Celebrate Matador's 105th Anniversary WIth A 102 Song Playlist At Spotify
It may have escaped your attention earlier this week, what with all the column inches afforded Taylor Swift's decision to remove music from Spotify, that the last remaining American who witnessed the formation of Matador Records had either passed away or disabled their Facebook account. With this historic occasion in mind, we've assembled a 102 song Matador playlist at Spotify that will either have you partying like it's 1889 or perhaps will provoke a huge outcry over all songs that are missing (for instance, Taylor Swift's earliest works for Matador). Write down your favorite omissions, and we'll try to get 'em cleared in time for our 110th Anniversary!
Who Amongst Us Has Not Projectile Vomited Upon Seeing David Coverdale Perform?
(because you've already heard far too much Whitesnake in your lifetime, here's The Sickness, instead)
I'd make a pretty good Lionel Huntz, but more importantly, the South Wales Argus reports a Whitesnake concert goer is suing after slipping in a pile of puke at a show last December.
Lindy Butcher, 39, went to the gig with her friend Caroline Burns and was walking to the Loft Bar in Newport Leisure Centre when she said she slipped and her feet went from under her, causing her to fall and land on both knees.
She said she was helped up by a man at the gig, on December 7, 2011, who told her she had fallen in sick.
Ms Butcher, who was not drinking as she was driving them both home that night and had flat-soled Converse trainers on, said: “It was horrifying, you don’t expect to fall in someone’s vomit.”
Ms Butcher, landlady at the Cwmcarn Hotel,was cleaned up with disinfectant, she says. She missed the start of the concert as she had to go to the first aid room and spoke to the front desk to explain what had happened. She then sat down to let Miss Burns enjoy the concert. Ms Butcher’s tickets were refunded as a goodwill gesture.
A claim filed against Newport council said she suffered bruising and soreness to her knees as well as pain through her neck and shoulders and muscle spasms between her ribs.
Fucked Up bringing Halloween horror to the UK
What do you want for Halloween? Not a question often asked, but let Matador take the time to make sure you're all getting what you want for this, the most special of holidays.Burned retinas? Pulverised ear drums? Sweaty hugs? More fun than you can shake a (broom)stick at? Well, if thats the case we might be able to help you, as Fucked Up bring their festive fun to the UK this week, culminating in a special show at The Scala in London on October 31st. And if you can't make the show? Well, the gift of a burnt eyeball is free to all, courtesy of the flyer below.
Along with the ever fantastic Fucked Up live show, we'll also have competitions for the best (and worst) fancy dress, prizes and a photographer to document all the stupidity. Support comes from the excellent (and costumed!) Eagulls and Cold Pumas, both of whom are well worth turning up early for.
Happy Holidays?
Further Fucked Up tour dates include:
October
28th – Paris, Pitchfork Music Festival (France) Tickets
29th – Leeds, Nation Of Shopkeepers (UK)
30th – Manchester, Soundcontrol (UK) Tickets
31st – London, Scala (UK) Tickets **Halloween**
November
1st – Hamburg, Molotow (Germany) Tickets
2nd – Loppen Christiana, Copenhagen (Denmark) Tickets
3rd – Lund, Mejeriet (Sweden) Tickets
4th – Stockholm, Debaser (Sweden)
Performing David Comes To Life, in full
11-14 -
11-15 - Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY* - tickets
* Titus Andronicus support at both shows
Australia tour (supporting Foo Fighters)
Nov 28 – Perth NIB Stadium
Dec 2 – Melbourne AAMI Park
Dec 3 – Melbourne AAMI Park
Dec 5 – Adelaide Cricket Groud
Dec 8 – Sydney Football Stadium
Dec 10 – Gold Cost Metricon Stadium
Dec 13 – Auckland Western Springs
TheWheelYLT: A Twitter-Fueled Wheelspin For A Pair Of Tickets
As many of you have read, Yo La Tengo is embarking on a tour where the band will go into each night putting the fate of the evening's setlist in the hands of a lucky wheel spinner.
To take the wheel concept into 2011 online contest mode, the band has posted a mesmerizing spinning contest wheel on their site - http://yolatengo.com/thewheelylt/.
Winning two free concerts tickets via the wheel is simple:
1. Follow (or be a follower already of) Yo La Tengo on Twitter (www.twitter.com/therealYLT).
2. Every day between 12 pm EST and 1 pm EST the wheel will land on one lucky Twitter follower.
3. That winning Twitter follower will win two free tickets to the following day's show near their hometown (travel to show is not included).
The wheel will claim the first winner tomorrow (Wednesday) for the Philly show.
(Note: To allay any travel concerns, somehow they have figured out how to select only followers near an upcoming show.)
Additionally, every night the band will be webcasting the wheel spin live on the home page of YoLaTengo.com.
A full rundown of dates and where you can buy tickets - should the wheel let you down - are on the band's site.
Obligatory legaleze:
1. Must be over 18 to win
2. Travel to and from show not included in prize
3. No purchase necessary
Jennifer O'Connor To Channel Her Inner Stevie Nicks In Philly
This news just in from the JOC camp....
She will be joining a loose cabal of "not-so-star-ish-indie-rock-stars" at Johnny Brenda's in Philly next Monday to perform Tusk front to back. I think this thing is also at Union Hall this Sunday.
A full press release right after the jump.
MARCH 29, 2010: In appreciation and celebration of musician Lindsey Buckingham's mad genius and one of modern music’s most “punk rock-soft rock” albums, Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society will perform its interpretation of the classic 1979 double album in its entirety Monday, May 17 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with special guest Jennifer O'Connor.
After five years of “Yeah, we should really do this... no, seriously!'”e-mails, phone calls, and drinking sessions, fellow Lindsey Buckingham/Fleetwood Mac obsessives Charlie Hall (vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has played drums with Jens Lekman, The War on Drugs, Windsor for the Derby, Tommy Guerrero and others) and Patrick Berkery (drummer for Danielson, Pernice Brothers, Bigger Lovers, Mazarin and others) finally put their musical pipe dream into action in 2009, and found four kindred music spirits to form The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society.
The six-person collective is based out of several points along the I-95 corridor between New England and Philadelphia, and also includes Tony Goddess (formerly of Papas Fritas, currently with Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents), Birdie Busch (a Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter), Samantha Goddess (a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, also of Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents) and Dave Hartley (bassist and vocalist with The Buried Beds, The War on Drugs and BC Camplight).
The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society is not a tribute act and will not perform in costume. The band features no defined character roles and is more a loving exploration of the album than a verbatim reproduction. For more about The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society, visit www.tlbas.com.
May 17 Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA (special guest Jennifer O'Connor - tickets $8, show 8 pm) www.johnnybrendas.com
The Decade Can't End Soon Enough (Unless You're Having Fun) - Matador Artists, Staff And Associates Remember 2009 (Before It's Done)
(sure, we're allowed to have an annual holiday party, but who's supposed to pay for the cleanup?)
Once upon a time --- when the bulk of our internet activity was longer than 140 characters --- the Matador website feature periodic news updates (almost all of 'em brutally late in arrival), along with an informal selection of staff and roster listening favorites. Said feature fell by the wayside when we made the fateful transition to the Matablog some 3 1/2 years ago. But fuck it, it's the holiday season, and what better way to embrace the spirit of sharing than with a ferocious onslaught of grandstanding, oneupmanship and elitist self-fellatio?
But enough about our plans for Matador's 21st Anniversary celebrations. Without further Freddy Adu, here's an impressive array of '09/decade favorite records, events & things from some of your most beloved Matador artists and the people who enable them. Dig in, after the jump :
O Memorable 2009!
By Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater
- “Anio No Mba Hisoko” by Mme. Ravao & Rajoro
-“Kemayoran” by Grup Bamba Pruang
- Three young Loggerhead Shrikes, nearly fledged, Guerrero Park, Austin
- Sound of feral cats tearing down my screen door
- The Tahitian Choir II: Rapa Iti (Shanachie)
- A startled family of skunks (mom & kittens), Tornillo TX
- Tarantula Hawks (Pepsis sp.), Tornillo
- Neumann M49 microphones and 80-series Neve consoles (Tornillo and Austin)
- Laphroaig single malt
- Jackrabbit and Peregrine Falcon, Mariscal mercury mine (abandoned),TX
-Acorn Woodpeckers – Chisos Mountains, TX
- Imperial Woodpecker, stuffed and mounted - Rare Bird/Type Specimen room, American Mus. of Natural History
- Saw the bones of a bird I collected years ago in the Falklands in a little box in a cabinet in the basement of the AMNH, awaiting the distant future
-“Why Baby Why” by George Jones
- “Dambala” by Exuma
- Long-distance conversations with Mark Ohe (in Germany) and Frank Longo (in a trailer on a mountain in VA)
- Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick, rising to the task again and again
- David Thomas Broughton at End of the Road Fest, Dorset UK
- Bought the last of the surplus Enron First Class Mail envelopes from Topps Office Supply, 5th Street, Austin
- Bach Sinfonia #9 in F Minor (BMW 795), as played by Glenn Gould (if you’re speeding) and by Tatiana Nikolaieva (if you’re crashing)
- Film: The Alchemist, by Bruno Monsaingeon
- Woke up with a body temperature of 105
- Found out my hearing hasn’t suffered as much as I thought
- Marshall 195 1x12 cabinet + 1963 Fender Princeton
-“Devotional Number One” by Roky Erickson
-“Apparently They Were Traveling Abroad” by Roger Waters
- Early frost killed the lavender, and the yellowbells.
- But the almond verbena was fine.
Kurt Dahle, The New Pornographers
Best of list for 2009
KURT VILE- Childish Prodigy
What can I say I don't get out much anymore, but I sure like this record... alot.
Brian Case, The Ponys
The Horrors - Primary Colors (XL)
Times New Viking - Born Again (Matador)
Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy (Matador)
XX - XX (Young Turks)
Beak> - Beak> (Ipecac)
Nudge - As Good As Gone (Kranky)
Niesennmondi - Destination Tokyo (Small Town Supersound)
Strange Boys - And Girls Club (In The Red)
Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen - Inspiration Information 4 (Strut / !K7)
Girls - Album (True Panther Sounds)
Woven Bones - Midas Touch EP (Zoo Music)
James McNew, Yo La Tengo
Top 14 things listened to and/or looked at in/ from 2009
1. The Best Show on WFMU
2. "Delocated"
3. "Move To California," Times New Viking
4. Achewood
5. Yura Yura Teikoku live gigs
6. Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Thin Air LP
7. "Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job"
8. Oneida, Rated O LP
9. Box Elders, Alice and Friends LP
10. Reigning Sound, Love and Curses LP
11. Why?, Eskimo Snow LP
12. Tortoise, Beacons of Ancestorship LP
13. The 13th Floor Elevators box set
14. "Steven Seagal: Lawman"
Cold Cave :
Jim Carroll
Ted Leo
Best of 2009 as of 12/15/09
JEFF: The Brotherhood live and on record in August
St. Vincent - live and on record in May
Battlestar Galactica finale in March
Hiking in Muir Woods redwoods, California in November
Learning to cook pasta like risotto in November
Us in the studio making a new record in August and September
Hard Skin in Brighton last night (12/14/09)
Finally being in a band that's on the same page enough to agree to covering Samhain in December
Early morning artcic walks on desolate beach in Rhode Island in January and February
Stuart Braithwaite, Mogwai
1 Four Tet/Burial - Moth (12")
2 Raekwon - OBFCL2 lp
3 Bill Callahan - Sometimes I wish we were an Eagle lp
4 Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport lp
5 Batman and Robin - comic
6 Twilight Sad - Forget the night ahead lp
7 Missisipi Records - ENTIRE OUTPUT!!!!!!!!!!
8 Arkham Asylum - PS3 game
9 Sunn - Monoliths and Dimensions lp
10 Lil Wayne - No Ceilings mixtape
Damian Abraham, Fucked Up
Coolest things of 2009
10) Reading on the Internet that I had gotten a job with Fox News
Even though it was 100% not true it was still funny to read about.
9) Playing in Serbia with Korn.
Any where else it the world and this would have been lame but because vit was in Serbia it was ill.
8) Kevin Shields hooking Sandy up with weed.
There are certain moments in that you could never imagine happening until you see it unfold.
7) Playing Glastonbury.
Sure we played at something stupid like 2pm on a friday but it was still one of the craziest shows we have ever played.
6) Finishing the the "Feed The World" cover.
It was touch and go for the entire process but thanks to the help of people on the record, Jon Drew, Matador and itunes it came to be... so buy it so we can give the organizations involved more money! (yes, that was a shameless plug)
5) Jeffrey Wright moshing during our Chemistry Of Common Life show.
Although I did not see this to confirm it, even if it didn't happen it is still funny to picture in your head.
4) Winning the Polaris
I still can't believe this happened but it did and Metric is bummed.
3) Being dissed by Thurston Moore
At ATP during a "Soft Focus" interview Thurston described Fucked Up as "dude-core" and while that is a super lame thing to say at least knows who we are!... kinda.
2) Touring China.
We snuck in via boat and toured for two weeks. It the most exciting tour we have ever done.
1) The Birth Of Holden
My wife and I became parents.
Peter Prescott, Mission Of Burma
in no particular order and not all music either...........fucked up-the chemistry of common living and 2 live shows i had the pure pleasure of seeing.........the coen bros.-a serious man...........explode into colors live.............. the joys of watching fellow old farts at play: jesus lizard at austin's funfunfun fest,the feelies opening for sonic youth in boston, faust in kentucky [i know,i know the kids have had it with this reunion shit and i sympathize,really,i do,so just make music better than these bands and i promise to shut the fuck up]...........this season's dexter....................erase errata live.....................reason's to watch the television at all:colbert and stewart..............pavement rising.............free converse,yay..................clinic live....................the end
Jared Phillips, Times New Viking
1. earles & jensen
'just farr the record' lp
2. times new viking
'born again revisited' lp
3. axemen
'scary' dbl. lp
4. text messaging (new for me)
5. moonshine
6. times new viking
'move to california' 7"
Jose Boyer, Harlem
Top Ten Dreamiest Buzz Band Ladies of '09
in no particular order...
Annie of St. Vincent
Vivian Girls (3)
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Pearl Harbor (both)
Natasha of Bat For Lashes
The girl from Beach House
Missy of the Love Language
Dean Bein, True Panther Sounds
Between losing a planner, having my computer stolen, and just generally having a poor memory these are the releases that stuck out this year. Thank god I can't lose my twitter page because then I'd truly be navigating the past blindly.
Cass McCombs- Catacombs
Omar Souleyman- Dabke 2020
Death- …For the world to see
Mt Kimbie- Maybes
Kurt Vile- Childish Prodigy
Spiritualized live at Primavera Sound
Joy Orbison- Hyph Mngo
Real Estate- Real Estate
Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix
Julianna Barwick- Florine
Delorean- Ayrton Senna
Liturgy- Renihilation
Nguzunguzu/Kingdom/Guido/Joy Orbison Floating Points 12"s and mixes
A Orillas Del Magdalena- Coastal Cubias From Colombia's Discos Fuentes
Telepathe- Dance Mother
Honorable mentions: Dominant Legs, Kyle Hall, Micachu, Young Prisms, Bullion, Pearl Harbour, The Ballet
Looking forward to in '10: SADE, Light Asylum, Magic Kids, Joker, Salem, Starring, new Lemonade and Glasser albums and countless exciting TPS-singles. A few exciting secrets too!
Natalie Judge, Matador Records
Highs of 2009:
Don Draper
The return of The Jesus Lizard
Spiritualized at The Royal Festival Hall performing 'Ladies and Gentleman...'
Synth Britannia on BBC4
Dirty 3 with Nick Cave play in a hotel room at ATP NYC
Burberry sample sale
Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans
Sonic Youth at The Scala, London
Primavera
Beggars Boat Race - 22miles down The Thames
Dotori Sushi, Finsbury Park
Lows of 2009:
Eating Andouillette for the first and last time.
