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Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:02:22 -0700

TOP EAR-BUMMERS OF 2009

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:15:42 -0700

TORO Y MOI - CAUSERS OF THIS

2009 was clearly the year for celebrating sunburns and coke hangovers, as everything felt synthetic, or at least represented itself as synthetic, and while this album is a pretty consistent listen, unless you smoke enough weed, it doesn’t take long before you break into a sweat and think “If this guy doesn’t even out the pitch, I am going to fucking kill somebody.” It narrowly makes the list as seem to smoke weed everyday, and get uncommonly high every time, making Toro y Moi sound like honey butter.

NEON INDIAN - PYCHIC CHASMS

I am not even finished with this list and I am already sick of this album, sober.

HANDSOME FURS - FACE CONTROL

Dan Boeckner could record a Where the Wild Things Are ‘Real Pile,’ and I could find something to like about it. And I’ll admit, 2007’s Plague Park was a more comprehensive effort, but Face Control is a pretty good listen, and by pretty good listen, I mean pretty good listen in lieu of the sexy photo shoot he participated in with his wife, and band mate, Alexei Perry.

RAIN MACHINE - S/T

I really rather enjoyed this album despite how readily it was shit on by basically everybody in the elite-music-blog-community. Not that I wanted to play it during a barbeque, or a baby shower, but in the way that sometimes on a leftover-dinner tuesday night it’s easier to put on headphones full of something bitchier than you could possibly muster. “Change my last name to ‘Big Fag!’” Awesome.

BEIRUT - MARCH OF THE ZAPOTEC/REALPEOPLE HOLLAND

I am not even certain that this came out in 2009, because the internet nullifies any-and-all projected release dates. However, wikipedia claims that it was released in January of this year, which likely means it was released in 2008, so it probably made last year’s list too. And if you had a head of hair like Zachary Francis Condon you would make multiple appearances on these lists [as well as in the panties of New Mexican Tweens.] Edges out Rain Machine because the latter ‘Realpeople-Holland’ EP is sugary-sweet electronic, and makes the former EP look as boring as thursday brunch.

LEONARD COHEN - LIVE IN LONDON

Clearly as an old man, Leonard Cohen has more game than the 1979 NCAA finals when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson outlined what would be the greatest rivalry in sports history. In fact, hearing this album feels a lot like Larry Bird showing up at your door and asking if he can teach you how to to put proper arc on a jump shot. Cohen humbly, and generously reads from his autobiography. I would have literally killed you and your boyfriend to be at this show.

THEE OH SEES - HELP

Clearly, these days, my taste buds prefer the psychedelic underground sounds of the 60s in concert with the more contemporary and economical quality of garage rock. This album was something I enjoyed and identified with immediately, but didn’t really appreciate until about the 25th listen. Put this on at your next shish-ka-bob BBQ and watch your guests go from bummers to dancey, drug-addled slippies.

DAN AUERBACH - KEEP IT HID

It’s nice to listen to a Black Keys record that leaves out the shitty parts of a Black Keys record. Clearly well-done, but something about his band, and the self-agrandizing way that they present themselves turns me off and always seems like two guys that ran a vintage clothing store decided to ‘take “being an asshole” to a whole new level.’ Too calculated. Whatever. I like it. Nevertheless.

WASHED OUT - HIGH TIMES

This album was apparently ‘solely released on cassette.’ Which is about as disingenuous as saying ‘I solely write with a typewriter,’ or ‘I solely travel by horse-drawn carriage.’ However, this album is a pretty solid listen after doing a J and riding around in your horse-drawn carriage late at night. Annoying anachronisms aside, this surf-bro has a good ear for taking danceable 80’s synth and slowing it down in conjunction with your drug intake.

MOUNT EERIE - WIND’S POEM

This album is the only one on the list that scares the shit out of my dog every time I put it on. Beautifully, beautifully done. A much appreciated follow-up to the Microphones albums.

DIRTY PROJECTORS - BITTE ORCA

It was hard not to like this album despite how unabashedly Brooklynish it sounds. The production is clean, and ‘Stillness is the Move’ is so disgustingly good it almost comes full circle to being bad.

BILL CALLAHAN - SOMETIMES I WISH WE WERE AN EAGLE

Bill Callahan, as far as I am concerned, exists in an entirely different galaxy than his contemporaries. At times I miss the oxidized-copper-roughness of Smog, but the songwriting hasn’t waned, and that’s what it really comes down to.

DAN DEACON - BROMST

Well this was completely unexpected. And I got completely unexpectedly black-out high the first time I listened to it. Put it on your stoned-queue, or save it for when you are feeling a little grumpy. Get real.

BELL ORCHESTRE - AS SEEN THROUGH WINDOWS

My boss came in late one night and put this on the stereo and it sort of fucked me up I liked it so much. With the exception of Philip Glass, this album puts my ears in unfamiliar territory. Maybe in 2010 I can read a book and gain some context for this sprawling epic Canadian shit.

PHASEONE - WHITE COLLAR CRIME

In addition to producing unimaginatively expensive digital backs for cameras, and feeding jello shots to lesbians in DC, Phaseone is also a frumpy white producer from St. Louis that consistently makes perfect panty-droppin’ mixtapes. White Collar Crime was no exception, and a great read all the way through. First remix of an Animal Collective track that doesn’t seem completely contrived or unnecessary.

CRYSTAL ANTLERS - TENTACLES

I was late on this. I couldn’t really get into the EP that preceded this album, which made me hesitant to spend any time with Tentacles. After I eventually sat down and listened to the whole album, I realized that the band harks back to many of the things I loved when I was in high school, and had an knack for Fugazi and Murder City Devils. This album makes me want to jump off of your roof and sell weed to your little brother.

WAVVES - S/T

I wore out this record in 2009. But let me tell you, this Nathan Williams guy who is Wavves seems like the sort of dude you want to make an arch-nemesis out of in real life. He’s one of those braaahs that doesn’t take his sunglasses off during an interview, and talks about writing music like it is some sort of god-given talent that is exclusively bestowed upon twats from San Diego. He would no doubt look at the things that I make and figuratively cast them aside into his pile of broken surf boards and Ray-Bans, while ultimately, I legitimately enjoy his work; so you win, Nathan Williams.

THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW - INVISIBLE GIRL

I still listen to 2004’s self-titled effort The King Khan and BBQ Show, like everyday. The cadillac pop sensibilities and jangly garage rock guitars recall most of my old favorites and now exist independently among my new favorties. Not unlike the Almighty Defenders collaboration, as well as any album found within the stable of new-garage-rock-revival, the filler is filler, and provide the mandatory ebb and flow of the genre. For example, the introductory single ‘I’ll be loving you’ makes a guy want to drink milkshakes at the Hop, and fuck cheerleaders between carburetor flushes on his cherry red hot rod. Alternatively, ‘taste buds’ make a guy blush during the ‘taste buds on my nuts, so I can taste up inside your butt’ part.

THE ALMIGHTY DEFENDERS - S/T

So what if the album reads as haphazard, or insincere. You take all of my favorite things about music right now and combine them into ‘black gospel garage rock’ and I will listen to it everyday, end of story. The anthemic quality of ‘Bow Down and Die’ makes you want to grab the person you are in love with and shake the shit out of them until they fall in love with you back. I love this album.

BLACK LIPS - 200 MILLION THOUSAND

I’ll admit I was really dissatisfied by the production quality of this record when I first listened to it. And I made this dissatisfaction public and specifically directed it at Craig and Sean, because they are the only other two dudes that seem to like Black Lips as much as I do. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like its low-fidelity aesthetic, but rather, the low-fidelity aesthetic in-lieu of their former, and more polished record, Good Bad Not Evil. It seemed like an insincere and unnecessary strategy at first, but after about a month I started to come around until finally it became one of my favorite records of the year. Maybe my taste in music changed this year. I don’t know. You were right Craig and Sean, and I’m sorry; especially for claiming that I could record a better sounding album “in my butt.”

GRIZZLY BEAR - VECKATIMEST

Yada yada yada this was really good. What more could possibly be said about this band.

WILD BEASTS - TWO DANCERS

2008’s Limbo, Panto was really beautiful. You could tell these British guys had some pipes and could write a proper song. Then Two Dancers came out and completely

tore my face off. Sounds a lot like if Antony, of Antony and the Johnsons, didn’t sing exclusively about dualism, and being a pussy.

MAYER HAWTHORNE - A STRANGE ARRANGEMENT

This was one of those embarrassing situations when you hear an incredible song and have no idea who made it. The song was “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” which was confusing at the time, because I thought surely a soul jam of this variety could not have possibly slipped through the cracks for me. Fortunately, the girl playing records is generous with her crate, and also works across the street from me at the record shop and actually delivered the record to me a couple days later. Not to mention the cover has embossed alligator print and came with a free single, NO BIG DEAL! I hear it all over the place now.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION

Celebrating this album any more would feel about as original as these Missoula hippies claiming that Bush was responsible for 9/11. He won, get over it. God bless America. This album kept marriage sacred and was clearly one of the best albums of the year.

