The 11 Best Songs By Junip

It was announced this week that there are 6 new Star Wars movies coming, starting in 2015 and being released ever summer after that.  My immediate excitement was quickly quelled by the fearful thought of why?  Though I was hopeful that a team of Joss Whedon, Steven Spielberg, and JJ Abrams would turn a quality product...it's Disney.  And Disney live action movies suck.  Outside of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie...there hasn't been a good live action Disney movie since Don Knotts was in his prime.  And instead of letting these films breathe and build, they're pushing them out faster than cellphone updates.  From a studio who has brought us such wonderful cinematic piles of dump like John Carter and Prince Of Persia, don't you think they would have learned their lesson and not try to mangle creativity with profits.  And no, Avengers was Paramount and was later distributed by Disney.  Many believe this has to do with the sagging profits from the Disneyland and California Adventure expansions that didn't deliver the crowds they predicted.  So instead of learning from their mistakes from shoving something down the public's throat that didn't necessarily want...they're changing their ways by shoving more shit down the public's throat assuming maybe more is better.

Sometimes less is more.  And quality can be in the understated.  You don't need to hit people over the head with a hammer if you have something to say.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Junip:

1. Always (Fields)
2. Official (Black Refuge EP)
3. Howl (Fields)
4. Black Refuge (Black Refuge EP)
5. To The Grain (Fields)
6. The Ghost of Tom Joad (Black Refuge EP)
7. Carsick (Black Refuge EP)
8. Off Point (Fields)
9. Rope & Summit (Fields)
10. White Rain (In Every Direction)
11. Far Away (Rope & Summit)

Buy Junip's new self-titled album, Junip...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Jose Gonzalez

Did you know you can only fold a piece of paper in half 7 times?  Eight times if it's a thin napkin or tissue.  If somehow you were able to fold it 42 times in half...it would stretch up to the moon.  Swear.  I tried to explain exponential growth to a friend.  They didn't get it.  They could not believe I was serious...and they thought I was a fool for suggesting such.  To me, exponential growth is very easy to understand.  I can't understand how some people can't grasp such simple concepts.  Until.... 

I didn't know Jose Gonzalez was Swedish.  This is how badly I didn't know Jose Gonzalez was Swedish.  I read there was a Swedish band coming out with their debut album and their name was Junip.  I thought this was strange because Jose Gonzalez had a band, too, called Junip.  I didn't understand how there could be two bands with the same name...not that it hasn't happened before.  (Just ask the 1960s Nirvana)  For some reason, I could not fathom it could be the same band...because for the life of me, I could not believe that Jose Gonzalez was from Sweden.  I knew he was from Europe.  But I thought the UK, Spain, or France.  Oh well...go Sweden.  I wonder if he ever gets in land battles with Royksopp.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Jose Gonzalez:

1.  Heartbeats (Veneer)
2.  Down The Line (In Our Nature)
3.  Teardrop  (In Our Nature)
4.  Cycling Trivialities  (In Our Nature)
5.  Slow Moves (Veneer)
6.  Remain (Veneer)
7.  Killing For Love  (In Our Nature)
8.  Storm (Austrailian Tour EP)
9.  All You Deliver (Veneer)
10. Crosses (Veneer)
11.  Hand On Your Heart (Austrailian Tour EP)

Buy Jose Gonzalez's new band's debut album:  Junip - Fields

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (78-88):

May get the next 11 out tomorrow...if not...off on a mini-vaca...will continue on Monday.

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (78-88):

78. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer (2005)
- JG's first solo album since his Zero 7 years is a haunting yet beautiful folk record.

79. Beck - Modern Guilt (2008)
- Beck drafts super-producer Dangermouse (whose impact is felt through this list)...to create an album suited for radio play in the 70s on AM...but somehow feels fresh and new for this decade.

80. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic (2000)
- The indie supergroup featuring Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Ban Bejar (Destroyer) may be the best release any of them have done. Just a solid example of what happens when great minds think alike.

81. Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter (2001)
- Pete Yorn's debut literally came out of nowhere. There was a very little buzz about this guy prior to the release...and being on Sony...there was very little thought that this might be anything more than a major label's attempt at woeing the indie crowd. But over the past decade...Pete has remained diligent about his craft, keeping it his own. And over that period...his debut has only ripened with age. (Lose You)

82. Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000)
- Possibly the release that legitimized the underground hip-hop movement. Though none of their other releases...solo or as a group...came close the originality or personality of this debut, the album continues to be a heralded landmark on the hip-hop landscape. (Lausd)

83. Kings of Leon - Only By Night (2008)
- Six months ago...I may not have included this...but the album has fought and clawed its way in critical and commercial success. Something that is no small feat in today's music industry. But that aside, it's just a good rock record. Not as strong as maybe their last release...but their music has matured as they have.

84. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
- Though it lacks in life and "fire" that the debut had...it's still a collection of intensely constructed songs...dark but vibrant...morid but alive. Even when they're a half-step off their game...they're still a full step in front of everyone else. (Antichrist Television Blues)

85. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (2008)
- The one thing severely lacking from the 2000s are the pure old fashioned rock records. A few bands tried to carry the rock n roll torch...but very few came close. But on MMJ's release from last year...it was like the band was harnessing the past and everything that made them what they are. It may be too early to tell how great this record is...and who knows...a couple years down the road...I could see this album hanging out near the top. (The Librarian)

86. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)
- This year's front-runner is a ecclectic mix of the future of music. Many people are struggling to grasp this album, which only means it's one that takes time. And any album with that kind of attention needed is one that is usually worth the time invested.

87. Kanye West - Graduation (2007)
- Maybe the weakest of KW's non-autotune releases...is still a masterful hip-hop album and a scolding lesson of what can be accomplished with smart production. And any album that samples Daft Punk should always get an honorary listing.

88. Elliott Smith - Figure 8 (2000)
- ES' last official release before his death shows the singer growing and expanding. He may have conquered on tunes that were simple bare bones kid & and a guitar folk...but Elliott wasn't satisfied being just that. He was ready to challenge what he was capable of doing and where he could go...too bad we'll never know what he could do. (Somebody That I Used To Know)

Buy the best of the 2000s now!