Kevin Bodenheimer, Matador Records
My Ten favorite non-Beggars Group releases of 2009
Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
Prurient - Rose Pillar
Joshua Emery Blatchley - VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Peste Noire - Ballade Cuntre Lo Anemi Francor
Cold Cave - Cremations
Lil Wayne - No Ceilings
Cult Ritual - Cult Ritual
Theophilus London - This Charming Mixtape
Real Estate - Real Estate
Washed Out - Life of Leisure
Ten Best Meals I ate in 2009:
Porchini Mushroom Ravioli - Il Mulino (Manhattan)
Boiled Pork & Chive Dumplings with Peking Duck Sesame Pancake - Vanessa's Dumplings (Manhattan)
Greek Schnitzel Sandwich - Schnitzi Schnitzel Bar (Brooklyn)
Deep Dish Pizza - Giordano's (Chicago)
Italian Combo - Lange's Deli - (Scarsdale)
Swedish Meatballs - Aquavit (Manhattan)
Sweet & Pungent Pork - Hop Kee (Mahhattan)
Gui Zhou Spicy Chicken - Grand Sichuan St. Marks (Manhattan)
Beef French Dip Sandwich - Phillipe's (Los Angeles)
Adam Bohl, Matador Direct
12 things that just popped in my head that I liked this year
Woods - Songs of Shame LP
Intelligence - Fake Surfers/Crepuscule With Pacman LPs
Bassholes - ...and Without a Name LP
Young Governor - Virginia Creeper 7"
Hunx - Gay Singles LP
Circulatory System - Signal Morning LP
Zero Boys - History Of...LP
TV Ghost - Cold Fish LP
Ryan Pitts and the Boy Toys 7"
Fresh & Onlys - Grey Eyed Girl/Self Titled LPs and Bomb Wombs CS
Reigning Sound - Love & Curses LP
Almost all of the Columbus Discount Singles club (almost none of Sub Pop's)
Adam Farrell, Beggars Group
Top Albums
Thee Oh Sees - Help (In The Red)
Superchunk - Leaves in the Gutter EP (Merge)
Zion I - The Take Over (Gold Dust)
Abner Jay - True Story of Abner Jay (Mississippi Records)
Big Business - Mind The Drift (Hydra Head)
Sonny Smith and the Sunsets - Tomorrow Is Alright (Soft Abuse)
Clipse - Re-Up Gang (Got Snow Fall 2K9 Edition) Bootleg (mediashare.com)
Monolake - Silence EP (imbalance computer music)
Death - ...For The Whole World To See (Drag City)
Drake - So Far 8 Bar'd (rapidshare.com)
Top Work Rock Moments
The Bro'd Trip(s) (props to Mike V, the #1 shotgun rider in sales)
Andy Falkous' touching opus on leaked albums
Colbert grabbing a couple verses on "This Year" in front of a studio audience
Getting to write a marketing plan for Sonic Youth (and not having them puke all over it)
Touching the Doolittle 1/2 tape demos and all other bounty at the Beggars Archive
Jeremy P. Goldstein, Beggars Group
Top-10 rekkids of 2009
1. The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love - 4AD. MBV meets OMD? A male-fronted Curve? Either way, two great tastes that taste great together. Bring on the shoegaze revival!
2. Prodigy - Invaders Must Die - Cooking Vinyl. No one heard this record, really, but if this had been the follow-up to Fat Of The Land, I'd guess platinum status a few times over.
3. The xx - xx - XL Recordings. Truly amazing debut. Reminds me of Massive Attack.
4. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Slumberland. The great Slumberland label is resuscitated and issues excellent POPBAH record.
5. The Rifles - The Great Escape - Nettwerk. Supergrass for 2009? Works for me.
6. The Horrors - Primary Colours - XL Recordings. Talk about pulling a 180. Record is completely different than their debut and their newfound shoegaze attack won me over in a big way.
7. A Place To Bury Strangers -Exploding Head - Mute. I guess I'm really into the nu-skool shoegaze movement. Can you blame me?
8. Idlewild - Post Electric Blues - Cooking Vinyl. They pretty much just can't do anything wrong it my eyes. This album was a grower
9. Doves - Kingdom Of Rust - Astralwerks. A long-awaited eturn to form from Manc dreampop merchants.
10. Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper - Matador. Interpol side project? I don't care what you call it, Paul KILLED IT on this record.
Top-10 things that weren't rekkids.
1. Intelligentsia coffee, Chicago. As of right now, best espresso in US.
2. Manchester United winning their third title running. Losing Ronaldo and losing the Champions League final, not as awesome.
3. Blue Bottle coffee, San Francisco. SO CLOSE, but second. I think.
4. Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. This shit is so next level. Amazing stuff.
5. Moto, Chicago. One of the five most incredible meals of my life. Must be seen and tasted to be believed.
6. The architecture of downtown Chicago. Spent a fair amount of time there this year and between the Wrigley, Tribune and other downtown buildings: wow: mind-blowing craftsmanship.
7. Margherita pizza at Keste, NYC. In theory, the best pie in the 212. I vote yes.
8. The Big Island. Haven't been yet, but will be there in two weeks. Expecting lava fields to rank in my yearly top-10.
9. Stumptown coffee, Portland. These three coffee purveyors are providing far and above the expected. Destination coffee, for sure.
10. The wife. When you find The One, you gotta give her multiple shoutouts, right? Cornerstone of my life, awesome chef, and sidekick extraordinaire. And the fact that's she's hot doesn't hurt, does it?
Catherine Herrick, Beggars Group
London
- Getting the first stamp on my passport (!) and finally putting faces to the names of the lovely people at 17-19 Alma Road, One Codrington Mews and 66 Golborne Rd, and being warmly welcomed and taken care of by said people.
- Pastries in London. A flapjack from The Pantry, and an apple danish-type thing in the lobby of The K-West. Never been much of a pastry person, I just grabbed both hastily out of hunger without thinking either choice would be particularly appetizing until I took a bite. Face was subsequently MELTED-OFF in both cases.
- Jarvis Cocker at The Village Underground. I border on being a psycho fan, so this is a no-brainer to anyone who knows me.
- The Big Pink and Muse at The 02 Arena. Due to poor travel planning, Gabe and I got there just in time for "Dominos" (doh!) and got laughed at by everyone at 4AD. Then came Muse. Never really listened to them before, but it was refreshing to see such unabashed fist-pumping arena rock.
- Jay Reatard at Underworld. First time seeing Jay with the new band members. They KILLED IT.
- Atlas Sound at Cargo. Both Bradford Cox and Sian Alice Group played great sets, and I ran into The Early Years, love those guys!
- Spilling my beer all over Richard Onslow. It was an accident, and I did feel BAD about it, but... he's just so well dressed, it was KIND OF perfect.
- Being swarmed by a gang of drunken Brits decked out in Ponchos and Sombrero hats whilst ordering Margaritas for myself and Lucy Hurst.
- Some things just straddle the fine line between awesome and terrifying. Did I really dance like this in front of people at Milo's Birthday party??? Was definitely singing along to this at top volume, and it wasn't at a karaoke bar! Oh boy.
-Patrick Johnson's controversial hat. My birthday is coming up. Just sayin'
New York
10 notable show-nights in order of date
4/16 Throbbing Gristle at The Brooklyn Masonic Temple.
6/??? Sharon Van Etten (it was the weekend of Bushwick Open Studios, not sure of the exact date) in a loft in Bushwick.
7/4 Kurt Vile + Violators at Woodsist Festival (outside of Market Hotel).
7/29 Jarvis Cocker at Music Hall Of Williamsburg.
9/5 tUnE-yArDs at Music Hall Of Williamsburg.
9/26 the long awaited live debut of Courtier at Matchless followed by **** two acts whose names I don't know at Mighty Robot. If you were there can you PLEASE let me know who they were/are!???
10/16 The Horrors at Music Hall Of Williamsburg.
10/20 (more like 2:00am on 10/21, eep!) Hooray For Earth at Crash Mansion during CMJ.
10/23 Cold Cave at the Matador/True Panther CMJ Party at the Flamboyan Theater.
11/20 Bear In Heaven at Zebulon.
Jeremy Kirkland, Beggars Group
albums
10. papercuts-you can have what you want
9. animal collective-merriweather post pavilion
8 girls-album
7. the horrors-primary colours
6. the mountain goats-life of the world to come
5. the xx-the xx
4. wild beasts-two dancers
3. phoenix-wolfgang amadeus phoenix
2. yo la tengo-popular songs
1. foreign born-person to person
shows
mountain goats @ webster hall
sonic youth @ terminal 5
phoenix @ summerstage
best 7"
rainbow bridge 7"
movies
up
the hangover
inglourious basterds
Steve Knutson, Rough Trade Records
1. Alela Diane "To Be Still"
2. King Midas Sound "Waiting For You"
3. Kevin Drumm "Imperial Distortion"
4. Broadcast & The Focus Group "Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age"
5. Sound System International - King Tubby All-Stars
5. Animal Collective "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
6. Peste Noire "Ballade cuntre lo Anemi francor"
7. Lambchop "Live at XX Merge"
8. Cold Cave "Love Comes Close"
9. Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"
10. Headless Heroes "The Silence Of Love"
11. Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca"
13. Pere Ubu "Long Live Pere Ubu!"
14. Ancestors "II"
15. Micachu "Jewellery"
Annette Lee, 4AD
Things I've enjoyed this year (in no particular order and off the top of my head):
Efterklang @ Barbican, London
X Factor
Sushi of Shiori, London
All three ATP festivals. The hangovers afterwards were totally worth it.
Moving to a house with Sky+ and an enormous TV. End of my social life as I know it.
The entirety of SXSW
Charlie Brooker's Twitter updates
The entirety of Primavera Sound
Vodka - many varieties
Finding the rabbit hole at Glastonbury festival
Red wine
Blue steak
Deerhunter @ Scala, London
Malcolm Tucker (The Thick Of It)
Hector Montes, Beggars Group
Alphabetical (or Chronological) Lists of Favorites, 2009
albums:
John Adams - Doctor Atomic Symphony/Guide to Strange Places (Nonesuch)
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Drag City)
Dinosaur Jr - Farm (Jagjaguwar)
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (Domino)
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (Warner Bros.)
Ben Frost - By The Throat (Bedroom Community)
Girls - Album (True Panther Sounds)
HEALTH - Get Color (Lovepump United)
The Horrors - Primary Colors (XL)
Mission of Burma - The Sound The Speed The Light (Matador)
Nomo - Invisible Cities (Ubiquity)
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)
Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans (Sub Pop)
Rusted Shut - Dead (Load)
Sonic Youth - The Eternal (Matador)
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)
The Veils - Sun Gangs (Rough Trade)
Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy (Matador)
The xx - xx (XL)
EPs/singles:
Abe Vigoda - Reviver (Post Present Medium)
Cold Cave - Death Comes Close 12" (Matador)
Deradoorian - Mind Raft EP (Lovepump United)
The Horrors - "Whole New Way" 7" (XL)
Mayyors - Deads 12"
Nodzzz - "True To Life" 7" (What's Your Rupture?)
Pantha du Prince - "The Splendour" 12" (Rough Trade)
Superchunk - "Crossed Wires" 7" (Merge)
Talbot Tagora's side of the Abstract Distractions split EP (OlFactory)
Twin Stumps - Twin Stumps EP
Vampire Weekend - "Cousins" 7" (XL)
Young Governor - "Virginia Creeper" 7" & Hidden Love EP
reissues:
Mulatu Astatke - New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 (Strut)
Comet Gain - Broken Record Prayers (What's Your Rupture?)
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms / The Good Earth (Bar None)
The Jesus Lizard - Pure / Head / Goat / Liar / Down (Touch & Go)
Red Red Meat - Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop)
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (Legacy)
The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines (Sub Pop)
books (read in 2009, not necessarily released in 2009):
Roberto Bolano, 2666
Dan Chaon, Await Your Reply
Drew Gilpin Faust, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
Jason, Low Moon
Michael Kupperman, Tales Designed to Thrizzle: Volume 1
Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Charles Stross, Wireless
Twitter feeds:
bellinitheband (Bellini, the band)
hodgman (writer/expert Jon Hodgman)
MataWarehouse (the Matador Warehouse)
MKupperman (cartoonist Michael Kupperman)
OGOchoCinco (Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco)
scharpling (radio personality Tom Scharpling)
THE_REAL_SHAQ (the real Shaq)
tonymillionaire (cartoonist Tony Millionaire)
truepanther (Dean Bein of True Panther Sounds)
warrenellis (the English writer, not the Australian musician)
other:
- Not having to go to court after getting a summons for "blocking the sidewalk' while attempting to leave an Oh Sees show at Glasslands (7/2)
- Catching myself before I fell all the way off a 4th-story fire escape (7/11)
- Accidentally breaking into someone's unlocked cabin, thinking it was the one we'd rented for ATP New York, and being greeted by multiple pieces of evidence that the (thankfully absent) owner of said cabin owned guns and knew how to use them (9/11)
- Seeing The Jesus Lizard three times in 2009 (9/11, 10/31, 11/16)
- Receiving a Kindle for my birthday (9/29)
- Mike Venutolo-Mantovani ordering 40 shots of whiskey at the Beggars Group CMJ party (10/22)
- WFMU station manager Ken Freedman, drunk out of his mind on live radio (and in front of a live audience) at the UCB Theatre for Seven Second Delay (12/2)
- The following text from my fiancee after Alabama annihilated Florida to win the SEC Championship: "Game over. Tebow crying. Awesome" (12/5)
- The Fisticup (http://www.worldwidefred.com/fisticup.htm), a gift from my Secret Santa (12/10)
Steve Glauber, Matador Direct
Favorite releases from the decade-clincher: 2009
Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away LP
Ganglians – Monster Head Room LP
Girls – “Hellhole Ratrace”, “Lust for Life”
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion LP
Strange Boys - …And Girls Club LP
Sonic Youth – “What We Know”
Ty Segall – Lemons LP
Condo Fucks – Fuckbook LP
Ted Leo – “The Back Seat of My Car” from Tom Scharpling’s RAM tribute album, DOG
Intelligence – Fake Surfers LP
Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa – “Kiss the Ring”
Thee Oh Sees – Help LP
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca LP
Atlas Sound ft. Panda Bear – “Walkabout”
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
Matt Harmon, Beggars Group
Music
T.A.S.K. - Relaxing Time is Over LP (Heart Worm) - First album from this Berlin group with members of the Stuttgart collective Metabolismus.
Polvo - In Prism 2XLP (Merge) - It really is a triumphant return though it took me two to three listens to fully embrace it. Grab the double LP which comes with fantastic Independent Project Press gatefold jacket and on heavy weight vinyl.
Sun Araw - Heavy Deeds 12" (NNF) - Heavy Deeds, indeed.
Predator Vision/Sun Araw split 12" (NNF) - This was the first SA-related release I bought... "Hey, Mandala" yeah.
Samara Lubelski - Future Slip (Ecstatic Peace) - Love everything she does but this one considerably ups the game. Co-produced by Thurston Moore.
Girls - Hellhole Ratrace 10" (Fantasy Trashcan / True Panther) - The tune that started it all. This song and the b-side make up a near perfect bite-sized nugget.
Sic Alps - A Long Way Around to a Shortcut 2XLP (Drag City) - You reissue it, I get to list it again.
Woods - Songs of Shame LP (Woodist) - Yes, I am on the bandwagon for this one, but still waiting on the next Menaguar album.
Graham Lambkin - Softly Softly Copy Copy CD (Kye) - microphone abuse, field recordings, violin drone .... makes me miss The Shadow Ring even more than I already do.
Infinity Window - Artifical Midnight LP (Arbor) - Heavy drones. "Sheet of Face" is the jam that you want to hear.
