DELTRON 3030′S MID-YEAR TOP TEN ALBUM LIST…
We’re a little more than half way through 2010 and it’s safe to say it has been a pretty incredible year for album releases so far. As you know, I love making lists so I decided to put out a quick top ten list of my favorite albums so far. If you haven’t made sweet ear love to these albums DO IT NOW!
10.) Janelle Monae – “The ArchAndroid”
An amazing ambitious debut of genre jumping tracks
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9.) Delorean - “Subiza”
They shimmer and dance on your soul like a pool’s magical healing waters on a hungover summer day. Dive in and let the warm glow fix what ails you
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8.) Tame Impala – “Innerspeaker”
The Lennon-esque vocals are married to trippy psychedelic guitars and drums that definitely time warp the listener back to an era when people dropped acid like it was their job
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7.) Titus Andronicus – “The Monitor”
The Civil War spun as an analogy for suburban doom and gloom by a bunch of disenfranchised post punk rockers from New Jersey
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6.) Jonsi – “Go”
Jonsi’s ethereal voice will brighten any sky and push the clouds out of your mind and leave you in a warm happy place. This album is like Zoloft for your ears.
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5.) The Radio Dept – “Clinging To A Scheme”
Delicate textures and melodies wash over the tracks in a waves of emotion that are enhanced by the lost love crooning vocals
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4.) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Before Today”
They shift gears from new pop leanings (“Round and Round”) to low fi chill-waves (“L’estat”), 80’s sweet cheese (“Can’t Hear My Eyes”) to drugged out fuzz attacks (“Butt-House Blondies”). …and I’m a sucker for all of it.
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3.) Gorillaz – “Plastic Beach”
I love this album. I love it because of what it is. I love it because of what it isn’t. I’ll be honest though, I didn’t love it right away. In a way that’s the beauty of it The different soundscapes, the variety of guests, and the “newness” of it all combine to create a sound that welcomes you to revisit the world over and over again.
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2.) Phantogram – “Eyelid Movies”
Two unassuming Up-State New Yorkers throwing down sexy vocals and psychedelic melodies on top of hop hop beats. A pretty simple formula…but there’s so many more layers to their sound. Fifteen seconds into the lead track and I knew I’d be a huge fan.
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1.) LCD Soundsystem – “This Is Happening”
As the lead track “Dance Yourself Clean” started up with its slight downer vibes I wondered where the LCD party was. I was sure I was destined to sing “LCD I Love You, but you’re bringing me down”. Then at the 3:08 mark the drums kicked in, shaking off the bad mojo with them, and I haven’t looked back since. If “This is All Happening” is truly his last album it is one epic swan song. This album is is full of amazing tracks. I’m only on my second spin of it but I feel confident in saying this might very well might be your soundtrack to the summer. I want to say so much more but my mind is swimming in the beats and layers. This album has altered my ability to think straight.
LCD, it’s a helluva drug.
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DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: THE FLAMING LIPS, STARDEATH, AND WHITE DWARFS – ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’
I’m passing on Bonaroo, like I do every year, and I’m OK with it. Last year the decision was made super easy because the festival was flooded with Phish heads*. This year Bonaroo made it even easier on my decision making by having the Dave Matthews Band as a headliner. DMB and their fans hold a special place in my heart full of hate. However by last Saturday, after weeks of crapping on Bonaroo, I started getting the itch to go. Two very good reasons caused this:
1) The day before I’d gone to LCD at the Hollywood Palladium, and because the show was so awesome I was suffering from post-LCD blues. I could easily right myself by getting another fix. Going to Bonaroo seemed like a more logical choice than going to Pomona. Sure google maps will tell you differently…but there’s a reason you’ve never been to Pomona!
2) The Flaming Lips play immediately before LCD at Bonaroo. Not excited? I should gussy that statement up a bit: The Flaming Lips & Stardeath and White Dwarfs play immediately before LCD. Still not? One more try: The Flaming Lips & Stardeath and White Dwarfs will be playing “Dark Side of the Moon,” in its entirety– immediately before LCD.
For most of you that might not be a big deal..but I love the Flaming Lips..and I LOVE Floyd. Sometimes when I say these things It amazes me that I don’t smoke weed. Not a puff. Seeing The Lips doing Floyd would be pretty amazing. I’d make an exception to my strict Floyd rule: No half-assed Floyd shows. I’ve held out from going to see Roger Waters or David Gilmour tour because I can only accept Pink Floyd as a whole (yes, I know Richard Wright is dead, screw off!). Sure I’m currently tempted to go see Roger Waters’ “The Wall” tour but I just can’t get down with seeing “The Wall”, an album about a disaffected rocker, that was born out of Waters’ own depression and disdain for giant stadium shows…at the cavernous Staples Center…for $75 a pop (pre-Ticketmaster fees). You’ll be happy to know that he’s gotten over his depression for playing such giant impersonal crowds and he’s added a night in LA. Tix go on sale 06/14
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Fuck him. “The Wall” is my favorite album of all time but I’m still going to hold out…and you should too. No Waters, No Gilmour, No “Australian Pink Floyd Show,” and sadly No Flaming Lips. If we stick together and boycott all things Floyd they’ll be forced to reunite for a show.
