A Summerteeth Blog

I LOVE SUMMER.
I also love the 1999 Wilco album Summerteeth.  What does that even mean? "Summer-teeth"?
Summerteeth captures all the joys and fears of growing up; a 55-minute taste of summer according to men in their 30's (probably going through a mid-life crisis). Musically it's an alternative rock album, or perhaps experimental pop. The songs are catchy. The instruments are layered. The lyrics go back-and-forth between generic relationship phrases and beatnik poetry. The sounds often transition from The Eagles to Spiritualized. Tracks like "ELT" or "I'm Always In Love" come off as totally normal. The noise/strings samples on songs like "Via Chicago" or "She's A Jar" only come once in a lifetime. And what the heck is on the album cover? Is that the moon with lips? A desk in the background?

It's a world where a married man dreams of suicide every summer and is frightened of his own front yard. He's afraid of aging and is trying to re-fuel his romantic youth. He's a man who wants to get his relationships right if he could just surpass his mental illnesses. His relationship with his wife, his friends, his family, even God. The album opener says "Our prayers will never be answered again" and the closer says "Let's turn our prayers to outrageous dares." There are moments where he stares at his dishes and thinks about cinematic murder scenes.
As depressing as this all sounds, this is actually a happy album. All these themes are merely poked-at and the music is more often joyful than not. Without the story line, this could just pass as an over-produced set of pop songs. Either way, it's enjoyable. It reminds me of summer. This could possibly just be because I bought it in June 2013. But really- it's hard to say what it is- but this sounds like summer. In front of the laptop-created sounds, you get Jay Bennett's Tom Petty-esque guitars and Jeff Tweedy's sincere, cigarette-abused voice.
I've given Yankee Hotel Foxtrot countless lines of press in my day, but I gotta show some love for Summerteeth. I LOVE SUMMER. Sometimes we get caught up in our worries-- not being who we used to be, failing in the future, always being in love, thinking some girl doesn't love you-- summer bites. But perhaps all you need is one happy song. Or "maybe all you need is a shot in the arm."

A FRIEND OF MINE JUST INFORMED ME THAT THE TERM "SUMMERTEETH" IS A JOKE THAT RIVER GUIDES USE. IF YOU'RE RAFTING AND A PADDLE HITS YOUR MOUTH, SUMMER-YER-TEETH ARE GONNA FALL OUT AND SUMMER-YER-TEETH WILL STAY IN YOUR IN THE BOAT."

"It's all beginning...It feels like it's ending."

The Redfish Trilogy

Tomorrow I will be moving to Stanley, ID for the summer to work at Redfish Lake Lodge.
I worked there in 2009.
I worked there in 2012.
I will be working there in 2015.
Apparently I wind up at Redfish every 3 years. Each time for a different reason. And it's a different story every time. As I've done some recent packing, my room suddenly smells like pine and my window is getting fogged with mountain mist. I'm excited for my 3rd ride at Redfish Lake. Perhaps it will be my last.
I feel like the 3-year gaps work as chapter headings for my life. As for now, we're calling this experience:

The Redfish Trilogy

2009
I just graduated high school a week before I started work as a dishwasher. I had never been before and didn't know what to expect. I was super quiet for the first 3 weeks. I started progressively making friends and it was easily one of the most fun summers of my life. I hiked on my days off. I was young. I saw a baby bear once. (frightening) I stood on this rope swing that takes you +/- 30 ft in the air. (also frightening) I remember burning CDs from crazy kitchen workers Dylan (Animal Collective + Leonard Cohen) and Tony (Sufjan Stevens). I began to love my job, which is funny, because most people hate dishwashing. The experience was refreshing and hard to forget. I have fond memories of the people I befriended that summer.

Myself, Enjoying The Beloved Stanley Rope Swing (R.I.P)

2012
I got back from my LDS mission in April 2012. I don't remember having much fun. 
Let me explain: I was going through a rough time. Stress issues; clinical issues. I really tried hard to feel the same things I felt 3 years prior. Summer of 2012, I learned to never do this. I couldn't connect the way I used to. I felt (and probably was) socially awkward. I was at Redfish, so of course I did plenty of fun things, but what I remember most was that I was going through a rough time. 