Amen Dunes "DIA" CD (Locust) - Reverb-drenched psych gem.
Tony Conrad///Genesis Breyer P-Orridge - Taking Issue LP (Dais) - Violin vs. violin. Living legends live at Issue Project Room.
Yo Gabba Gabba - Music is Awesome CD (Filter) - All I know is that show is trippy as hell, involves Biz Markie and this album keeps my son busy for 40 minutes in a row.
Live experience of the year
Soldiers Of Fortune @ Bell House 9/24/09 - scorching 21-minute version of "Wooly Bully" featuring the triple guitar threat of Pat Sullivan, Bruno Merrick and Mike Bones plus Brad Truax, Kid Million & Barry London.
Art books
"Paris 48 2 29E" by Ami Sioux (OFR) - US ex-pat musician/photographer who has friends draw a map to a favorite place which she follows and then takes a photo of. Sounds weird but very personal and affecting. Follows 2008's Reykjavik 64 08N21 54W.
"Matthew's Ghost Houses Long Gone" drawn by Nigel Peake (Nigel Peake) - Second year in a row that I've included a book from Scottish artist Nigel Peake. I can get enough of his incredible ink line drawings, subtle watercolor work and astute observations of the world around him.
Rokuro Taniuchi "Works" - I made this title up because all the text is in japanese but incredible overview of the work from this illustrator of weird, creepy and quite surreal kids books, murals, television shows and more. Only available from Amazon.co.jp and costs about $35 in shipping alone, but well worth it.
which reminds me ... ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.com - my favorite site for book art, cover designs, illustrations and downright incredible images. Turned me on to Taniuchi earlier this year.
Lisa Gottheil, Beggars Group
In no order:
1. The xx -- fun since August!
2. Getting to meet and work with Jarvis Cocker. Swoon Oh. I checked 08 list and I guess I met him last year. Re-meeting Jarvis and continuing to swoon.
3. Having a 2 1/2 year old - she cracks me up
4. In December discovered the show "The League" . Other TV that filled my time : Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Yo Gabba Gabba (see #3)
5. Having a 'hockey boyfriend"
6. Having a real boyfriend/baby daddy
7. "Dominos'
8. Rediscovering my love for select festivals and the fun that comes with the artist pass
9. First snowfall upstate
10. Swimming in the lake in the summer
11. The Ham/Swiss/Pickle sandwich at the deli on the SW corner from our office
12. My continued adoration for "Gossip Girl" and Nate
13. My gym opened a branch 2 blocks from home. Yes, very sad this is part of my list
14. Jawbox on Fallon
15. NOFX's "My Orphan Year' Sad song
16. Seamless Web and I became very good friends
Jonathan Lang, Beggars Group
Shows
Yo La Tengo - Roseland Ballroom
St. Vincent - 92Y Tribeca
The Horrors & NIN - Bowery Ballroom
Real Estate & Titus Andronicus @ The Whitney
Releases
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion + Fall Be Kind EP
St. Vincent - Actor
Girls - Album
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
The XX- XX
Real Estate - S/T
Washed Out - Life of Leisure EP
Tracks
St. Vincent - Marrow
The XX - Crystalized
Real Estate - Fake Blues
A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Close Chorus
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Animal Collective - My Girls, Why Would I Want? Sky
Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
Yo La Tengo - And The Glitter Is Gone
Washed Out - You'll See It
TV
Modern Family (ABC)
True Blood: Season 2(HBO)
Lost: Season 5(ABC)
Dexter: Season 4 (SHO)
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 (SyFy)
Heather MacIntyre, Beggars Group
with gerard's permission, instead of living in the past, i've decided to write about thing's im looking forward to in 2010:
MUSIC:
- Magnetic Fields - Realism (Nonesuch)
- Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 2010 project, (4AD)
- Harlem - Hippies (Matador),
- Cloud Nothings - Untitled 12" (Group Tightener),
- The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth LP (Kanine),
- The Super Vacations - Thank You LP (Shdwply),
- Four Tet - There Is Love In You (Domino),
- Jonsi 2010 LP (XL Recordings),
and most/finally: Serena-Maneesh S-M #2 LP (4AD)
MORE "B" THINGS: bike-rides, bbq, brevity, bourbon, believing, bonfires, bartering, beats, bravery, baking, and by all means, balance
FINALLY...
- Stop having the reoccurring lucid nightmare involving a shark, in the Lightning Bolt mask, in the context of a Goosebump choose-your-ending book scenario.
- Popping my "way too late night karaoke" cherry that i've suppressed for the last year and change, with staff
- Taking up smoking in order to become closer to co-workers, and overall, look cooler
- Broadening my already pathetic, extensive collection of foreign vampire movies
- The final season of LOST (it needs to end)
Robby Morris, Matador Records
(in no order)
blues control - local flavor
broadcast & the focus group - witch cults of the radio age
demdike stare - symbiosis
emeralds - what happened & allegory of allergies
little claw - human taste
cass mccombs - catacombs
salvation - of unforgiving wind 12"
shackleton - three EPs
thee oh shees - help, et al.
vladislav delay - tummaa
young governor - virginia creeper b/w & i'm a mess & english tim b/w in the heart of a harem 7"'s
Todd Netter, Beggars Group
So I could undoubtedly fill my top albums of the year with Matador/Beggars Group related albums but where's the fun in that? So here goes...
5 Bands/Albums I Listened To A Lot In 2009:
Japandroids Post-Nothing
Foreign Born - Person To Person
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Real Estate - Real Estate
Thee Oh Sees - Help
5 Bands/Albums From 2009 I Plan On Listening To More in 2010:
Obits I Blame You
Best Coast Best Coast + Make You Mine 7"s
Cymbals Eat Guitars Why There Are Mountains
Fuck Buttons Tarot Sport
Neko Case Middle Cyclone
5 Favorite Albums of the 2000s (admittedly nothing out of left field here and everything is from the first half of the decade but I listened to these 5 albums so much and in the end they may just be my favorite of the 2000s):
Sufjan Stevens Illnois
Arcade Fire Funeral
Boards of Canada Geogaddi
The Shins Oh, Inverted World
Elliot Smith Figure 8
5 Favorite Matador/Beggars Group Shows Of 2009:
Titus Andronicus at the Whitney Museum (July) - a rowdy show, so rowdy in fact that security had to cut their performance short by a song or two.
Yo La Tengo at the Roseland Ballroom (Sept) - band's music was accompanied by a terrific light show put on by Joshua White and Gary Painter
Mission of Burma's "Burma Day in Boston" (Oct) - Burma was properly recognized, in the form of a declaration from the City of Boston.
Jay Reatard's "Shattered Records Tour" at Le Poisson Rouge (Oct) - now that was a bill, 4-5 hours of great bands and great fun. more of a party than a show.
Camera Obscura's show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (Nov) - the very best I've heard them sound when playing songs from My Maudlin Career.
5 NYC moments for the history books (2000-09):
Sept 11, 2001
the Northeast Blackout of August 2003
the NYC Transit Strike in December 2005
the closing of the original Yankee Stadium - Sept 2008
Barack Obama's inauguration - January 2009 (ok not a NYC specific day but a pretty historic one nonetheless)
Gabe Spierer, Beggars Group
Foreign Born - Person to Person
All things Young Governor (esp. "Virginia Creeper" 7")
Atlas Sound - Logos and live in London in November
The fact that Epitaph did the Blood Brothers deluxe CD reissues. Not the albums themselves (which range from good to perfect), just the fact that this series exists. Amazes me for some reason.
Nine Inch Nails live at Bowery Ballroom
Death - ...For The Whole World To See
Girls - Dave Martin tells me, "Saying 'I told you so' is poor form." OK. Great year for Girls! Never saw it coming.
Watching The xx happen. Never saw it coming. No, really, I didn't.
Luxury - "Green Hearts" from "Yellow Pills: Prefill" comp. The first song after The xx on my iTunes, so I listened to it a lot. Power-pop magic.