So as part of my musical Salt March, I’m not going to Bonaroo..but I’ve come up with a nice work around. Thanks to the power of the Internet a shit ton of artists will be live streaming via you-tube (starting today at 12:15pm EST)..including LCD! You can check it out here . Fucking technology, Making the world a better place! After closer inspection it would appear LCD is playing on tape delay @ 9:30p on Saturday night. Bastards!. Part of me says “What loser is going to be on Youtube on Saturday night?” and then part of me says “Hey uh….LCD kicks ass.” We shall see. Hmmm…stream Youtube on your iPhone while you chill and watch Beetlejuice at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Genius. Fuck Yeah Technology.
To get your Floyd/Lips fix…well that’s obvious right? No? Look up there..yeah..that pic should tip you off. I’ll sit at home and listen to this instead of going to Bonaroo. I’ll admit that at first I thought they butchered the album. That will always be the knee jerk reaction from a passionate fan of the source material. When an album is so ingrained in your mind you can’t help but hear the original while the cover plays. Not helping matters was (let’s me be honest: IS) the weird inclusion of Henry Rollins. Has anyone liked anything he’s done since “TV Party?” (The Chase does not count. Every teenage boy watched it on HBO for Kristy Swanson and Kristy Swanson only) Once you get past the weird meddling of Rollins and you give the Lips the chance with these classic Floyd tracks you’ll find they actually did an admirable job of making something new of it.
It’s just not Floyd..and it never will be. Truth be told It’s not really 100% Floyd either. Perhaps you’d be better served by listening to the Lips’ double LP “Embryonic.”
You should be warned: There’s less polish here than on the “Soft Bulletin” and “Yoshimi”….but after “At War With The Mystics” I’m guessing less polish and change are a welcome change. After three strong albums that turned the band of outsiders into commercially viable and licensable elder statesmen they’ve gone back to their roots and raised their fearless freak flags again. For anyone who got into the Lips circa “The Soft Bulletin” you’ll find the opening noises of “Convinced of the Hex” jarring but if you wait it out you’ll be rewarded by the beautiful “Evil”. After that…well…there’s a lot to absorb on this double album. They went all out. The sonic onslaught doesn’t dial it down again ’til track #6 “If”. Each change of pace makes you appreciate the previous sound that much more. Give it a chance…no matter how scared you are by the Freaks. They’re actually quite normal. I met Wayne Coyne a few years ago and he couldn’t have been a nicer, cooler dude…for a guy who smears fake blood on his face, shoots confetti guns into the air, and climbs into a giant hamster ball. Sadly I met him at the Westwood W…after far too many drinks.
This was the only photograph I could muster. Technology, you failed me!
Highlights: “Evil,” “Gemini Syringes,” “Powerless,” “If”
* Phish heads: For the record I’m all for rocking out to Phish. I have plenty of their cds…but their fans are pretty awful. I recall walking up and down a parking lot of a highway trying to scalp some phish tickets (at face!) on the way to a show and having to hear “I Need a Miracle” yelled at me as a negotiating tactic from a slew of Eddie Bauer Limited addition Jeep Cherokees. Fucking faux hippies are the worst.
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
George, Washington’s Sasquatch’s lineup was announced today and it is chock full of goodness. They’re boosting a pretty impressive lineup this year which includes the recently reunited Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Broken Social Scene, and Band of Horses. Along with those “big” bands tons of artists mentioned here in the past will also be descending on the most beautiful location not named Red Rocks to host a concert – The XX, Phantogram, Passion Pit, Neon Indian, The Middle East and today’s buzzed about band: Local Natives. The Sasquatch announcement coincidentally comes on the same day that Local Natives (who happen to be local natives of Silverlake: yep they had a month long free Mondays residency @ Spaceland last August) release their debut CD, Gorilla Manor- a great CD that is full of soaring voices. Three voices to be exact. No one ever seems to be in charge, vocally speaking. Instead, to great effect, they let the three part harmonies wash over the music and create a different sound. This approach might not work for most bands (please keep your Grizzly Bear comparisons to yourself. Thanks) but it works here for the Local Natives. In case you’re not sold on checking them out I should also mention that they cover the Talking Heads song “Warning Sign“. I’m a sucker for covers and I’m a whore for the Talking Heads…so I became an instant fan.
Yep, I’m an easy mark.
Highlights: “Airplane,” “Sun Hands,” “Warning Sign,” “Who Knows Who Cares”
For those of you who don’t feel like trekking up to George, Washington you can catch the Local Natives and their small font brethren @ SXSW, Coachella, or Bonaroo.
Mar 18 2010 8:00P - SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 19 2010 8:00P - SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2010 8:00P - SSXW Austin, Texas
Apr 18 2010 3:00P - Coachella Indio, California
Jun 10 2010 8:00P – Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee