When Wild Beasts came to New York City last fall, they found themselves in the pressured position of having a lot to prove. They’d made only one US trek beforehand, to SXSW. Members of the press came out in droves to hear and see the UK foursome, now on their second album, Two Dancers, which had been graced with Pitchfork’s coveted “Best New Music” moniker. The Beasts didn’t crack under the pressure, they roared, seducing all ears and eyes in their path. Closing out their first full US tour in Brooklyn, the Wild Beasts were relaxed and giddy, coming off what must’ve been a successful run of dates.

It helped, no doubt, that the crowd was rapturous and vocal in their support. “You guys are great and we’ve hardly even started,” Tom said after the second song, “We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues.” One guy jumped up on stage during the boisterous “Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants,” to join the band in their singing & dancing.

And do they ever dance! None of this “sullen,” “tortured” act that too many artists try to use as an excuse for behaving as though they don’t enjoy their own music. Wild Beasts enjoy what they do, and they show it – jumping and swaying and shaking their bodies, and pumping their fists. They may have tried to hold back their smiles, but their cheeks puffed up with pride, belying their grins.

The crowd was dancing, too – it was hard not to. Their recordings are beautifully coated in vocals, and keys, and guitar, but their live shows draw out their rhythms, turning even the most atmospheric and moody tracks (“Two Dancers I,” “Two Dancers II”) into a dare not to move your body. But the beauty is all still there, in the fluttering notes of “Empty Nest,” in Hayden Thorpe’s operatic falsetto and erotic growls, in the opening line of “His Grinning Skull,” “How can you pine anymore?” Always a Wild Beasts talking point, but impossible to ignore, the contrast of Thorpe’s icy countertenor with Tom Fleming’s warm, robust lower register commune like the sweet and the salty, enhancing each other, complementing each other, and competing with each other, all at once.

Wild Beasts: “His Grinning Skull” (download)

Before closing with “Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye,” Thorpe commented, “Thank you, this is incredible. This is the cherry on a very handsome cake.” It made for a sweet evening, indeed.

For more pictures & information, including the setlist, click the jump.

SETLIST
Fun & Powder Plot
We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues
Vigil For A Fuddy Duddy
This Is Our Lot
Two Dancers I
His Grinning Skull
Two Dancers II
Please, Sir
Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants
All The King’s Men
Hooting & Howling
Encore: Devil’s Crayon
Empty Nest
Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye

Wild Beasts Official Site
Wild Beasts on MySpace
Wild Beasts on Twitter

SEE THE FULL SET OF PICTURES HERE.

Murder City Devils are no longer the kind of band that sets their drums on fire, or plays dive bars. For quite some time they were technically no longer even a band. But for now, having reunited for a series of shows instead of just one, they were a band. The kind of band who packed Nokia Theater Times Square, a venue normally reserved for acts like Sugarland, Dashboard Confessional & Alkaline Trio. Something about rockabilly, punk, hardcore, and reformed hardcore types descending on the turf of emo kids and soccer moms made their manic takeover all the more sweet.

Front-man Spencer Moody, who used to sport glasses and short hair, and bore an odd resemblance to Harvey Danger front-man Sean Nelson, now looks even more the part of morbid garage punk vocalist, having traded in the glasses and acquired a full beard. Otherwise, glancing at the stage, it was the same old Murder City Devils of Pacific Northwest lore.

It took all of five seconds into the opener, “Press Gang,” for the crowd to throw themselves around the floor in a frenzy, with multiple mosh circles opening, and everyone being swayed back and forth, side to side. Hands in the air, everyone screamed along to classics like “I Want A Lot Now (So Come On)” and “It’s In My Heart” to the newest material, like “Bear Away” and “Midnight Service At The Mutter Museum.” Having waited some nine years since the Murder City Devils’ last East Coast jaunt, no one was anything short of ecstatic. As guitarist Dann Galucci flung himself around & Moody wriggled on the stage, it seemed the Devils had found, once more, whatever it was that compelled them to be in the group in the first place.

The only downside was, between their songs’ short length, and the show’s full-throttle energy, 18-songs went by all too fast. Later that evening, the band’s twitter read, “Thank you New York. See you again soon.” Here’s hoping that’s true.

To see all of the T-Sides pictures, click here. For more info, including the (almost complete) Setlist, click the jump.

SETLIST
Press Gang
I Want A Lot Now (So Come On)
Dancin’ Shoes
Bear Away
?
Fields Of Fire
It’s In My Heart
Idle Hands
?
Midnight Service At The Mutter Museum
Johnny Thunders
Rum To Whiskey
I Drink The Wine
Dance Hall Music
Iggy
Encore: Murder City Riot
18 Wheels
?

If you know any of the missing songs, please e-mail and let us know! taylor @ t-sides . com

Murder City Devils Official Site
Murder City Devils on MySpace
Murder City Devils on Twitter

One of the biggest challenges a music writer can face is writing about a band you adore. Sometimes you like something so much that the task of describing it is an overwhelming pressure. You want to do it justice, you don’t want to over-sell it, but you want to convey just what makes it so fantastic. Sometimes all that comes out of your mind is a jumble of generic positivity (which, if you ask me, is more the reason behind the hyperbolic tendencies of the blogosphere than anything else).