The Horrors - Primary Colours and live at Music Hall of Williamsburg in October (always pretty great live, but this was like last-show-of-a-long-tour crusher-style honing-your-shit-every-night-across-America awesome)
Jay-Z live at Liberty State Park
Times New Viking - Born Again Revisited and live, always. Maybe the best band in the world, and definitely the funniest.
The Magic Kids live...Just the right side of a very thin line.
Zachary Cale - Walking Papers
Mike Venutolo-Mantovani, Matador Direct
Sound Things
Superchunk - Leaves in the Gutter EP (Merge)
The xx - xx (XL/Young Turks)
Sonic Youth - The Eternal (Matador)
Dinosaur Feathers - Fantasy Memorial EP (Self-released)
Young Governor - Virginia Creeper 7" (Self-released)
The Dutchess and the Duke - Sunrise/Sunset (Hardly Art)
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another (4AD)
Death - For The Whole World to See (Drag City)
Wildbirds and Peacedrums - The Snake (The Control Group)
Pants Yell! - Received Pronounciation (Slumberland)
Anni Rossi - Rockwell (4AD)
Ofege - Try and Love (Academy LPs)
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)
King Khan and BBQ - The Invisible Girl (In The Red)
Woods - Songs of Shame (Woodsist)
Rainbow Bridge - Big Wave Rider 7" (True Panther Sounds)
Blue Roses - Blue Roses (XL)
Sight Things
Fucked Up at the Independent
Dinosaur Feathers at Cameo (first night of residency)
Built to Spill at Terminal 5
Future of the Left at Spike Hill
tUnE-yArDs pretty much every time I see her
Kurt Vile at The Empty Bottle
The Mountain Goats at Webster Hall
Jay Reatard at Fingerprints
Sonic Youth at Electric Factory
too many others to list...
Happy Things
The Bro'd Trip
Finding the third piece of the Sherpas puzzle
Gibson's Steaks
Tiger Woods
ET's face when she met Ibold
Practicing Sonic Youth tunes in a beer closet with Gabe
Dean's office (file under "The Appropriation of True Panther Sounds")
Eula opens for Mission of Burma
Todd Netter: Karaoke God
Chicago weekends with the Big Goober
Hours upon hours of shit talking with Helen
Sonic Youth's House of Shifting Plates and Ridiculous Juice
Youtube-ing plane crash videos in an effort to scare the shit out of myself
Ben Goldberg's Dave Martin impression
Having a Matador logo on my paycheck
The Chicago Aquarium
Beggars/Matador Saucony Team... Trivial Pursuit night especially
Jay Reatard instore tour
Playing 50 shows in one summer with pow wow!
The Fesken/Fiedler wedding... don't let anyone tell you Ex Models can't dance
Izzy finally getting used to my beard
The opportunity to work with Sonic Youth
A return to form in dick and fart jokes
Hockey Bob
Pitchfork Festival
J Mascis on stage with Built to Spill
Atlanta Jin Jin
Villanova Basketball (Top 5!!! Go NOVA!!!)
Realizing that mom is tougher than I ever could have imagined
And so is dad
Chicago rock and roll buddy Dave
Hanging out in Paul Rosenberg's Magical Warehouse of Taxis
Making fantastic records with Dinosaur Feathers & Sherpas in said warehouse
Writing a "Best Of..." list for this here site
Best of 2009
Somehow convincing these guys that it'd be in their best interests to hire me
Worst of 2009
5 trips to Chicago and not one stop at Taco Burrito King. Weak, Mike... Reeeal weak.
The fucking Giants
The fucking Mets
Jimmy fucking Johnson
Helen's fucking bike
Dave Martin, Matador Direct
New records
1. Dutchess & the Duke - "Sunset/Sunrise" Hardly Art
2. Blues Control - "Local Flavor" Siltbreeze
3. Thomas Function - "In The Valley of Sickness" Fat Possum
4. Reigning Sound - "Love and Curses" In The Red
5. Mantles - S/T Siltbreeze
6. Greg Cartwright - "Live At The Circle A" Dusty Medical
7. Tyvek - S/T Siltbreeze
8. CoCoComa - "Things Are Not Alright" Goner
9.Espers - III Drag City
10. The Mayfair Set - "Young One" Captured Tracks / Woodsist
Almost: the Clean - "Mister Pop", Vivian Girls - "Everything Goes Wrong" V/A - World's Lousy With Ideas Vol. 8, Boys Club - S/T, Heavy Trash - "Midnight Soul Serenade", Mannequin Men - "Lose Your Illusion Too", Naam - S/T, Polvo - "In Prisim", King Khan & BBQ Show - "Invisible Girl", Blank Dogs - "Under and Under"
Old Records New Again
1. Death - "For The Whole World To See" Drag City
2. Bill Fox - "Shelter From The Smoke" Scat
3. Crushed Butler - "Uncrushed" Radio Heartbeat
4. Mirrors - "Something That I Would Never" Velvet Times
5. Ivy Green - S/T Pogo
6. Ofege - "Try And Love" Academy LPs
7. V/A - "Messthetics #107: London DIY vol. 3" Hyped2Death
8. Big Star - "Keep An Eye On The Sky"
9. Thin Lizzy - "Still Dangerous: Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977" VH1 Classics
10. Betty Davis - "Is It Love Or Desire" - Sundazed
Almost: Velvet Underground 7" box, Love - "Love Lost", V/A "Where The Action Is: L.A. Nuggets" Eddy Current Suppression Ring -S/T, Nerves -"One Way Ticket" & "Live @ The Pirate's Cove" & The Breakaways "Walking Out On Love" , V/A "Total Pop Vol. 1" and a bunch of records that got reissued that are essential but I didn't get too crazy about because I already had that action (not trying to be "that guy - just old) like the Jesus LIzard, Monks, The Terminals and the Feelies
Singles or EPs
1. Wounded Lion - "Creatures in the Cave (Ballad)" b/w Parots - Gilongo
2. Mike Rep & the Quotas - "Donovan's Brain Pts. 1 & 2" Columbus Discount Records
3. Sandwich - "Assisted Living" b/w "I've Had A Few" Columbus Discount Records
4. Cave Weddings - "Bring Your Love" b/w "Let's Drive" HoZac
5. Idle Times - "Get Your Feet Off The Ground" b/w "Driving You Sad" Woodsist & "Million Miles Away" b/w "Whatever Works For You" HoZac
6. Cheater Slicks - "Erotic Woman" b/w "Can't You Hear My (Heartbeat) " Columbus Discount Records
7. Monks - "Pretty Suzanne" b/w "Monk Time" Red Lounge Records
8. Kim Phuc - "Weird Skies" b/w "Suicide Circle" Dear Skull Records
9. Mark Sultan - "Hold On" b/w "I Hear A New World" Sub Pop & "I Am The End" b/w "Catastrophe" In The Red
10. Blank Dogs - "In Here" 7" - Down In The Ground Sure it is a great record, but it was eclipsed the drama surrounding it.