Baron Divide

2015
I've lived in Logan, UT for nearly 3 years since the last time I worked at Redfish. I've learned a lot. After this summer, I will have spent more summers than in Jerome, Logan or British Columbia. I plan on getting jobs that reflect my stage management major in the future. I feel like I need the Redfish experience... ONE. MORE. TIME. (at least)

You see, I'm a different guy now. Not only different from 2012, but different from 2009. I should not glorify nor debase any era of my past. I learn something new about myself every day. I have 0 expectations for Redfish 2015, but this time, I'm coming there to serve. I've learned (quite recently) to not come into things with any dose of ungratefulness. I ought to be happy where I am. Wherever I am. 
If anything, I plan on making this the most positive summer of my life.

Logan Turns Boys Into Men

The Greatest Bald Albums of All Time

Whenever I visit home, my mom makes fun of my receding hairline. Nobody in Logan ever brings it up. Just her. But what's sad is that I know she's right. It's no secret to me that my hair doesn't exactly get as "long" when I grow it out. It just starts higher. But that doesn't mean I can't rock!
Some of my favorite artists were going bald when their music reached its prime. So here are the greatest albums ever made by bald people.

The "Almost Bald" Honorable Mentions List

#9 90s ALBUMS by Anthrax (Scott Ian Rosenfeld)
He's totally bald now and says funny stuff on VH1 lists.
#8 2000s ALBUMS by Metallica (Kirk Hammett)
Kirk has reportedly uses Minoxidil for hair loss these days. Metallica was better when he had real hair.
#7 Californication Red Hot Chili Peppers (Flea)
Flea has been 95% bald since the mid-90s but has yet to go all the way.
#6 Bossanova The Pixies (David Lovering, Frank Black and Joey Santiago)
All male band members are completely bald now. In case this 1990 photo wasn't oracular enough.

Will Oldham, 2009

#5 The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem
As a kid, I used to think Eminem just really liked getting buzz cuts.
#4 I See a Darkness Bonnie 'Prince' Billie (Will Oldham)
These days he's gloriously rockin' the Friar Tuck + beard!
#3 EVERY ALBUM by Built to Spill (Doug Martsch)
There's basically 0 photographic evidence of 90s Built to Spill, but Doug had to get to where he is today somehow.
#2 Another Green World Brian Eno
He's produced some of the Eternally Great albums ever as a bald man. But he should have shaved his hair off sooner. Oh heavens.

Eno looking more discomforting than his music.

                                                

#1 EVERY ALBUM BY NICK CAVE

"Never never never give up." -Winston Churchill

A Brief Tribute to Underrated Bald Drummers in Popular British Bands

#2 Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay (Will Champion)
Even more reason to convince people Coldplay rips off Radiohead.
#1 EVERY ALBUM BY RADIOHEAD (Phil Selway)
He's been bald for every Radiohead album. Love his work on "Airbag" and "Optimistic." And in case this got you thinking, no, he's not the guy on the cover of The Bends.

Greatest Bald Albums of All Time
*Disclaimer: I decided to not include any African American artists to this list when I realized that +/- 50% of black artists I listen to are either bald or balding. The addition of each individual member of Wu-Tang Clan alone would make this post extremely long. In the music industry, there's some hidden societal role for white men to have long, perfect hair. These guys break the mold. They're new-found musical heroes for future-bald men like myself. 

#12 Surfing with the Alien Joe Satriani
Great guitarist. Looks good in sunglasses.
#11 I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got Sinead O'Connor
(no comment)
#10 Face Value Phil Collins
Never listened to the album (I hate this guy), but it gave us this:

#9 Achtung Baby U2 (The Edge)
This would ranked higher, but I can't tell whether The Edge was bald or not. Close enough.
#8 Teenager of the Year Frank Black
Album cover = #1

#7 Play Moby
Gotta love "Porcelain." And he made a shamelessly bald album cover to boot!

