions of other people.  While scrolling through the video's comments, I saw posts in Spanish, French, Russian, and Polish (in addition to the standard English). This got me to thinking about the universal popularity of the musical reality show juggernaut (i.e. Idol in all its incarnations), and subsequently led me on a search for Idol-related videos from around the world.

While I have a fond affinity for obscure, non-commercial indie artists, part of me is intrigued by the mass market appeal of musical reality TV.  So, with that being said, here are my top video finds (all titles and comments by me):

“Ken Lee” (or, The Joys of Phonetic Singing) from Bulgarian Idol  

Paul Potts Audition, Britain’s Got Talent
The former mobile phone salesman shot to stardom on the same show which launched Susan Boyle, and is set to release his second album, Passione, on May 5.  

Freestyle with Kazakh Dombra (as seen on SuperStar KZ, a.k.a. Kazakh Idol)
An inventive contestant engages in a freestyle rap while accompanying himself on a traditional Kazakh dombra. Love it!

Although Idol has been knocked for its commercialism, its worldwide appeal really can't be denied--I guess there's something compelling about people putting themselves out there.  And there's always that element of surprise--you never know when the next Kelly Clarkson or William Hung will emerge to (perhaps inexplicably) capture the public imagination.  

Okay.  That's enough Idol for one post.  To balance this out, my next post will focus on some little-known musical art form.  Promise!

--Bri Nguyen

Solange - Better Than Beyonce!

I'm not sure if I actually believe that, but it's an attention grabbing headline, don't you think!?

Rumors spread last week that Solange was going to be dropped by her label Interscope after disappointing sales of her latest album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. Thankfully, Interscope have said those rumors aren't true: "Contrary to rumors floating through the Internet over the last few days, Solange remains a part of the Interscope Geffen A&M family." Phew!

If you're still confused by the headline, Beyonce and Solange are sisters; but there's lots of reasons why they aren't really suitable for comparison. Beyonce has been one of the world's favorite pop stars for a decade or so now, whereas Solange only has two albums, neither of which has even approached any of Beyonce's releases in terms of profile. Whereas Beyonce is a key figure in contemporary R&B and pop, Solange's music is more derivative of 60s psychedelic pop and 70s soul. On the opening track to Sol-Angel, Solange sings of: "Two girls going in different directions" and asks to "Let my star shine on its own." Well, her family connection is an easy angle for writers to generate some initial interest (moi? lazy?), but by rights her talent should enable her to stand on her own.

I think Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is one of the best pop-soul albums in years. It's remarkably consistent front-to-back, with something to recommend in every song - not just the singles. Like the cover, it's extravagant and colorful, and like the title, it's quite hippyish. There's easy, bubblegum moments, but also interesting attempts to push the envelope a little - like when "Dancing In The Dark" steps up a gear halfway through, or when "Cosmic Journey" morphs out of its slow, psychedelic groove into a banging techno coda. And her voice is great - check out the heartfelt pleading in "Would've Been The One" and her alternately forceful/reserved delivery on "I Decided."

If only there was a way for you to hear some of these songs instead of having to read my blathering...

and a live version of "I Decided" which includes a little detour to Martha Reeves & The Vandellas' "Heatwave"...

Better than Sasha Fierce?

Record Store Day - False Nostalgia?

It's not often these days that the NME writes brave and thoughtful pieces, but Luke Lewis's blog post this week about Record Store Day qualifies. Today (Saturday) is Record Store Day, an international collaboration between independent record shops which will include in-store performances and exclusive releases to try to encourage music fans away from their computers, and back into their shops. By now you're probably thinking - surprise surprise, this Amazon guy's going to say he prefers buying music online! But please hear me out - I write only as a music fan who buys music from a variety of places, some online, but often not. Record stores are great to browse in, and it's always exciting to be able to take a CD home and play it right away. But I think Luke Lewis is right when he says there's a lot of "false nostalgia" about record stores.

The regular story goes that record shops are more than just shops. Geoff Travis, founder of one of the UK's most famous record stores Rough Trade, told The Skinny this month that "A record store is a meeting place for the exchange of music, fanzines, ideas and culture. I believe that people like to leave the house and have somewhere convivial to go where they meet kindred spirits and share some music and some life." Kevin Buckle, founder of Scottish indie shop Avalanche, said in the same article: "There may also be other ways of discovering music but none are as effective as getting a good recommendation from a shop."

(there's a bit of swearing in this clip, and a wholly unnecessary flash of Jack Black's backside over his trousers. Eugh.)