This week, I attended my sixth and seventh Yeasayer shows – all within the past two years. I’ve seen the psych-pop-folk-rock outfit from Brooklyn more times than any other band in those years, and although they’ve completely shown-up every band they opened for (MGMT, the National, Man Man) or played with (Amazing Baby, Suckers), I only wrote about one of those shows. There’s a reason for this, and that reason is the challenge of describing what I like about Yeasayer in anything other than hyperbole. There’s also the fact that once you cross a certain line, it can be difficult to still play the critic.

When tickets for the Bowery Ballroom & Music Hall of Williamsburg Odd Blood release week shows went on sale, I was on a bus to Boston. Having acquired Yeasayer tickets in the past with no problem, I figured I would order them when I arrived in Boston three hours later. By the time I arrived, the shows had sold out. The album hadn’t even leaked yet, but their reputation had clearly been fueled by Dark Was The Night track, “Tightrope,” and the Odd Blood single, “Ambling Alp.” But the resilient heart does not give up so easily. Odd Blood was my most anticipated album of 2010, and I was determined to see Yeasayer play on this tour.

Monday night I arrived at Bowery Ballroom early on the chance there would be a few extra tickets, and gloriously, there were. I drank a beer in quiet celebration. I met a nice guy who traveled up from Tennessee to see Yeasayer both nights.

Openers Bobo were more gimmick than band. Wearing matching outfits of yellow turtlenecks, overalls with cutouts showing fake body parts, and foam tails, they sang about genies, cops, adventurous kids & cupcake companies. At the very least, though, they were amusing – every audience member had a smile on their face.

Mid-show entertainment was Light Asylum, whose set-up comprised an insane amount of cords and plug-ins. Their haunting electronic gems were more akin to a Kraftwerk kind of stream than a Yeasayer. The real driving force was the voice of Shannon Funchess, mastermind behind Light Asylum, and possessor of some real power-house, deep, booming vocal chords.

Owning up to their standard classification as a psych band, Yeasayer took to the stage amid an impressive light display. For their last tour, it was glowing orbs, this time, it was a four-piece backdrop, and light-up pedestals.

They opened with “The Children,” Odd Blood’s rather controversial first track. In previous interviews, the band has mentioned a two-step approach to their music: They create the music in the studio, and then they work out the best way to recreate it live. This shows through immediately; “The Children,” which has no discernible guitar on the album, was lead by Anand Wilder’s guitar in the live setting, giving it a warmer, more organic feel.

This approach breathed life into some of Yeasayer’s less accessible tracks. “Love Me Girl,” which begins Odd Blood’s odd second half, was pushed to its R&B dance jam heights, complete with smooth dance moves from smooth-voiced Wilder.

Mid-set the band transitioned into older material – “Wait For The Summer” and “Sunrise” from All Hour Cymbals, and “Final Path,” a popular b-side. It’s hard to tell with the three year time period between albums, but either the earlier songs were given a more stripped down treatment, or just seemed simpler in comparison to Yeasayer’s complex new direction.

Chris Keating retains his entertaining as ever spastic moves and facial contortions, and co-lead vocalist Wilder seems to have picked up on some of Keating’s stage charisma in the process of taking a more prominent vocal role on Odd Blood.

The band was in good spirits about the sold out shows (“You must’ve been on the internet real fast,” Keating remarked. “I couldn’t buy a ticket for my own show.”), and the release of Odd Blood (“Did you download it?” Keating asked with a grin and a laugh.)

The last chunk of the setlist held the new album’s biggest pop songs – “Mondegreen,” “Ambling Alp,” “Rome,” & “O.N.E.,” making for a solid 20 minutes of all out dancing. Leaving the crowd begging for more, they naturally closed out an encore with the song that started it all, “2080.”

Yeasayer: “O.N.E.” (download)

For the second evening at Music Hall of Williamsburg, an early venture to the box office was not as lucrative as it had been the evening before. Upon returning to the venue awhile later, however, my friend and I were left to marvel at the kindness of strangers. We ran into the young man from Tennessee who I had met the night before, and he had an extra ticket, as did a couple who walked by while we were discussing how hard it was to get tickets. (Many thanks to all three of you, on the offhand chance you see this.)

While the show at Music Hall of Williamsburg boasted the same setlist, to some disappointment, it had the exact opposite feel of their Bowery show. Where the Bowery show was more impressive in terms of the sound, the band was visibly more excited about playing in their home borough of Brooklyn (“We parked right outside,” Keating commented). And while the Bowery set started strong and found the band looking a little exhausted by the time they reached “2080,” they seemed to hit their stride mid-set at Music Hall.

Regardless of what one thinks about the new direction of Odd Blood, Yeasayer is truly a band that is consistently working on producing the best live show possible – and they deliver every time.

Click the jump for the setlist, more T-Sides photos & more info.