Billy Corgan attempts weirdness

#6 Before and After Science Brian Eno
I think there's a patch of hair above his ear on the album cover! Can't tell...
#5 Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine
(Tom Morello) Yes, this is why Tom Morello always wears a hat.
#4 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Smashing Pumpkins (Billy Corgan)
Billy wasn't bald for Siamese Dream, so I had to rank their other great album. Also, I think Billy believes his baldness amplifies his "weird" persona.Well... this, among other things...
#3 Minor Threat Minor Threat (Ian Mackaye)
Everything about this is hardcore:

Ian

#2(a, b, c) ALBUMS by Fugazi (Ian Mackaye)
Nobody rocked baldness like Ian. Red Medicine is my favorite Fugazi album, but I couldn't just leave my other faves hanging.
2a: Red Medicine
2b: Repeater
2c: The Argument

#1 Automatic for the People R.E.M. (Michael Stipe)

R.E.M. was hot by the late 80s, launching from underground success to radio stardom. They had been making an album every year, but took a 3-year hiatus. When they returned, Stipe had a Friar Tuck hairdo. Made this beautiful album in 1992. And somehow, Stipe looked 10X cooler.

Not bald? Close enough.

Learning to Not Entirely Hate Musical Theatre

Hi. My name is Scott. I'm in Utah State's theatre department. And I hate musical theatre.
But not entirely.

OH, THE THEATRICAL MAGIC!

In my time, I've acted in 3 musicals and done backstage work for 2. I grew up with Rogers & Hammerstein on VHS and I've seen a few live musicals in the past few years. Compared to most theatre folks, I have a limited knowledge of modern musicals. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

This week, my University will be performing the Bonnie & Clyde musical. I know nothing about the musical in itself, but I know some historical facts on Bonnie and Clyde and I've seen the first 15 minutes of the 1967 movie. Knowing the performers for this show, I can imagine this being entertaining. However, I have a feeling the music will be underwhelming. I feel this way about most musical written in the last 20 years. Take for example, Disney's Tarzan musical. I might have loved it if it wasn't for the plot-dragging songs with 0 lyrical or innovative value. Who's fault? (see below)

Anyways, my personal experiences with being part of musicals aren't bad at all. They were all fun experiences [yet I was always surrounded by unnecessary cast drama (except for the tight-knit, mature cast of Sondheim on Sondheim)]. My singing voice aint bad and it's constantly changing. I did plenty of acting in my latter teen years. The plays I acted in were all from the classic Broadway era-- Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me, Kate. I'd say musicals like these come with a nostalgic aura. As for modern musicals? There is no justification.

I've seen audition sign-ups for musicals where they recommend the audition piece to not be from an overdone play. They list some: Thoroughly Modern Millie, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee... I legitimately don't know any music from either of these musicals. It's sad to live in a world where I have to give a crap.

Wicked sucks.
Cats sucks.
Even the kinda good musicals have super annoying audio recordings.
Rent.
Hairspray.

EVERYTHING SUCKS.

Some people out there may think my hate for musicals is due to being uncultured or having a lack of artistic taste. I dare say it's the opposite. I'm extremely picky about the world of cultural arts. It's not even a matter of not enjoying occasional flamboyance... OK, so maybe it is. But I think that people using their vocal talents to express what's happening in the plot (with an unmemorable melody to boot) is a waste of time and talent. As for the big numbers, they all sound the freaking same. There are some impressive/unique chords peppered about, but that's just all for show. By Act II, you'll be wishing the show had more than one song with jazz elements. You'll also be checking your watch because you know how the plays going to end and the plot is just incessantly dragging (and sucking). The musical outline has been copied and pasted repeatedly for the last 40 years. Because that's how musicals work.

There are some good musicals out there, don't get me wrong. And "Show Business" can be fun. I had fun with Guys & Dolls, although I openly admit- unlike most shows I was in- all my acting techniques were literal crap literally pulled from my literal butt.

(sigh) But in spite of the false sense of community that can come from being in a show, there's also a real sense of community. You can learn a lot from performing. You can see a play and technically consider yourself "cultured." My family and I watched this opera singer perform "Bring Him Home" and I purposely joked around through the whole thing to keep myself from crying. I don't hate musicals entirely. But I hate listening to music from musicals and the majority of modern musicals are terribly written. So... yeah.

You should all see USU perform Bonnie & Clyde this week!