Almost: The rest of the Columbus Discount Records singles club records that came out in 2009 (and Year two has been pretty great so far too). Pyschedelic Horseshit "Shitgaze Anthems" & "Too Many Hits" (even if I just listed it), Silver Shampoo 7" on Whats Your Rupture?, White Mystery - "Powerglove" "Aaron" b/w "Ye Olde Stone" on HoZac
Blake Thomas, Beggars Group
Food: Top 3 steak sambos I've had recently in NY
1. Harry's Cafe
2. Pastis
3. Estancia (Greenwich st.)
Album: The Dutchess and the Duke "Sunset/Sunrise" (sorry Dave, but the shit is good)
Video: Dinosaur Jr. - Over it
Beer: Life & Limb (Sixpoint Bengali Tiger is real tasty too)
Booze: Black Maple Hill Small Batch Bourbon
Single: R. Kelly Echo
Movie: House Of The Devil
Team: Jayhawks. Beak ‘em
Show: Kurt Vile at Mercury Lounge
Blog: Hipster Runoff
TV: Friday Night Lights is real good
Patrick Amory, Matador Records
Best of 2009, a/k/a Adieu Vieille Europe:
1. Peste Noire - Ballade cuntre lo Anemi francor CS (De Profundis)
2. Young Governor - Hidden Love 12" EP (Parts Unknown)
3. Killed By Glam comp LP (Moonboot)
4. Ash Pool - Saturns Slave 7" (Hospital Productions)
5. Arthur Russell - Come To Life 7" (just the Arthur Russell side) (Terrible Records)
6. Tyvek - Tyvek LP (Siltbreeze)
7. Mount Kimbie - Maybes 12" (played at 33rpm) (Hotflush Recordings)
8. Eight Acts Of Origin comp LP (Raging Bloodlust)
9. Messthetics #107: DIY '78-'81 London III comp CD (track 10 onwards) (Hyped 2 Death)
10. Ashdautas - Shadow Plays of Grief and Pain CD (Ixiol Productions)
11. GG King - Adult Rock 7" (B-side only) (Douchemaster)
12. Spiritual Singers - Ntsamina LP (Mississippi)
13. Aardvarck - Blööm 3 12" (white label)
14. Omar Souleyman - Dabke 2020 CD (Sublime Frequencies)
15. Ofege - Try and Love LP (Academy)
16. Cedric IM Brooks & The Light Of Saba - The Magical Light Of Saba (Honest Jon's)
17. Dodsferd - Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow CD (Moribund Records)
18. Legends Of Benin comp dbl LP (Analog Africa)
19. Fleetwood Mac In Concert February 5, 6, 7 1970 4XLP box set (esp 2nd sidelong version of Rattleshake Snake) (Vinyl Lovers)
20. Ouaga Affair: Hard Won Sound Of The Upper Volta 1974-1978 dbl LP (Savannahphone)
Gerard Cosloy, Matador Records
Jeffrey Novak – After The Ball (LMN)
Jesu – Opiate Sun (Calo Verde)
Bad Sports – s/t (Douchemaster)
The Golden Boys – Electric Wolfman (Daggerman/Alien Snatch)
Maximo Park – Quicken The Heart (Warp)
Tommy Keene – In The Late Bright (Second Motion)
Hex Dispensers – Winchester Mystery House (Douchemaster)
CoCoComa – Things Are Not All Right (Goner)
Love Collector – “My Baby Goes Waaah!” 7? (Big Action)
John Wesley Coleman – Steal My Mind (Certified P.R.)
Tyvek – s/t (Siltbreeze)
The Mayfair Set – Young Ones 12? EP (Captured Tracks/Woodsist)
Box Elders – Alice & Friends (Goner)
Chimiks – s/t (Slovenly)
Young Governor – “Virgina Creeper” 7? (Plastic Idol)
live :
Mayyors (someone's house, March)
Gunslingers (Beerland, March)
The Muffs (Southpaw, Brooklyn, January)
Ratas Del Vaticano (Sound On Sound, May),
Gentlemen Jesse & His Men (The Earl, Atlanta, August)
Cruddy (End Of An Ear, December)
Don Howland's A Burning Bus (Murphy's, Memphis, September),
Axemen (Broken Neck, November)
Total Abuse (Cake Shop, NYC, January)
Andrew Dice Clay (Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, November)
Pierced Arrows (Satyricon, Portland. October)
Endless Boogie (Beerland/Music Gym, March)
TV Ghost (Headhunters, March),
Brutal Knights (Emo's, May)
Jesus Lizard, (Waterloo Park, November)
Spider Bags / John Wesley Coleman (The Grand, December)
but for sheer consistent brilliance, over and fucking over again, Dikes Of Holland
worst things about 2009:
the home field disadvantage(s) of Citi Field
Sound On Sound closing
best things about 2009 :
furry fire alarms!
Manny Pacquiao
Trailer Space
The Diceman cometh
Sonic Youth, Andrew "Dice" Clay, there have been a lot of amazing shows in the past few days. Hickory-dickory-dock, folksss...
A Homeless Guy's Editorial : Tony Victory's Idea Of Karma
As readers of America's most popular music blog have probably already heard, yours truly had a particularly unpleasant Monday night/Tuesday morning ; to wit, my South Austin home completely burned to the ground. Everything I owned --- along with the possessions of 2 roommates/dear friends, was lost in the blaze.Over the past two days, I've been truly humbled and touched by how many of you --- friends and strangers alike --- have reached out to offer support, a place to crash, something to eat, etc. Sadly, I can say that such expressions of humanity were not unanimous.
As readers of America's 2nd or 3rd most popular record label blog are probably aware, I've made a frequent practice at poking fun at Victory Records and the brains behind the operation, Tony Brummel.
Earlier today I received the following e-mail message from someone claiming to be Brummel ;
I've got to admit, I had previously underestimated Brummel. Not only would I have bet real money he couldn't spell karma if you spotted him the K-A-R, but he's even capable of attaching a .gif all by himself. But here's the serious conclusion you can take away from this ill-advised attempt at a rejoinder ; Brummel considers my watching my home and possessions turned to ashes karmic payback for....criticism of his record label? An innocent pet burning to death is acceptable payback for mocking his dopey-as-fuck records, ads and business practices?
If you're a fan of Victory or the label's bands, I've got no quarrel with you. We all like what we like and no one needs to apologize for that not even fans of these schmucks. Honestly, though I can't speak on behalf of his current or former roster (or employees), I don't think Tony Victory's aesthetic crimes are deserving of anything other than good old fashioned ribbing. What he expressed to me today, however, is another story. I think he deserves to have it widely circulated. Brummel can rub himself raw at the thought of my suffering personal or material loss ; if something similar happens to him, I'll be the first person to ship Tony a box of good records. They might be the first decent ones he's ever heard.
2008 - The Year In <strike>Self Congratulation</strike> Music : Matador Artists, Staff & Pals Feel The Need To Share
(work crews feverishly prepare for the announcement of just what we've been watching and eating in 2008)
Every December I send out a rambling, somewhat desperate electronic message to the Matador artist roster (well, most of 'em) along w/ label staff and our Beggars' colleagues, begging for their favorite people/places/things/records/memories from the year about to conclude. We've got our longest list of best-of's so far, though keep in mind, if Gabe and Dave's submissions were edited, we'd be back to our mid '90's brevity all over again. Read 'em and weep, after the jump - G.C.
Jonah Falco, Fucked Up
Top Ten times I wished I was dead on tour this year:
10 - Zurich: Band mates spread false rumours on the internet about my other band breaking up right before a 2.5 week tour of the UK. Rash of confused emails from every promoter arrives, wine spills all over my brand new shirt. The stain is in the shape of Lake Eerie.
9 - Glasgow: I send our driver to the wrong airport to pick us up and as a result we have to sneak into T in the Park festival and almost miss our set. Walked into Rage Against the Machine's backstage area but no one would play me at Ping Pong.
8 - Anytown: Damian tucks his penis between his legs to make a Mangina while facing the drums, but it pops out like springy snakes in a fake can of Cashews and I drop my sticks in the middle of "Crusades."
7 - New York City: Hour 6 and onward at the 12 hour gig. My joints are all the size of grapefruits from playing so long....my hands still haven't recovered. Playing a show the next night and having a bouncer advise me to "Do Well" because his friends "The Hell's Angels" were there.
6 - Buffalo: We actually found a portion of Buffalo that didn't look like the scene in Dresden from the film version of Slaughterhouse 5, but ate Chinese Food that was about the equivalent taste to a condom filled with mealworms.
5 - Playing a house show, I get hit in the face with a firm object and start to bleed. I look at my snare and it's a sneaker, I look up and some rotten faced, scabby bastard is smiling at me giving the finger.
4 - Madrid: Developing a cold, bloated, and sitting backstage eating pieces of Salami, Sandy says "look behind you" and there are 5 cockroaches descending on me like the tarantulas in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
3 - Basque Country: Playing with the Adolescents and shouting "WHERE ARE THE ADOLESCENTS????" at the dinner table as they all quietly dined RIGHT BESIDE ME. Casey Royer threw me into a black hole later.