SETLIST (both nights)

The Children
Madder Red
Tightrope
Love Me Girl
I Remember
Strange Reunions
Wait For The Summer
Final Path
Sunrise
Mondegreen
Ambling Alp
Rome
O.N.E.
Encore: Grizelda
2080

All photos from Bowery Ballroom, taken by me. See the full set here.

Light Asylum

Yeasayer

Yeasayer Official Site
Yeasayer on MySpace

Light Asylum on MySpace

Related Posts:
T-Sides’ Decade in Review: Albums
New Yeasayer: “Tightrope”
T-Sides’ 2008 in Review: Concerts
Ear Farm: The National, Yeasayer @ Central Park Summerstage

So, these are neither the most personal albums nor the albums that I think shaped the 2000s. They are a combination of those two things: The albums that shaped my personal taste in the 2000s. For an album to qualify, it either had to (a) suffer endless replay – including currently, not just the year it was released – or (b) be an album that completely redefined how I listened to and thought about music. If it fit both qualities, even better. This system cut out a lot of sentimental favorites that I haven’t touched since I outgrew them, albums that were so digestible as to be unable to stand the test of time, and a lot of “popular” or “experimental” albums that might’ve been more globally influential or genre-bending, but just weren’t my thing.

I didn’t dare number them. This list more or less represents the different genres/sub-genres of my taste leanings, and it seems unfair to pit rock against rap or americana against psych. So, the closest I came to ranking was dividing 25 albums into two groups: The 10 most important albums, and then 15 also very important albums.

In my mind, it is from the top 10 that all modern music I listen to was born from. Every album listed in the second group of 15 albums can somehow be linked to my love for one of the albums in the top 10. Everything current (and even some things older) you see on this blog can be traced to this list. (Which isn’t to say that all of these albums birthed their particular genre – as it just so happens, we don’t always ingest or fall in love with albums chronologically).

The T-Sides Top 25 of the 2000s – in somewhat numerical but mostly alphabetical order:

Group One: Top 10
	Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It In People I vividly remember the first time I heard “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl.” I was in the dark, comfortable confines of a friend’s dorm room. It sounded like future music, a song beamed down from another planet, the kind of music I’d never live to hear created in my lifetime – except that it had been. You Forgot It In People with its dark cover and eerily gorgeous music felt like the work of some mysterious genius, which is probably why Broken Social Scene still seem otherworldly to me, despite their obvious growth in popularity since. (“Anthems” is now so absurdly popular that Kevin Drew laments having to play it at shows.) Broken Social Scene: “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl” (download)
Death Cab For Cutie, We Have The Facts And We’re Voting Yes We Have The Facts And We’re Voting Yes is another album I can clearly remember the first time I heard. I was standing in the gift shop of the newly opened Experience Music Project during Seattle’s yearly Bumbershoot Festival. I had just started learning about Seattle’s local music scene, and had heard people talking about Death Cab For Cutie, but hadn’t listened to them yet. There was a listening booth for We Have The Facts…, so I stopped, put on the headphones, and pushed play. It took just the opening chords of “Title Track” to allure me, and having heard just that song, I bought the album, which remains an all-time favorite. Anyone who equates Death Cab For Cutie with their Transatlanticism output and beyond would be well advised to go further back in their catalog to the days when Ben Gibbard was sick of love instead of lovesick. Death Cab For Cutie: “Title Track” (download)
	Destroyer, Destroyer’s Rubies While I was interning at Rolling Stone, one of my fellow interns asked if I had heard “the album with the girl in the red dress on it.” I had no idea what he was talking about – and he wasn’t completely sure, either, since he couldn’t remember the artist or album name. Later, he did. I had been rendered utterly speechless trying to find comparisons or touchstones, anything that it would’ve made sense for this to spring from. But Destroyer’s Rubies is just that: a product of the finest gems, stemming from nothing and no one but Destroyer. This album was on one of the biggest personal moments of discovery in the 2000s, easily broadening what my ears found appealing. Destroyer: “European Oils” (download)
Jay-Z, The Black Album The Black Album wasn’t the first rap album I liked. It wasn’t even the first Jay-Z album I liked. It was, however, the first rap album I loved. I grew up on plenty of half-wit rap during middle school, which was enough to rub me the wrong way until much, much later. I’ve said before that The Black Album is the most “rock” that rap gets, and I stand by that – Rick Rubin’s presence is proof enough. There might be rap albums that try harder to cross that border, but I don’t mean it in the sense that Jay-Z is trying to be a rock star here, so much as the same aesthetics apply – there’s heaviness, a pounding to The Black Album. It’s an aggressiveness not just of ego or lyrics, but of the songs. The punches on The Black Album come as much from the music as they do from Jay-Z’s mouth. Jay-Z: “Justify My Thug” (download)
	The Notwist, Neon Golden One of the things that keeps me from listening to a lot of electronic-based music is simply the personal opinion that music made with, warped and distorted by computers doesn’t feel as warm, as personal. I’ll admit, as music moves more and more into the realm of sampling, and the use of computers in music has expanded, it holds less true, but it hasn’t been completely felled just yet. Regardless, The Notwist are responsible for a serious enhancement in my opinion of the genre. Neon Golden still stands as one of the warmest, most comforting and most emotional electronic albums I’ve heard. The Notwist: “Consequence” (download)
TV On The Radio, Dear Science There are a lot of artists on this list whose output I consistently adore, making it hard to choose which album to include. Can I honestly say that I like Dear Science more than Return To Cookie Mountain or Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes? On a personal level, not really. Desperate Youth was my mind-blowing introduction to the band, and Cookie Mountain is no less inspired. I can say that Dear Science is more consistent, so on that level, it gets the spot, but ultimately everything TV On The Radio has done deserves to stand here. TV On The Radio: “Halfway Home” (download)
	Two Gallants, What The Toll Tells I could also make a case for any of Two Gallants’ three albums – but What The Toll Tells is their most consistent, so it holds rank and file for all the others. Perhaps a bit childishly, I am still miffed at Pitchfork for assigning this album to a fuckwad who clearly didn’t “get it,” though the band reaped in plenty of good (deserved) press for “Waves Of Grain.” If I’ve convinced my friends and family of any band’s worth over the past few years, it’s Two Gallants, and I plan to keep on doing so, even if their current hiatus becomes permanent. (Please, please, please, please, NO.) (Same goes for TV On The Radio – what the hell is up with great artists going on hiatus?) Two Gallants: “Steady Rollin’” (download)
The White Stripes, Elephant The White Stripes have never seemed too concerned with a sex and leather and cigarettes image of cool, instead taking it back to the mysterious archetype – they want to fuck with your mind as much as they want to fuck you, with antics of identity surrounding their matching last names, or their trippy music videos. When it comes to the great garage rock revival of the early 2000s, it was The White Stripes that remade rock the way I like it. I don’t want my rock ‘n’ roll having too much sex with pop music – I want my rock music loud, fast and cocky as hell. The White Stripes are pretty consistent, but using the aforementioned qualifiers, Elephant is easily a perfect album from start to finish (if I ignore the last song, “It’s True That We Love One Another,” which gets annoying after the initial, “Aww, that’s cute,” listen). The White Stripes: “The Hardest Button To Button” (download)
	Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones Though it may lack some of the vim and vigor of their first or even most recent albums, Show Your Bones hoists an unbelievable emotional weight. The title could not be more literal. In an interview I read awhile back, Karen O called this album a “growing pain,” and there were plenty of rumors and talk about the band nearly breaking up while recording it. I’ll take the nitty gritty over the fluff nine times out of 10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “Turn Into” (download)
Yeasayer, All Hour Cymbals Go ahead and laugh at me for picking the debut album of a mega-hyped Brooklyn band for my Top 10 of the decade list. If you can comb through my music library and find another album from the past two years that I listened to this much that isn’t already on my list, be my guest – but it ain’t gonna happen. There’s no band I’ve seen live more often in the past two years, either. For some people, their love affair with Yeasayer might have dipped or disappeared after the initial bumrush, but they won’t be wearing out their welcome on T-Sides any time soon. (And yes, this includes Odd Blood - thanks early vinyl sales.) Yeasayer: “Wintertime” (download)
Group Two: Runners-Up
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine Explosions In The Sky, The Earth Is Not A Cold, Dead Place Decemberists, Crane Wife Dismemberment Plan, Change Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere Impossible Shapes, Horus Les Savy Fav, Let’s Stay Friends The Long Winters, When I Pretend To Fall Minus The Bear, Highly Refined Pirates Modest Mouse, Moon & Antarctica Pattern Is Movement, All Together Sleater-Kinney, The Woods Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans Kanye West, Graduation

2009 was a rough year, personally, for your poor webmistress, but it would take quite something to stop the compiling of year end lists. Though, 2009 wasn’t such a competitive year for music, either, since this list wasn’t the battle it was last year. No agonizing “I can’t believe I have to leave this out!” cut offs, no close calls. Just 10 (… 11) albums that seemed to be the only things worth gracing the computer/car/iPhone speakers with. Some of our regular year-end features might be absent (most notably, concerts & songs), but in their stead you will get the all too epic decade-end list (to follow this one shortly). That’s not such a bad trade-off, right?

10. (tie) Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid

The Black Keys front-man didn’t necessarily break new ground on his solo effort. If you didn’t know any better, one could listen to this and think it was a wimpier Black Keys album. That said, it’s also just plain ridiculous how many worthwhile songs Auerbach can pull out of his hat. The songwriting on Keep It Hid is in no way any lesser than the Black Keys’ best efforts. Tell us, Dan, does the well ever run dry? Read my full review of this album on Pop Dose.

Favorite Tracks:
“I Want Some More” (download)
“Real Desire” (download)

10. (tie) Dodos, Time To Die

The third effort from the Dodos is a little more subdued than Visiter, the album that put the bay-area outfit on the critical map, but that’s not always a bad thing. Time To Die is more edited, making it feel tighter but also less demanding, at times. Still, the Dodos’ robust pop is absolutely irresistible.

Favorite Tracks:
“Fables” (download)
“Troll Nacht” (download)

9. Kurt Vile, Childish Prodigy

For awhile, Kurt Vile was one of those names – a name you recognized, but it seemed like just those jerks at loft-parties trying to one-up each other were talking about him. Then came Childish Prodigy, and Vile’s relentless east coast touring schedule, and it got pretty hard to ignore the guy… and who would want to? Vile’s warm and delicate melodies are contrasted with his deep, almost drone-like (but not emotionless) voice. Childish Prodigy is ever present – put it on and he forces you to pay attention.

Favorite Tracks:
“Freak Train” (download)
“Heart Attack” (download)

8. Akron/Family, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free

The eccentric trio throw down funky jams across the spectrum on their fifth full-length – from soft folk through freaky noise through dance beats and electronic grooves. Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free is a statement of a diverse unity. Read my full review of this album on Popdose.

Favorite Tracks:
“River” (download)
“Last Year” (download)

*7. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca

History is littered with examples of intellectual curios who needed someone to bring them down to earth. As it turns out, what Dave Longstreth, manwondergenius behind the Dirty Projectors, really needed was a couple of talented babes to help translate the circus in his head into something people could really listen to. Many of us thought he had struck gold with Rise Above, his re-imagining of Black Flag’s Damaged, but then “Stillness Is The Move”-driven Bitte Orca dropped. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but neither is sushi. Or foreign films. Or morning sex. Some people just don’t know what they’re missing.

Favorite Tracks:
“Stillness Is The Move” (download)
“No Intention” (download)

*6. Wild Beasts, Two Dancers

Imagine if your strongest feelings of love, lust and sadness were put into satiny, crisp, dark pop songs, only escaping in growls, yelps and hoots, like a cross between Interpol, David Bowie & an orgy. What you might conjure up would sound a lot like a British foursome known as Wild Beasts. If that doesn’t sound appealing, you could probably skip this one (but, honestly, how could that not sound appealing?).

Favorite Tracks:
“Hooting & Howling” (download)
“This Is Our Lot” (download)

**5. The Jobz, S/T

Sometimes you don’t need to write tons of drafts for something. Sometimes the words land exactly as you mean them to. Sometimes you’ve listened to something so much that it becomes ingrained in your memory, in your soul, in your heart. It becomes your secret identity, your late-night confession, the album you wrote but never wrote. I wrote the one-sheet for the Jobz, and I wrote it more quickly than any record review I’ve ever written. (That’s also the only time I’ve been asked to write a band’s promotional material and have accepted.) Sometimes you are taken over by something you fully trust in, and there’s no need to second guess it: This goes as much for my response to the Jobz as it does to the band’s acerbic, infectious garage rock.

Favorite Tracks:
“Human” (download)
“Flirt” (download)

The band is giving the entire album away for free. Download it from their website.

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz!

It says something about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ output that I can write a review about how I don’t like It’s Blitz! as much as I like Show Your Bones, and yet, they still easily make it in my Top 5 of the year. Read my full review of this album on Popdose.

Favorite Tracks:
“Hysteric” (download)
“Soft Shock” (download)

3. St. Vincent, Actor

Zooey Deschanel is supposedly the queen of the indie sweethearts, but can we please give that title to a wide-eyed brunette with some actual talent? Like, say, Annie Clark, known to the music world as St. Vincent? She’s sugar sweet, sour sharp, and could stand head to head with any male indie guitar virtuoso you could throw her way. Read my full review of this album on Popdose.

Favorite Tracks:
“Marrow” (download)
“The Party” (download)

2. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

If this list had been about the most personal albums released in 2009, the albums that told the story of my year, my life, Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone would have filled spots 1-10. Case’s thick skin laced with tenderness, and cynicism laced with hope spell out my battles almost as well as anything I could have written on my own. That note aside, Middle Cyclone is easily Case’s warmest and most personal release, despite the tough-girl cover. Read my full review of this album on Popdose.

Favorite Tracks:
“Middle Cyclone” (download)
“I’m An Animal” (download)

*1. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion

Go ahead. Laugh, roll your eyes, feign shock that I picked the same #1 that nearly everyone else did. But goddamn it, there is a reason why this album got to so many people, why people declared it the album of 2009, then other people back-lashed the hell out of it, then it turned out to be the album of 2009, anyway. For years, Animal Collective hinted at their soft, poppy underbellies, and Merriweather Post Pavillion finally saw them shedding their obligation to their dissonant reputation and making themselves a legit pop album. But it’s more than that. They not only let us into their pop psychology, but their day-to-day lives, as well, with tales of lust for their wives, obligations to their children and curtailing their desire to run away from it all. Sometimes personal growth reflects the growth of a community, and Merriweather Post Pavillion did just that. Which is exactly why this blog has shit on AC before, but this year, we’ve giving them what they’ve earned. Read my full review of this album on Popdose.

Favorite Tracks:
“My Girls” (download)
“Also Frightened” (download)
And “No More Runnin,” and “In The Flowers,” and…

Top 3 Albums Everyone Else Liked But I Didn’t
(Or: The time of year when I stop biting my tongue.)
(Or: I never said I’m not an asshole.)

3. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: It isn’t so much that I didn’t like this album as I found it unimpressive after you got past “Lisztomania” and “1901.” Those songs are great. The rest of the album? Meh. Dear Phoenix, here’s a tip: Don’t put your best two songs as the first two songs on an album.

2. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest: Snooze-fest, 2009! (Minus “Two Weeks.”) Don’t come at me with your arguments of subtlety this and headphone album that. It’s boring, that’s what it is. They’re a decent live band, but there are albums much more worthy of your headphones and your careful consideration.

1. The XX, XX: You know what your brain does to try and protect your body from harm? It gets you to fall asleep. I’d construct my argument against this completely over-rated, completely uninteresting album, but I fell asleep when someone put it on the stereo 5 seconds ago.

*Disclosure time: You may remember that a few months ago, I mentioned that I got hired by Domino. Well, I am soon to be no longer employed there. Both the Animal Collective & Dirty Projectors albums were released before I worked there. Only the Wild Beasts album was released while they were giving me a paycheck. So, if that makes you uncomfortable, just pretend it’s not on the list, and you’ll still have a nice, round number of 10 albums from me.
**Disclosure time, again: I personally know The Jobz. As in I sometimes talk to, hang out with, and drink beers with them. If you are of the opinion that being friends with someone renders you incapable of being legitimately critical of them, feel free to have a chat with the people I know whose requests to review their albums I’ve turned down/ignored.

If you want some idea of what I’ve been up to/where I’ve been hiding, you can tune in to East Village Radio tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 5th) morning, to hear me DJ the Domino Records Show from 10am – 12pm (EST).

You can also listen to the last couple shows I DJed by going to the archive and clicking the “listen” links for September 14th and August 3rd.

T-Sides is still not dead, I promise. I’m just regrouping. You know that scene in Singles, where Steve says he’s regrouping? Kinda like that.

As mentioned in the last post, I recently took a gig working for Domino Records, which means I’ll no longer be editorializing about Domino artists, but providing visual coverage – which brings us to the very first instance of such, Cass McCombs, who performed at New York City’s Joe’s Pub on Monday night. T-Sides has written about McCombs in the past, so you can find some relevant words here. Click the jump for some music, more information and pictures.

To see all of the pictures, check out the flickr gallery here.

Cass McCombs: “Dreams Come True Girl” (download)

Cass McCombs Official Site
Cass McCombs on MySpace

I’m truly sorry T-Sides and all related projects have been offline for so long. Chalk it up to summer, chalk it up to a quarter-life crisis, chalk it up to any sorry excuse for life taking us away from the things we love that require any amount of work. But let’s turn the focus on the positives. I’ve certainly continued ingesting and thinking about all things culture-related, just find myself less able to capture the associated thoughts. So, here’s a showcase of Top 15 things that have been on the T-Sides radar while we’ve been dormant (not in order of preference, simply in the order of thought). Click the jump to see!

1. TV on the Radio Remixes – Read Silence

Truth be told, remixes rarely appeal to me. A relationship with a song can be so personal, so intimate, that for it to be broken down into pieces and transformed can be like going to bed with someone you love and waking up next to a stranger. But holy hell, all three remixes on the Read Silence EP are breathtaking reinterpretations. The handy craft of Glitch Mob, Gang Gang Dance and Jneiro Jarel on these selections from Dear Science are perfect companion pieces to TV on the Radio’s compositions. It’s like finding out that someone you already love is an amazing cook or volunteers to teach children how to read or something.

TV On The Radio: “Shout Me Out (Willie Isz Remix By Jneiro Jarel)” (download)

***

2. Neko Case, Neko Case, Neko Case

Oh, Neko. It’s quite possible that my girl-crush on her has gone too far, considering I’ve begun to imitate her promotional art in portrait form. Middle Cyclone enchanted me so deeply that I went back to listen to Fox Confessor… and Blacklisted, and more frequently than any other current listening habit I’ve developed, I have a tendency to just put those three albums on shuffle. It’s only a matter of time until I own and then do so with her entire catalog.

Neko Case: “Runnin’ Out Of Fools” (download)

***

3. Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”

The reasons why this song is on repeat deserve their own list, because it mostly involves the lyrics, like “All up in the blogs,” and “Lyin’ that you’re sexin’ me,” but especially the line, “Got you all fired up with your Napoleon complex, seein’ right through you like you’re bathin’ in Windex.” Really. Oh, and it’s a Mean Girls reference. What’s not to love?

Mariah Carey: “Obsessed” (download)

***

4. Ear Farm

Go ahead and call me biased since my name has appeared on the site a time or two, but truth is, it’s not bias, it’s bloggist envy! The crew at Ear Farm have been coming up with some ridiculously insightful, entertaining and impressively original features. From countdowns like the “Top 10 Most Metal Classical Music Pieces” to exposes about fake myspace accounts to dinnerviews, Ear Farm has me constantly checking their site for updates – and checking my brainstorming well for better ideas.

***

5. Yeasayer

It’s not that I want these dudes to rush, by all means, I want them to take as much time as they need to write their perfect, perfect songs, but oh god I can’t remember the last time I was so prematurely excited for an album. All Hour Cymbals is still still still on heavy play because it is so so good, and “Tightrope” is so so good, and it’s just so so hard not to get so so anxious/eager/greedy for more! Their “Odd Blood” recording blog is a bright spot on my Google Reader every update, whether it be picture updates from their Woodstock recording cabin, random themes, crueal teasers or actual news. Between this and their upcoming Pier 54 gig, I hope my thirst for Yeasayer will be satisfied.

***

6. Jay-Z, “DOA”

Hovy Hov, it’s not that I stopped loving you, but the leaks and singles since the American Gangster stuff have been… well, mediocre. Your “A Billi” version of “A Milli” is fierce, and “Brooklyn We Go Hard” is a serious jam, but it’s not going to be on Blueprint 3? That made me think you had something better coming, but nothing I heard has really topped that. I was ready to side with your detractors and brush you off as an old man, outta touch – which, truthfully, I don’t neccessarily completely disagree with. But there’s something about you, that swagger, that love of old soul samples, that epic, hit-making ear that keeps me coming back for more. So I didn’t lose all faith. And then you relased “DOA,” which deservedly rips auto-tune, has those hot brass and guitar riffs and references my other favorite big-time rapper (Young Jeezy). Not to mention, a seriously piiiiimp video, featuring exploding assets, you smoking a cigar in front of an NY skyline and playing poker with Harvey Keitel. There I was, finessed by you again.

Jay-Z: “DOA” (download)

***

7. Music Direction on “The Sopranos”

Anyone who checks in on my personal tumblr has heard me talk about this before. I’m closing in on “The Sopranos” finale (and if you try to spoil it for me, I’ll cut your head off) after a couple years spent watching it via Netflix and friends’ copies of the show. Most HBO shows use music in the most incredible way, and “Nip/Tuck” is another great example of television music direction, too, but “The Sopranos” is so perfect, it’s as if they had an army of thousands, possessing the knowledge of every song to ever exist when selecting, as if they had brackets and votes and cage matches of which song is best for which moment. My recent favorite selection was the use of The Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile” in the Season 6, Part 1 closer. And, yes, I do already know what the big finale song is – but that’s all I know.

The Rolling Stones: “Moonlight Mile” (download)

***

8. Jaime Foxx, “Blame It”

I hated “Blame It” the first time I heard it. It’s demeaning to women no matter how you look at it – either we need liquor to have a one-night stand so as to not feel “easy” (women can’t be as sexually promiscuous as men), or Foxx is acknowledging that such a double-standard exists and is exploiting a loop hole (but is still, basically, trying to bone women by getting them hammered) – that stutter is annoying as hell if you’re not in the right mood, and someone should probably tell Foxx he’s not Usher (speaking of which, wherefore art thou, Usher?). That said, “Blame It” is club R&B gold, catchy and sing-a-long-able as all hell, and unsurprisingly fun to drink to (or get ready to drink to). I also acknowledge that the video is killer, though I probably only think so because it features an appearance from fellow redhead and The Music Man star, Ron Howard. Yep, that’s right. Ron Howard in a club video. Point: Jamie Foxx.

But I’d still love it if a woman did a version of “Blame It” targeted at male drinking stereotypes. (Hint: Ironically, it rhymes with frisky stick). Someone put me in touch with Beyonce and Rihanna’s agents!

Jamie Foxx: “Blame It (Feat. T-Pain)” (download)

***

9. Built To Spill

The minute Pacific Northwest Rock Royalty Built To Spill were announced as headliners for this year’s Siren Fest, I pulled out Keep It Like A Secret and There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, and haven’t stopped listening to them since. As with Neko Case, it’s only a matter of time until I jaunt through their entire discography. Luckily I’ll be getting another addition in the fall, in the form of There Is No Enemy.

Built To Spill: “You Were Right” (download)

***

10. VeniSin

From the gents who bear such musical fruits as Lilum and The Jobz comes VeniSin, an exericse in indulgence, masculinity and rock. You don’t need words, you just need to listen to this.

VeniSin: “Koadak Blues” (download)

***

11. Jake One, “Home”

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s that? I already posted this? You don’t say…

Actually, I don’t say, because it’s worth talking about again, between the opening shot at my beloved Dick’s Drive-Thru on Broadway, the Sir Mix-A-Lot cameo, the jokes about Seattle being a city of potsmokers, the digs at Seattle sports teams, and the laid-back, positive vibes. Seattle doesn’t get enough theme songs, so I’mma pimp this one, our best one, as much as I can. Even if you aren’t from the Emerald City, you can appreciate the skill of some of its best emcees.

***

12. The Dead Weather

After playing witness to their in-store at Jack White’s pop-up Third Man Records, it’s hard to listen to Horehound, which lacks some of the intensity and complexity of the live performance. But, at the very least, on “Treat Me Like Your Mother” and “I Cut Like A Buffalo,” Jack White’s passion is infectious, and Alison Mosshart makes a great toughsexy frontwoman for him to spar with. The rest of the album requires more digesting on my end, but I may never get past the way both songs make me want to slinky-swagger my way down the sidewalk and spit in some dude’s eye, or the violent video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” Can you imagine if you and an ex could have a shoot-out, knowing you wouldn’t kill the other person? I also have to point out the deliciously sinister fact that it’s filmed right outside some sort of copycat suburban housing plot.

The Dead Weather: “Treat Me Like Your Mother” (download)

***

13. Phoenix

The French popsters from the Lost In Translation soundtrack hit it big with this year’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, particularly opening tracks “Lizstomania” and “1901.” They have me smitten – me and everyone else, that is.

Phoenix: “Lizstomania” (download)

***

14. Wilco

I’m fully aware of the fact that I’ve knocked Wilco before. Though I’ve admittedly warmed up to them, in some ways, I still stand by my original statements. It takes way too long for Wilco albums to hit home, longer than I’m usually willing to spend on an album without some amount of faith in the artist. After hearing some live recordings, though, I decided to splurge on seeing the band with Yo La Tengo (who I, regrettably, only saw the last song of), and came away something closely resembling a fan. My favorite moments involved songs from A Ghost Is Born and Sky Blue Sky and the incredible guitarmanship of Nels Cline, who made sounds I’d never heard before. I don’t know that I’d call Wilco a new favorite, but I came away from the show willing to put a little more faith in their hands.

Wilco: “You And I” (download)

15. Domino Records

So, about that job thing. After an exhaustive job hunt, I’ve taken a positon with Domino Records (US), fine purveyors of alternative artists. Being a critic and working at a label puts me in a right compromising position, one that will be solved by my not expressing opinions regarding Domino artists. This unfortunately means I’ll have to refrain from further editorializing on Domino artists I’ve written about before – Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Cass McCombs, The Notwist, Arctic Monkeys – but is the best route to ensure things don’t get cloudy around here. There is a chance that I will decide to report facts - without critique or comment – from events I attend (for example, Animal Collective’s show at Prospect Park that I bought tickets for months and months ago), but should I do so, will disclose things of that nature to you, the T-Sides readers. Credibility and integrity still remain two facets I hold dear, despite being known as a blogger and the source of my current paycheck.

Van Morrison: “Domino” (YouTube)

Jake One: “Home”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cursive: “I Couldn’t Love You”

Click here to view the embedded video.

An overwhelming 27,000 people showed up to see David Byrne play a free show at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn on Monday night. The show was the opening of the 2009 Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. Celebration was easily the theme of the night, whether you were celebrating the fact that it didn’t rain, the fact that you managed to actually get inside the bandshell (many were detoured by the long, snake-like line, which purportedly began just before 11am), or the fact that you were seeing a legendary performer for free (or the cost of your donation).

The show’s focus was Byrne’s work with Eno, covering the Talking Heads’ three pivotal, mid-career albums, and their two collab LPs, 1981’s My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, and last year’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, with the latter release unsurprisingly taking the most focus. (Which explains the absence of hits like “Psycho Killer,” “And She Was,” and “Road To Nowhere.”) Still, Byrne brought out some of the bigger Talking Heads players, all of which got the crowd going – “I Zimbra,” “Crosseyed & Painless,” “Once In A Lifetime,” “Burning Down The House” (See T-Sides video below!), “Life During Wartime,” and the group’s funky Al Green cover, “Take Me to the River.” The hopeful attitude of the newer material was especially fitting, as Byrne serenaded, “I’m counting all the possibilities,” in “My Big Nurse.”

David Byrne & Brian Eno: “My Big Nurse” (download)

Byrne was more than capably backed, not only by an arsenal of musicians and back-up singers bringing a soulful, afrobeat flavor when needed, but also by a saucy dance troop. The spectacle made the show all the more joyous, at least for those within eye range of the stage. Overall, the audience was upbeat and well-behaved, dancing and singing at full force.

The sound was a little muddled at times (even close to the sound booth), and the vocals definitely could have been louder. Leaving the area was a slow process, though not much worse than it was in the days of the McCarren Park Pool shows. Hopefully over the course of the summer, those kinds of kinks will be worked out. And, hey, it’s hard to complain much about something that’s free.

For more T-Sides pictures, click here. For the setlist, T-Sides video of “Burning Down The House” from this show and more information, click the jump.

SET LIST:
Strange Overtones
I Zimbra
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses In Motion
My Big Nurse
My Big Hands (Fall Through The Cracks)
Heaven
Moonlight In Glory
Life Is Long
Crosseyed And Painless
Born Under Punches
Once In A Lifetime
Life During Wartime
I Feel My Stuff
Encore: Take Me To The River
Great Curve
Encore 2: Air
Burning Down The House
Encore 3: Everything That Happens

David Byrne: “Burning Down The House” Live @ Prospect Park Bandshell, June 8th, 2009

Click here to view the embedded video.

David Byrne Official Site
David Byrne on MySpace

Also there:
BrooklynVegan
Late Night Wallflower
Quiet Color
Village Voice