EAT YOUR HEART OUT, IRVING BERLIN

girl complexes VII

Haven't written one of these things since November! I may never have to write another one after this one. This answers any questions that may have arisen from my earlier "girl complexes" posts (which, by the way, combine for an impressive 202 views). This post isn't commentary on sexism or dispelling gender misperceptions. This one's about ME.
Here's everything you need to know about my dating history:

2007-2010
I could probably count how many dates I had on one hand. Never got into a relationship. Served a mission from April 2010- April 2012 where I wasn't allowed to date. This cut no ice with me.
Fall Semester 2012
Went on a lot of dates. Although I must admit, I was going through a rough patch of my life as a recent returned missionary. I recall going on dates weekly and I legitimately can only remember one or two girls' names. I remained single the whole time.
2013
Pretty low key. I had my interests, but rarely acted upon them.
Spring Semester 2014
Went on a lot of dates. Unlike my 2012 dating spree, I sometimes romanticize this semester as The Greatest Days Of My Life. I was only taking 12 credits, I didn't have a real job and I was living off a huge scholarship. I took advantage of my free time. The dating? None of my attempts were successful and I didn't always have fun with it. But the experience as a whole was plenty enjoyable. One of my dates was a double with Ryan Burt & Becca Graham, who are now engaged. I was with them on their first date. Heck yes!
April 2014-Current
Meh.

Anyways, my dating life is uneventful (as you can see above). I usually bust out a "girl complexes" blogpost when I feel a lack of appeal to the dating scene. Instead of analyzing other people's thoughts, I'm talking about mine this time.
Here's everything you need to know about my recent inquiries:

My Life Was A Big Fat Lie
Of course it was. Yours probably was too. What I'm referring to is mindset. People often think they need something when in reality, they don't. For starters: Toddlers. They're so convinced they need a Hershey's Cookies & Cream bar, their world is destroyed when they don't get one. Then high school; every teenager thinks they need some new hot item all the cool kids have. As we grow older, our irrational desires can lead us to self-doubt and social disillusion. My idea of what eros (or "intimate love") should be changes every year, because I'm usually wrong. I am 24 years old and I still want my Hershey's Cookies & Cream!
Never Favorites, Always Lists
I've used this quote before and I use it again: "How we interact with art is a microcosm of the way we interact with the world" --Carl Wilson. I don't literally talk about music very often. Yet I think about it all the time! And I write about it often. I make music lists all the time. I've made lists my entire life. Looking back, I remember listing my favorite songs, countries, cartoons, etc. Does this mean I have lists for people too? Friends? Enemies? Love interests? The answer is no. But every time I ever choose what's #1 on a list, that thing becomes less enjoyable because I glorify it too much. 
I'm talkin' about music. My #1 favorite song. My #1 favorite album. I love it and enjoy doing so until I reach a point of realizing how much I love it. Then I plate it in gold and the listening experience is suddenly never the same. This is my microcosm to my social life. I've never had a best friend. Ever. In my life. I've also never had a girlfriend. In fact, every time I get interested in someone, the feeling just fades into an underwhelming fatigue. Every time. Sure, this is an excuse for being single. But it's a darn good one. 
I Am LDS
I belong to a church that talks about marriage a lot. So I think any of my dating spurts were influenced by some impression of trying to get married- because it's important and crap like that. Don't get me wrong, it is. I wouldn't feel comfortable currently marrying any person I currently know. Man, I did a great job wording that.

I have a lot of other things to say, which probably means I'll write another "girl complexes" in a couple months. As usual, I'm trying to write music in my spare time and I second guess everything I write. So I'm eternally at the drawing board. Asking me what I look for in a girl is like asking me what I look for in a song: I listen to lots of genres; I don't have just one type. And in either circumstance, I hate wasting time with sell-outs.

The Future of Music! (acc. Rolling Stone)

Perhaps the title is misleading with the word "future." Listed below is every artist Rolling Stone has given an initial perfect score (5 stars) in the last 10 years (2005-2014). The number aside their name shows how many 5-star albums they've released in that timespan. So these are artists they are calling the best of our time. In this generation, music progression included, these are apparently (ahem) the modern greats. Feel free to laugh.

Leon Russell (.5)

Leon Russell

Elton John (.5)

Elton John w/ U2's Bono

U2 (2)

U2

Kanye West (2)

Kanye West w/ U2's Bono + The Edge (+ uninvited Lenny Kravitz)

Bob Dylan (2.5)

Bob Dylan w/ U2's Bono

Bruce Springsteen (3)

Bruce Springsteen w/ U2's Bono + The Edge

So these people are the artists of the future! That's the point of being a music magazine, right? With this, one might think praising a musician is based on:

• Being a male over 50 years old
• ^particularly if you made your best music 25-50 years ago
• How close of a friend you are to Bono
• If your name is Kanye West

Despite these high rankings, Rolling Stone has (respectively) been known to change their minds from year-to-year. All music critics do this. Below are the albums that were given 5 stars.