Well, I've never had a recommendation from a shop, and even if I did, why would I trust it more than a recommendation from a friend, or from any other music fan? Online I can browse music blogs and forums, fanzine reviews, newspaper reviews, even review aggregators like Metacritic, to find a multitude of opinions about a multitude of records. Moreover, I can listen to previews of the songs, or even go somewhere like MySpace or YouTube to listen to full tracks. It's always easy to take a "things were better in the old days" attitude, but music fans have never been able to make more informed decisions about their purchases than they can now. And, of course, you can shop around for the best price now without having to cross town several times.

I suspect Geoff Travis is just remembering his own shop in its 70s heyday in that quote. But there's a reason Rough Trade has such an enduring reputation - because shops like it are few and far between. Mostly, if you want to meet like-minded people, you go to a bar or a gig, not a shop.

Of course, I don't want record stores to close down. I've spent many happy hours trawling through endless boxes of records, or flicking through CD racks looking for that specific album I really need to hear right away. Clearly, online and offline music stores have different pros and cons and I really hope, despite the economic downturn and the fall in CD sales, that both can continue to serve music fans. But let's not get too misty eyed about a romantic notion of what record stores are when it isn't very close to reality.

The NME blog post was also discussed on Idolator.

Mailbag Roulette: Keyshia Cole's Vanity Pack

Always a good sport, my fellow ChordStriker Robert Arambel took a few minutes out of his busy morning to help display the assorted goodies sent to us from the Keyshia Cole camp, including shea butter, mesh poof bath sponge, sleep mask, "Playa Cardz Right" playing cards, and a candle, which "smells like old lady perfume," Robert insists, adding that "the massage trinket feels great on my bald head."

For the moment, Robert has no known casting calls in the works, though when asked whether he'll be appearing on America's Next Top Model, he admits, "I hope so."

     --Jason Kirk

Neko Case on Letterman

Big-lunged songstress (and expert sword-wielder) Neko Case brings her saucy brand of alt-country to the masses tomorrow night (4/15), performing on the Late Show with guest guitarist Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers. Don't miss it!

The Late Show airs at 11:30 PM ET/PT on CBS.

Phil Spector: Guilty

In a case that took five months to conclude, an LA jury has at last reached a verdict on the Phil Spector case, finding him guilty of second-degree murder. Read more here.

Shoulda Kept It Undercover

Covers, covers, covers. Who doesn't love a cover? I'll tell you--just about no one. Look at how excited people get when they hear about compilations where surprising covers of mainstream hits played by alternative artists appear or oldsters cover new songs or jazz people cover pop anthems or Cat Power covers anything. People cannot get enough.

People also can't get enough of recording covers, even if it's a bad idea from the moment go. Nonetheless, these are committed to tape and I think I understand why: You play an instrument or sing. You also have a recording budget. There are songs you love so much that the idea of playing them is inescapable--of course with the addition of your own signature mark. The next thing you know you're cutting an acoustic version of "Brass Monkey." What you have on your hands is a cover that can't be kept down. Many, if not all, in this category are bad. But which are the worst? Here's what I think:

1. Knocking on Heaven's Door by Guns & Roses 
2. (Can't Get No) Satisfaction by Britney Spears 
3. Folsom Prison Blues by Everlast
4. Land of Confusion by Disturbed
5. When a Man Loves a Woman by Art Garfunkel
6. Whiter Shade of Pale by Willie Nelson
7. Light My Fire by Massive Attack
8. Take My Breath Away by Jessica Simpson
9. Something by Frank Sinatra
10. Bringing on the Heartbreak by Mariah Carey
11. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by Hootie and the Blowfish
12. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Paul Young
13. Hey Jude by Elvis
14. Heroes by the Wallflowers
15. Purple Haze by Winger

Cue the previews:

And of course, this topic can't be closed without the ritual re-watching of the definitive Worst Cover Ever, "The Final Countdown" by band unknown:

Lastly, I give you the best cover song of all time:

Interview with John McEuen About Steve Martin's New Album, 'The Crow'

Al Qaeda in the Rap Game

Just when I thought I'd already maxed out my year's allowance of posts about Somali rap--first with a podcast interview with K'Naan, then with a laudatory review of his recent album--along comes Al Qaeda.

According to an AFP story entitled "Somali terror group raps in English for recruits," a purported American named Abu Mansour rhymes in part of a video allegedly meant to encourage new recruits to Al Qaeda, of whom I'll assume you've heard.

I've had trouble hunting down the video, but given the history of attempts to leverage music for the purpose of propaganda, the artistic merits of Mansour's verse are unlikely to inspire much of anything:

"The American dream has fallen
Bush is going down like Stalin
the economy is crawlin'
the widows are bawlin'
you dead you be haulin'
while our takbeers ... keep callin'."

Speaking of which, there's plenty of militant rap out there, and plenty of rap by folks in the military, too, but although I have no idea what he's talking about, I kind of like the sound of this Russian soldier's rather monotone flow:

While we're on the subject, can anyone recommend some good Russian hip-hop?

