The 11 Best Songs By The Editors

My favorite new site has to be The Talkhouse, which made headlines this past week when Lou Reed reviewed Kanye West's new album, Yeezus.  The site has rock stars (mostly) reviewing mostly recent albums.  It's a fascinating alternative look at an album that's not through a critics eyes.  When a critic reviews an album, their intention is to pick it apart and examine its merits purposely for a public audience.  They have an agenda to entertain their audience as much as the album does.  That doesn't mean they're not fair, it just means the reviews aren't always necessarily unbiased.  Nor do they accurately convey the listening experience. When a rock star reviews an album, it comes from a completely personal space.  Musicians are influenced and affected by music in a different way.  Creating music is a personal experience.  It's exposing your heart and soul to the world.  The ability to relate to this can only be gained by experience.  When rock stars bring this experience to their reviews, their perspective is completely unique and unequivocal. Their review is more of a emotional response to the music than a dissection.  After reading some of the reviews, I can honestly say I prefer the rock stars' pov over a critic's review.  The rock stars relay how they feel when listening to the music.  That's what I want to know.  Critics review what went wrong, and that's not really helpful.  Music isn't about examination, it is about an emotional response... how am I ever supposed to know what an album sounds like when the critics are more invested in coming up with clever word play to describe a cymbal crash than revealing whether the music moved them or not?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Editors:

1. An End Has A Start (An End Has A Start)
2. Papillon (In This Light And On This Evening)
3. Munich (The Back Room)
4. Bricks and Mortar (In This Light And On This Evening)
5. Fingers In the Factories (The Back Room)
6. Bones (An End Has A Start)
7. Alone (Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool)
8. Last Day (Record Store Day 2010)
9. Like Treasure (In This Light And On This Evening)
10. The Boxer (In This Light And On This Evening)
11. Orange Crush (Blood)

Buy The Editors new album, The Weight of Your Love...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs by Jay-Z (of the 00s)

There really is no artist that dominated the decade of the '00s more than Jay-Z.  He helped initiate the mash-up genre with The Black Album ( and The Grey Album).  The Blueprint is easily the best rap album of the decade if not the best album overall.  He's written #1 soundtracks.  He's had #1 rock album (Collision Course with Linkin Park)  He's written best-selling books.  He owned an NBA team and rebranded the Nets to be likable.  He has Obama on speed dial.  For this album, he created his own phone app.  There's nothing Jay-Z can't do.  I hear NASA is sending him to Mars...just so he has a new planet to conquer.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Jay-Z (of the 00s):

1. Heart of the City (The Blueprint)
2. 99 Problems (The Black Album)
3. Roc Boys (American Gangster)
4. Empire State of Mind (The Blueprint 3)
5. Run This Town (The Blueprint 3)
6. Encore (The Black Album)
7. Song Cry (The Blueprint)
8. My 1st Song (The Black Album)
9. Izzo (H.O.V.A.) (The Blueprint)
10. Show Me What You Got (Kingdom Come)
11. Ignorant Shit (Kingdom Come) 

Buy Jay-Z's album, Magna Carta...Holy Grail   ...now!

The 11 Best Albums of 2013 (so far)

It's the 4th of July mid-way point of 2013.  Time to take a little look back at what music we are loving here.

Sorry, I've been out of touch...but with such limited releases at this time of year...I've taken some time off to finish my book (which is based on this blog) so it can be published this November.  More on that to come.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2013 (so far):

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Empire of the Sun - Ice on the Dune
3. Capital Cities - In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery
4. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
5. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
6. Small Black - Limits of Desire
7. Pickwick - Can't Talk Medicine
8. Kisses - Kids in LA
9. Calexico - Spiritoso
10. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
11. Jim James - Regions of Light

Have a happy 4th!

The 11 Best Songs By Kanye West

Kanye drops his new album the same week he gives birth to a nameless baby.  Sadly, there's more press about the name of his baby than his new beautiful dark twisted release.

All that was trumped today when we lost a legend.  James Gandolfini passed away at the very young age of 51.  His irreplaceable presence will leave a big vacancy.  Tony Soprano is one of the best TV characters ever created. Reflecting on Tony's life, I can't help but see the similarities between him and Kanye.  Tony Soprano always questioned his place in his life facing the perils of his mortality.  Kanye questions mortality while facing the perils of his life.  Both speak out about injustice in very controversial ways.  Both believe in family (those related by blood...and those related by love).  And both dominate(d) in their medium.  The Sopranos set the standard for the new era of television.  Kanye has set the standard for hip-hop for the next decade.  Maybe Kanye should name his daughter Meadow, too.