2005 Kanye West Late Registration**
2006 Bob Dylan Modern Times**
2007 Bruce Springsteen Magic
2009 U2 No Line on the Horizon*
2009 Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream
2010 Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy**
2010 Elton John & Leon Russell The Union
2012 Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball*
2012 Bob Dylan Tempest
2014 U2  Songs of Innocence*
2014 Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete^

* Album of the Year
** Addition to their 2011-revised "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list
^ I count this album as a .5 on my list because Bob Dylan's "Bootleg Series" releases are often set aside as reissues, which don't count as initial releases. Vol. 11 is the only "Bootleg Series" album to get 5 stars and it was considered a reissue (*cough cough* because it IS). However, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8-- Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 was actually counted as a non-reissue (dude, it's a rarities album) in 2008 and was even their #2 album of that year. So Dyaln gets half a point for this release.

I admit, Rolling Stone did a lot for me in my mid-teenage years. I was introduced to tons of great classic artists some new music. But if you want to know what the future of music will look like, this is what you'll get from Rolling Stone:
Everything great has already been done before. Why respect new artists when you can just stick with new stuff from the old guys? Apparently there's no hope for future music.
Unless your name is Kanye West.

The Best/My 25 Favorite Albums of the Last 10 Years (2005-2014)

I've never had a desire to do this list until about 2 weeks ago. I've been stocking up on my "half-decade" list (2010-2014) since I've been back home from my mission. At the end of 2014, I realized: The hour hath cometh. But I've lately wondered: How do 2010 albums compare to 2009 albums? One does not simply cross decades of music! Or can you?
I didn't become a Pitchfork junkie until 2008-2009, but I got into Rolling Stone around 2006-2007. So it's fair for me to say I've been following music intently for almost all the last 10 years. If I made this list go any further back, I'd be lying to myself about actually remembering when these albums came out. Also, for me, albums from over 10 years ago have reached a new level of vintage status.
It was hard to make this list. It was 2013 when I started listening to (roughly) a new album every week! So I have a firm opinion on music from the latter end of this 10-year span. However, I also have nostalgic emotions toward my beginning days of reading music reviews and year-end lists in the late oughties. When making this list, I had over 50 different albums I considered putting on it. I have a long, admirable "honorable mentions" list of albums basically tied for 26th place. It was sad to see a lot of these albums not make this list. But who cares...
The last 10 years have possibly been the worst 10 years in music history (and things will probably only get worse). It's hard for me to say the music world has made a lot of "progress," yet it seems like there's something new brought to the table every year. That's just how it works. This list covers albums that demonstrate studio production progressiveness, new songwriting approaches and front-to-back quality of listen-ability. And small doses of my personal bias.
So here it is: A top 25 collection of the best- or perhaps the most influential-- or perhaps just my personal favorite--- albums from the past 10 years.

#25~ The Flaming Lips Embryonic [2009]

Lots of folks (Flaming Lips fans included) don't like Embryonic because it took away the confetti cannons and Wayne Coyne's space-bubble crowd-surfing from their fun live shows, but this gives a guy like me reason to love it.
This album is a dark, heavy, patient take on what's basically an intergalactic jungle remake of Physical Graffiti (including some discomforting music videos).






#24~ Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [2010]
Why This Album Could Be #1:
Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, POWER, Monster, Devil in a New Dress, Lost in the World, Gil Scott-Heron outro, horns on All of the Lights, Pusha T's Runaway verse, Chris Rock talking about Twista's watch on Blame Game, overall cohesiveness.
Why This Album Shouldn't Be On This List:
Nicki Minaj storybook intro, every guest artist on All of the Lights, So Appalled's lazy chorus, Runaway's lazy chorus, Hell of a Life's lazy chorus, John Legend's lines on Blame Game, corny melodramatics.



#23~ Flying Lotus Cosmogramma [2010]

Cosmogramma is an important step in the world of electronica, a genre I usually don't care about.
The incorporation of jazz music is respected even by the highest standard of jazz purists and production emphasizes on zany keyboard sounds and FlyLo's signature chopped-up beats.