ATLAS SOUND - LOGOS

This Bradford Cox guy seems a lot like a tool Super Store, thinks he’s got it going bossa nova, yeah right, thinks he’s captain knots, drinking out of cups. But everything he touches musically is undeniably beautiful and is instantly my favorite. Logos is more dreamy and a surprisingly uncompromising follow-up to last year’s Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. The album was released pretty late into the year, so to be fair, I feel like I need to sit with it a little longer before I can really start to understand it. ‘Shelia’ stands out as the maybe overly-sentimental but catchy single, and bridges that gap between the pop sensibilities of Deerhunter and the sketchbook quality of Atlas Sound efforts. I am not sure if this is good move for continuity or not. I much prefer the two entities to be independent of each other, like entities quite literally should be.

RAEKWON - ONLY BUILT FOR CUBAN LINX PT II

Holy cow this album was a long time in the making. Fortunately, not one white sneakerhead was disappointed with the final product, which was goddamn near perfect, and hopefully we won’t have to wait another 15 years to hear PT III.

LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS - MY WORLD

I read about Lee Fields while perusing the Stones Throw site, and immediately ordered it the next day. It completely blows me away. This album is ridiculous, and took four years to put on tape. Lee Fields has been recording since the sixties, and is more authentic than a beat down you might have received from Mike Tyson in the ring from March 6, 1985 to about February 11, 1990. Ultimately, Lee Fields makes late eighties MIke Tyson look like a first-rate pussy.

DJ QUIK & KURUPT - BLAQKOUT

This album turned my entire 2009 into the eighth grade all over agin. Deconstructing the lyric ‘Pop that twat’ while playing golf every other day. Never mind the fact that the beats are ridiculous, and it actually plays like an album that was thought-through start-to-finish. This shit right here, brought the fun back to hip hop. You can keep your Jay Z and your Empire State of Mind. I’ll keep drinking something that I can’t pronounce, and spillin’ each and every ounce.

FEVER RAY - S/T

What to even say about this album. I feel like I am giving the toast at my best friend’s wedding. The Knife was just so good for so long, and the just the thought of Karin Andersson branching out with solo work felt a lot like Michael Jordan saying, “Hey I am done with this basketball thing, I’m branching out and inventing a new and even BETTER game called Fevraysketball.” Yeah right! Get real! I am claiming this to be the BEST ALBUM of the mother fucking decade.

caesyo@gmail.com

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Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:10:37 -0700

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:55:43 -0700

Montana makes BBC news for its decision to make assisted suicide legal alongside Washington and Oregon. good.

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Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:08:54 -0700

sexbeerandhiphop:

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:41:21 -0700

sexbeerandhiphop:

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Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:35:43 -0700

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Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:26:18 -0700

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Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:54:41 -0700

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Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:21:06 -0700

IN THE NEWS TODAY 12/25

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:37:20 -0700

‘Woman knocks down pope at Mass; Christmas celebrations begin’

SISTER: ‘Don’t throw it away, a hobo will eat it.’ MOM: ‘We don’t know...

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:37:05 -0700

SISTER: ‘Don’t throw it away, a hobo will eat it.’
MOM: ‘We don’t know any hobos.’

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Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:56:02 -0700

(via hennenr)

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:08:31 -0700

(via hennenr)

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Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:33:42 -0700

(via digg.com) This photo of Plaza Cleaners has the most diggs...

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:34:00 -0700

(via digg.com)

This photo of Plaza Cleaners has the most diggs and is in the number one spot on digg.com for the day. Weird to think that I sat behind that sign for a couple years while in school. Good press for good people.

FULL DISCLOSURE: There are no homeless people in the Pearl District of Portland, where this photo was taken. Homeless people are killed and buried in the yet-to-be gentrified parts of North Portland. Also, the management is good at Plaza Cleaners, but the owners are cock suckers. Merry Christmas.

(via CAESY ONEY) Maybe sometime in 2010 I’ll have time to...

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:38:48 -0700

(via CAESY ONEY)

Maybe sometime in 2010 I’ll have time to mine through my photos of 2009. Like when I hung out with this baby mountain goat.

YOU’RE LYING!

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:24:47 -0700

YOU’RE LYING!

Kennedy could have used a Tim Roth to come in and tell him that...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:23:33 -0700

Kennedy could have used a Tim Roth to come in and tell him that the secret service, Jackie, and that boy scout are all lying.

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Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:21:42 -0700

IT'S ALRIGHT NOW.

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TOP EAR-BUMMERS OF 2009

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sexbeerandhiphop:

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IN THE NEWS TODAY 12/25

SISTER: ‘Don’t throw it away, a hobo will eat it.’ MOM: ‘We don’t know...

Photo

(via hennenr)

Video

(via digg.com) This photo of Plaza Cleaners has the most diggs...

(via CAESY ONEY) Maybe sometime in 2010 I’ll have time to...

YOU’RE LYING!

Kennedy could have used a Tim Roth to come in and tell him that...

Photo