RIP James.

Here are the 11 Best Kanye West Songs:

1. Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix (Late Registration)
2. Stronger (Graduation)
3. All Of The Lights (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
4. Runaway (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
5. Hey Mama (Late Registration)
6. Monster (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
7. Jesus Walks (The College Dropout) 
8. Power (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
9. Flashing Lights (Graduation)
10. Through The Wire (The College Dropout)
11. Homecoming (Graduation)

Buy Kanye West's new album, Yeezus...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Sleepy Jackson

This NBA Finals (and Playoffs for that matter) haven't been as compelling as originally billed...until tonight.  Game 6 was the game every NBA fan has been waiting for, getting better and better every minute as it unfolded before our eyes in spectacular fashion.  It had big comebacks, last second shots, prime-time dunks, overtime thrills, and "too many to count" clutch fade-away three pointers (shoes optional).  Ray Allen was huge but LeBron having to overcome his own roadblocks may have been bigger.  Miami is LeBron's team.  Though at one time, he was Cleveland's great hope...history will view him as a Heat.  I know a lot Cleveland fans still feel burned...that he should have stayed...but had he stayed, would he ever evolved?  Miami struggled the first couple years with LeBron.  It seemed the great experiment had failed.  But it was that humility that made him mature.  Sometimes we need to let go of our past to enter our future.

Luke Steele left behind cult darling The Sleepy Jackson for the poptastic Empire of the Sun.  Was it the right move?  Only the future knows.

The 11 Best Songs By The Sleepy Jackson:

1. Rain Falls For Wind (Lovers)
2. I Understand What You Want But I Just Don't Agree (Personality)
3. Don't Stay (Personality)
4. Acid In My Heart (Lovers)
5. Come To This (Lovers)
6. Devil Was In My Yard (Personality)
7. Tell The Girls That I'm Not Hanging Out (Lovers)
8. This Day (Lovers) 
9. Play A Little Bit For Love (Personality)
10. Good Dancers (The Sleepy Jackson)
11. Sunglass Man (Miniskirt EP)

Buy Empire of the Sun's new album, Ice On The Dune...now!!

The Unknown: Jimmy Eat World - Coverted

The Man of Steel hits theaters today in an epic fanfare of fanboy love.  He's the biggest, the baddest, the most powerful and the most popular of all the superheros.  What gives Superman this honor is that he is the notion of perfection.  He is that ideal perfection that we all hope to achieve.  He is noble, true...and he can fly.  He is indestructible and incapable of evil.  Maybe that's why it is so hard to make a good Superman movie.  I have not seen the new movie the reviews have been average at best.  It's like our expectation of perfection gets in our way of our enjoyment.  When we expect too much there's no hope for any movie, album, or TV show to match that expectation...so we're naturally disappointed.  This is the main reason I do not include new songs in my lists.  To truly appreciate a song, it needs to be listened to and absorbed.  If I expect "Stairway To Heaven" at every outing...I'll always be disappointed.  I've found if I don't expect anything all...I'm more often surprised.  Man of Steel is already a box office smash.  Audiences love it and only time will tell if it survives or fizzles.

Jimmy Eat World - Coverted

1. Firestarter (Prodigy Cover)
2. Game of Pricks (Guided By Voices)
3. You and I (Wilco cover)
4. Spangle (The Wedding Present)
5. Take Em As They Come (Bruce Springsteen)
6. Precision Auto (Superchunk)
7. The Concept (Teenage Fanclub)
8. New Religion (Duran Duran)
9. Last Christmas (Wham!)
10. Half Right (Heatmiser)

Buy Jimmy Eat World's new album, Damage...now!

The 11 Best Songs By Jason Isbell

Today I made my yearly pilgrimage to the kinetic annual event known as E3.  Every video game that is coming out next year...and then some...is on display for people to play and experience months before the general public.  It's a peep show for the video game community.  The PS4, Xbox One, WiiU, and Steven Spielberg were all on display.  It's a theme park for people with ADD designed by people with ADHD.   It's Vegas on stimulants. There's so much happening all at the same time...it's hard to absorb anything at all.  All the new games are so creative and original, it's hard to get a grasp on them.  I found myself playing games I already knew because they felt comfortable.  Diablo, Lego Marvel, Mario...were the games that I enjoyed the most.  I played a bunch of new games...but honestly, I couldn't remember a single one to save my life.  That said, I can't wait to go back next year.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Jason Isbell:

1. Go It Alone (Here We Rest)
2. Stopping By (Here We Rest)
3. Good (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)
4. However Long (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)
5. Shotgun Wedding (Sirens of the Ditch)
6. Alabama Pines (Here We Rest)
7. The Magician (Sirens of the Ditch)
8. Chicago Promenade (Sirens of the Ditch)
9. Seven Mile Island (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit)
10. Hurricanes and Hand Grenades (Sirens of the Ditch) 
11. Daisy Mae (Here We Rest)

Buy Jason Isbell's new album, Southeastern, now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By CSS

Today I met two people who made me feel old.  One person told me she never heard of Fleetwood Mac and was shocked that the were popular since she had never heard of them.  Granted she was sixteen.  The other had never heard of Star Trek...because she doesn't watch old movies.  She was 25.  I get that the younger generation doesn't appreciate what has come before them.  Sometimes I blame it on parenting, other times, I know kids just need to mature to appreciate the finer things in life. Or, these people are just idiots.  I'll give the 16-year-old a free pass for Fleetwood Mac  But not knowing Star Trek?  The reboot is a huge blockbuster...today!  Like literally today.  I know people only have the capacity to take in what is current but if you don't have a grasp on what has come before you, you won't be able to evolve when things change...then you'll be a nothing more than an obscure pop culture reference yourself.


Here are the 11 Best Songs By CSS:

1. Music Is My Hot Hot Sex (Cansei De Ser Sexy)
2. City Grrrl (La Liberacion)
3. How I Became Paranoid (Donkey)
4. I Love You (La Liberacion)
5. Hits Me Like A Rock (La Liberacion)
6. Superafim (Donkey)
7. Rat Is Dead (Donkey)
8. Fuckoffs Is Not The Only Thing You Have to Show (Cansei De Ser Sexy)
9. Let's Make Love And Listen To Sex From Above (Cansei De Ser Sexy)
10. Move (Donkey)
11. Knife (Friend)

Buy Cansei De Ser Sexy's new album, Planta, now!

The Unknown: Capital Cities

If Lollapalooza ruled the 90s, and Coachella owned the 00s, the teens belong to EDC.  The influence of electronic music is everywhere.  If you're a new rock band and you don't know how to dance, you might as well pack it up and move to Alaska (that's because Alaskans are not known for dancing).  Capital Cities smashes 2009 Phoenix together with Foster The People in a tasty sandwich that is as comforting as peanut butter and jelly but exciting because someone brought along a banana.  That banana comes in the form of Andre 3000 who makes his first alt. rock cameo.  The lead single "Safe and Sound" may be the cool hit of the summer but this album will be warming our hearts until winter.

Check out: Origami

Buy Capital Cities new album, In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Rogue Wave

I got the new Samsung Galaxy S4.  No, this is not an advertisement for the phone. It's more of an observation of how far phones have come so fast.  This phone is so advanced, I don't even have to touch the screen.  Just with a wave of my hand, I can sift through pictures.  If I hover my finger over links, I can see previews.  The phone even detects my eye movement and scrolls automatically or pauses media when I look away.  Yeah, it is a lot of fun.  Just looking at my phone from two years ago, I'm blown away by the advances in such a short period of time.  My kids are about ten years away from owning their own phones.  I can't even imagine what theirs will be like.  Will they even exist in a physical space?  It's hard to comprehend but the phones we're using now will be ancient and archaic to our kids.  My kids already know more about my phone than I do...and are better at using it.  They can't drive a car but they can decipher the computer language that programs it.  The challenge to me won't be to adjust to the ever changing digital landscape but to teach my kids to appreciate the convenience that comes with it.  And the dark times that we had to go through to get there.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Rogue Wave:

1. Love's Lost Guarantee (Descended Like Vultures) 
2. Harmonium (At Heaven's Gate)
3. Eyes (B-Side)
4. Publish My Love (Descended Like Vultures)
5. We Will Make A Song Destroy (Permalight)
6. Chicago x 12 (At Heaven's Gate)
7. Seconds (Descended Like Vultures Bonus Track)
8. Fantasies (At Heaven's Gate)
9. Falcon Settles Me (Out of the Shadow)
10. Wait For It (10:1)
11. Kicking the Heart Out (Out of the Shadow)

Buy Rogue Wave's new album, Nightingale Floors...now!!!