#22~ Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago [2007/2008]

As long as this list has something to do with their influence on modern culture, I'm going to put it on here.
And screw it, I love this album.










#21~ Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca [2009]
There's not a lot to say about the last 30 years of prog rock, although Dirty Projectors have always been weird enough to fit the genre.
Their strategy here is to both strip down prog to its basics and utilize their pop senses, making for some beautiful, harmonic, rare "prog-pop" music.







#20~ TV On The Radio Return To Cookie Mountain [2006]
Here we have some harmonic, blues-influenced vocal parts blended in with mysterious noise instrumentation.
At times it comes of as complex and dark, and some times it can sound natural and soulful.

#19~ Run The Jewels Run The Jewels 2 [2014]
This can be passed off as a nice little cocky indie-rap album from two aging hip-hop veterans, but Killer Mike and El-P cover an important topic here.
Between the (sometimes comical) images of violence and self-centered bragging, there's a dark reality hanging over the conscience of RTJ: Death.

#18~ LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening [2010]

Not only did James Murphy have to follow up a decade's worth of singles critics were hailing as modern classics, he had been considering discontinuing LCD Soundsystem as a whole.
This album is their most fun, mixing some nonsensical and romantic lyrics with musical throwbacks to electo-new wave, cementing the band's legacy.







#17~ J Dilla Donuts  [2006]
I guess 'instrumental hip-hop" wasn't a new genre in 2006, but Dilla made it sound like it was.
The sampling on here still sounds fresh and fantastic, the beats are still original and this 31-song compilation jerks from track-to-track with surprising flavors at every corner.








#16~ Destroyer Kaputt [2011]

Indie songwriting veteran Dan Bejar destroys any signs of indie rock and pop in exchange for a lovable, surprisingly suave and sexy musical display of early '80s soft rock, disco and jazz.
In the songwriting world, I have a thing for old men, and due Kaputt's  sonic value and relevant, stream-of-conscience lyrical content, I refuse to call this a "novelty" album.

#15~ Panda Bear Person Pitch [2007]
With Animal Collective winning streak of 2000s albums, what else could have Noah Lennox possibly added?
This album is as much a producer's goldmine where the sound schema is a matter of distance, reverb and random sampling, creating a magically genre-less album that sounds like it's buried under ice.

#14~ M.I.A. Kala [2007]
M.I.A. enters the big leagues on Kala.
After impressing us with her catchy world-music rap of Arular, she experiences even more modern electronica, claustrophobic lo-fi beats, a wide array of guest artists both popular and underground and even disco.

#13~ Kanye West Late Registration [2005]
Kanye takes a step up from 2004's The College Dropout and presents an album full of fresh '70s R&B samples, hypnotic melodies and impressive lyrical concepts.
Switching back and forth between laughable pride and unique political commentary, this album makes for an eyebrow-raising conceptual experience.

#12~ The Knife Silent Shout [2006]
With this album, The Knife introduce a new artistic personality and become what some still call the perfect band.
Yes, it's dark, but its wide variety rhythms (from world music to Euro-techno) are crazy and Fever Ray's vocal delivery is so unique, it's as creepy as it is goofy.








11~ Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires Of The City [2013]

Modern Vampires is a triumph in both the songwriting and studio production world.
The band's songs are as catchy as ever, yet somehow their usual sunshine pop turns into a murky fog driven by cathedral-esque keyboards, instrumental experimentation and Ezra Koenig's tongue-in-cheek outlooks on God and growing old.







#10~ Burial Untrue [2007]
What is dubstep-- or rather, what has it become?
This album will change the way you think of beats and without only a few, distant spoken-words, it tells a story of adolescent city life.









#9~ Sun Kil Moon Benji [2014]
At age 47, Mark Kozelek released some of the deepest, most personal music of his career (making it some of the most personal music you'll ever hear).
Benji tells life stories (everything from '70s childhood movies to dying relatives) accompanied by raw acoustic instrumentation, making for an eternally gorgeous, 1-man road trip album.






#8~ Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant EP [2008]
Every man in a plaid jacket with an acoustic guitar and a thick beard starting up a multi-vocalist chill indie rock band should take all the money from their pockets and mail it to Seattle, WA.
The 16 gorgeous, mountainous tracks between these two releases definitely weren't the first indie folk songs to hit the scene, but what they have done to the genre has changed everything from the Ho-Hey's and the Take-Me-To-Church-ey production styles all the way to the very clothing worn by that one guy who always shows up to your bonfires.