     --Jason Kirk

The Best EPs of 2009 So Far According to Jeff Reguilon

1. Bon Iver - Blood Bank: Even though there are only twenty words in "Woods," the vocodered-up final track on Blood Bank boils over with wrenching longing and sadness, giving us the kind of emotional intensity Kanye West reached for but never achieved with his mopefest 808s and Heartbreak. The EP's other three songs are a perfectly chill extension of For Emma, but it's the knockout punch at the end that makes this set special.

2. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - #4: This is ramshackle, twee Swedish pop that borrows both from classic disco and yacht rock, the combination of which is something ridiculously adorable. This EP is the sonic equivalent of watching a panda lick an ice cream cone.

3. Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP: Released first digitally, then at shows on the band's tour, then as a shiny plastic disc, these songs that didn't make the cut for Narrow Stairs don't give off the ugly stepchild vibe you might expect.Though the songs aren't bummer-free by any stretch of the imagination, they sound significantly more upbeat than those on the band's preceeding full-length. For those not 100% allergic to whine, there are plenty of charms here, most notably on the twisting "My Mirror Speaks" and the ukulele-based "Talking Bird" demo.

4. Project Jenny, Project Jan - The Colors EP: This package of sleek, muscular, indie rock-influenced dance music pulls in a different collaborator on each of its five songs with varying degrees of success. The Fujiya & Miyagi-assisted "Pins & Needles" is excellent throbbing, restrained disco. On the other hand, the clumsily rapped what-happened-last-night story song, "Caller ID," featuring a guest appearance by Adam Matta, falls somewhere between the Streets and Flight of the Conchords. Mostly, though, the quality leans closer to the former than the latter.

5. Rootbeer - The Pink Limousine EP The juxtaposition of cartoonish, lighthearted rhymes over chaotic, almost menacing club beats works in favor of independent Los Angeles rappers Pigeon John and Flynn Adam, who join forces as Rootbeer. By the EP's end, everything settles and the duo emerges with the breezy summer jam, "So Good," which is a treat-- a light dessert after a heavy meal.

Music Drawing is The New Music Writing

One of my favorite websites to read about music is Popjustice. It mainly focuses on British chart pop that I'm not really interested in, but it's written so funnily it always cracks me up. It's got no pretensions to objectivity or expertise - it's written in the style of an over-excitable teenager, with silly jokes, wide-eyed enthusiasm and unsubtle sarcasm. OK, that doesn't sound good, but it is! Recently, Popjustice printed a review of the much-derided new Chris Cornell album, Scream. Take a look. I hope you agree that's an AMAZING review.

So music writers are apparently struggling for work these days. Maybe they need to think a bit more creatively. Instead of writing about music, maybe they should try drawing about music?

Inspired by this innovative new form of reviewing music, I've had a quick play around with Paint and a spreadsheet to present three reviews of the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, It's Blitz!.

Firstly, what does it sound like?

You can imagine that, right?

OK, so let's move on to Review 2, which I have snappily titled The Applicability of Certain Keywords Beginning With "S" Throughout the Album:

 

Colorful.

But I think it needs more work.

Finally, is it actually any good?

In conclusion: really quite good.

It seems so obvious now that Popjustice has shown the way. If a picture tells a thousand words, then I've just provided three thousand words-worth of It's Blitz! analysis. It took me half-an-hour to do, and it took you about half-a-minute to read and understand. After all, in this tl;dr age, who wants to read a dissertation!?

The Postal Service, Brought To You By UPS

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it totally weird that the soundtrack to the latest series of UPS commercials is by the Postal Service? I thought they had some sort of deal with the US Postal Service that let them use the name, as long as they promoted using the mail system, including commercials. This seems more like they're promoting the competition to me. Anyone know what's up?

--Alan Wiley

OMG. We Killed Stereolab. Sorry!

Reading Idolator today, I came across this story and was shocked. Apparently blown away at their #51 ranking on our 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time list, Stereolab, one of the greatest bands of the '90s, after 19 years of pretty much non-stop music making and touring, have gone on indefinite hiatus. We're not kidding. Here's what they had to say on their website:

    "Dear All,

As we recently made #51 with Emperor Tomato Ketchup in the Amazon 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of all Time we feel that our work is done for the moment. We have had to cancel the last two shows that we were scheduled to play, apologies to all that had bought tickets, and there are no plans to record new tracks."

Maybe Maura over at Idolator is right--maybe "the listicle era is ruining lives". HA! Keep your eyes peeled for our next list: The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time, coming soon. And our condolences to all the Stereolab fans out there, ourselves included. We didn't mean to, promise!

R.I.P. Stereolab

--Alan Wiley