#7~ Deerhunter Halcyon Digest [2010]
Indie rock has become a thing of the past, and I'm not saying that Halcyon Digest killed it or that it perfected it, yet somehow the genre's gone nowhere since it's release.
Bradford Cox dubs his voice on every track like he's a pop star underwater, Locket Pundt's guitars range from fuzzy marijuana lounging to bright shoe-gazing and with some various percussion approaches, this album turns into a fun, psychedelic, low-budget adventure for the lonely (and/or stoned).




#6~ Radiohead In Rainbows [2007]
In 2007, I really thought I was a cool kid in high school for being the only guy who listened to Radiohead, but in my 2015 college days, it's like EVERYBODY annoyingly worships In Rainbows.
(sigh) I'd hate to admit it, but fact is... between the sci-fi keyboards, lush guitars, beautifully executed strings arrangements and its hopeless-yet-romantic tracks... it's a freaking good album.








#5~ Beach House Teen Dream [2010]
I dare say, this is both the dreamiest (ex: Galaxie 500) and poppiest (ex: Fleetwood Mac) dream pop album ever made.
I've yet to hear such a lo-fi album sound so pretty and radio-pop inspired, with Alex Scally's Hawaiian shoegaze guitars meshing with an impressive variety of percussions (both raw and electronic) and the sentimental, harrowing, heartbreaking, soulful singing of Victoria Legrand working together to make these 10, ridiculously lovable songs.





#4~ LCD Soundsystem Sound Of Silver [2007]
This album proved that James Murphy was more than the anxious Steve Malkmus songwriter of the EDM world.
These songs take influence from a slew of innovative '70s artists (Brian Eno, Lou Reed, David Bowie, David Byrne, Steve Reich, to name a few) and fuse them with modern techno tactics for the musical recipe while Murphy delivers some of the smartest, most unique lyrics ever written on eternal friendships and the falsehoods of the New York partying life.




#3~ Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion [2009]
Just to settle any contention (or perhaps I'm raising some), everything from hereon out is stuff I've considered being #1.
Meanwhile, Animal Collective released a run of (what I believe to be) 4 great LPs before MPP, and it's amazing to me that they were able to top all of them with an album that changed the course of synth-pop of all genres with this progressively psychedelic, exciting, grandiose, bright, positive, romantic, accessible album that remains as harmonic and weird as their past work.





#2~ Sufjan Stevens Illinois [2005]

Illinois is an adventurous ode to the state of Illinois with a dazzling, ambitiously vast variety of raw instrumentation, layered on top of each other in the most theatrical Aaron Copeland/100% American manner, a humbled singer telling childhood stories, his relationship with God and in-depth Illinois history lessons, making for epic songs structured like you're walking home (filled with a heart full of love and painful questions) after watching the 4th of July fireworks with all your best friends.
So basically, I'll never think of folk music the same way again.




#1~ Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city [2012]
Via the stories told within the songs and the recorded phone call samples abridging its tracks, Kendrick Lamar's major label debut tells the story of a shy Kendrick at age 17, having a night on the town in Compton, CA with the "homies" where he hooks up with his hoodrat girlfriend Sherane, robs somebody's house, gets drunk, watches a man get killed then comes to Jesus.
Each song is like a monument in their own right to their concepts, as Dr. Dre's lead-production beats sound crisper than a $100 bill, the music shifts drastically from track-to-track and Kendrick spits at the mike like he's the voice of poverty... or perhaps just the voice of The New King.




EXTENSIVE/LOVEABLE ALBUM TITLES HONORABLE MENTIONS LIST
2005: I Am A Bird Now, Feels, Arular, The Sunset Tree, The Woods, LCD Soundsystem
2006: Hell Hath No Fury, Boys And Girls In America, Fishscale, The Warning, Ys
2007: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Night Falls Over Kortedala, Strawberry Jam, Hissing Fauna..., Boxer
2008: Vampire Weekend, Microcastle, Nouns, Dear Science
2009: Album, Fever Ray, Veckatimest
2011: Helplessness Blues, Bon Iver, Strange Mercy
2012: The Money Store, Channel Orange, The Idler Wheel...
2013: Settle, Sunbather
2014: To Be Kind, LP1