2 - Philadephia: Invited to do a DJ set, I basically drag the whole band to some shit bar in downtown Philly, play some songs, drink lots, and get REALLY into it, dancing etc...A few weeks later I find out the entire band had been calling me "Carlton" since.
1 - Over the past year: Ben pukes blood, Sandy gets a kidney stone, Mike gets a lightbulb in the face, Josh nearly dies from getting dosed with Crack, Damian nearly bleeds to death in Calgary.......I lie in wait.
Andrew Earles’ personal highlights of 2008…in no order.
1. Reading, or finally reading, Brock Yates’ Cannonball! The World’s Greatest Outlaw Road Race, Josh Alan Friedman’s Tales of Times Square, When Sex Was Dirty, and Tell The Truth Until They Bleed, various writers’ The Best American Crime Reporting 2008, James Lee Burke’s The Neon Rain and Jesus Out To Sea, current and back issues of the excellent Stop Smiling magazine, various writers’ A Prisoner of Memory, various writers’ The Blue Religion, Bill Buford’s Among the Thugs, Robert S. McNamara’s In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, Joe Carducci’s Enter Naomi: SST, L.A. and All That…, Mirielle Silcoff’s Urban Animals: A Comic Field Guide, Jim Harrison’s A Good Day to Die, James Crumley’s The Last Good Kiss and Dancing Bear, Thomas Berger’s Who is Teddy Villanova, Don Herron’s Willeford, and Bill Pronzini’s Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide to the Worst in Crime Fiction.
2. Boris “Smile” (the 2LP version…stateside, Southern Lord).
3. Torche “Meanderthal” (Hydra Head)
4. Geisha “Die Verbrechen der Liebe” (Crucial Blast)
5. Ian Christie’s Bazillion Points book publishing imprint.
6. TAD: Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears – A no-bullshit look at what happened to four guys who were not overly eccentric, psychotic, schizophrenic…this films distance from the uninspired, wallowing, contrived and unending parade of documentaries about musical “outsiders”…probably one big reason I dug it so much.
7. Metallica “…And Justice for All” (half-speed masters, 45 RPM, 4x12” reissue box set…Warner Bros.) - My ears are closed to the resounding protests of the misguided masses, for THIS is the best Metallica album.
8. Finding my once-lost copy of The Embarrassment’s 2 CD compilation “Heyday: 1979 – 1983” (Bar No…well, eBay or Amazon)
9. Making some serious headway with on my collection of Charles Willeford titles (a financially-backhanded thanks to alibris.com and eBay)
10. Surviving a particularly brutal and terrifying bout of appendicitis.
11. Pyramids s/t (Hydra Head)
12. The Crucial Blast label.
13. The 3 CD Big Dipper anthology (Merge)
14. The release of “Earles and Jensen Present…Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1 & 2 (The Greatest Prank Calls Ever!)”
15. My new (for 2008) Schwinn “Trail Way” dual-purpose/hybrid MULTISPEED bicycle.
16. Neil Hamburger “Sings Country Winners” (Drag City)
17. My sincere and deep enjoyment of the following movies and TV shows: Shooter, There Will Be Blood, UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine, Role Models, Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFO’s, Season 5 of The Wire, UFO Files, MonsterQuest, the hilarious Burn Notice, and The Strangers (a simple and mostly non-violent horror film that scared and troubled me to the core…this is the way it should be done). I’m forgetting so many….
18. Becoming a hermit or at least cutting the social activity by about 75%
Ben Cook, Fucked Up
1. Hooking up with the little guy from Set Your Goals in San Fran, and not telling anyone.
2. Being so close to Beyonce @ BBC I could smell her.
3. Asking the singer of Hercules & Love Affair to go on a rollercoaster with me in Holland. I love you. Call me ?
4. Copenhagen
5. Scootie/D.T.F
6. Mariah E=Mc2
7. Newcastle, Where's my leather jacket? Eff you.
8. Stephen Ireland
9. Smoking Crack in Barcelona
10. Valentina
Thurston Moore, the sonik-youth
1. Eight Miles High (Das Wilde Leben) - German movie about Uschi Obermaier,
super 60s Rolling Stones groupie who was a commune radical in Berlin.
2. Let the Right One in (Låt den rätte komma in) - Norwegian movie about a
12 yr old boy who is bullied and meets a friend - a 12 yr old vampire girl.
Sweet and sticky.
3. The Savage Detectives - Robert Bolano - fiction book. 18 year old Mexico
City poet dude falls in with weirdo literary gang who call themselves the
Visceral Realists. Funny, strange, sexy - kickass book - looking forward to
his next one (Bolano's dead) - just came out, titled: 2666
4. Noise Nomads - solo noise dude runs the Bonescraper cassette label and is
killer artist. His performances are surreal disconnections of true noise
physicality. A lot of heart.
5. Uneven Universe - duo from Michigan using saxophones and junk sound. Dan
“Dude” Dlugosielski and Hellfire Holly. Dan runs the ExciteBike (EXBX)
label. Both are also in Cardboard Sax with Wolf Eyes' John Olson. Check it:
Rock City Sixteen - Lunette Noires Nuits Blanches 7" (Cigarette Music)
Box Elders - "Hole In My Head" 7" (Grotto)
V/A - Messthetics Greatest Hiss, Vol. 1 (Hyped 2 Death)
live :
AH Kraken, Beerland, Austin TX
Marked Men finale / Wax Museums / Bad Sports, Rubber Gloves, Denton, TX
The Notwist, ULU, London,
Black Time, Hi-Tone, Memphis
Tyvek / The Homosexuals, The Crofoot, Detroit
Los Llamarada, Spiros, Austin,
Dikes Of Holland, everywhere, everytime, Austin
Awesome Color, Mohawk, Austin
Wire, Irving Plaza, NYC
Witch Hats, Santos Party Haus/ Cake Shop, NYC
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, James Dolan's Party Barn, NYC
Fucked Up w/ special guest John Rzeznik performing the latter's cover of "Mommi, I'm A Misfit", Bowery, NYC (5am approx. everyone had gone home. Including Fucked Up)
Total Abuse, not often enough, Austin
non music : The Guardian setting David Mitchell and Russell Brand loose on the sports pages, Hai KY (e. oltorf st., Austin, TX), "Pineapple Express" and the continued ascent of Gary Cole, election night 11/04/08, Austin's taco trailer population explosion,, "Peep Show" season 6, "The Best Show On WFMU", Derek Erdman.
Bad stuff : Mets bullpen, Mets relievers, the guys who pitch for the Mets after the starters leave the game. Mets closers, set up men, mop up men, their families and friends. Prop 8. Twitter/F-book pests. Not necessarily in that order.
Miwa Reports: "We Jamboree Econo"
This just in from the Monte RV depot in Linden, NJ:Just leaving linden nj to pick up the hospitality vehicle el monte calls the "jamboree" - an appropriate name for the upcoming festivities we soon will encounter.
-Miwa
Look for this beast parked out front of the Rogan Store all day.
Shearwater Live at Florence Gould Hall NYC
If you missed this truly amazing evening with Shearwater, or just want to see it over and over the show is now readily available. The wonderful people at Baeble Music recorded it and are streaming the first set in which they played Rook in it's entirety. Here's a preview of show with the band playing Leviathan, Bound. Full set can be enjoyed here.Exclusive Matablog Footage : Hova's Glastonbury Riposte To Noel Gallagher
You've probably already heard about Jay-Z's mock tribute to Oasis' "Wonderwall" at the Glastonbury Festival this past Saturday night. While rock blogs across the globe are showing the same YouTube clip from the BBC3's footage of the event, I'm pleased to say the Matablog editorial staff have discovered secret video of the former Marcy Projects product leading his all-star band through an early morning rehearsal.Matador's Victory Dance For When Earles and Jensen Soundscans Boom
Here is a taster of how we are going to celebrate when the Earles and Jensen Soundscans accelerate, this is just the tip of the iceberg wait till they totally take off then our pecks will really be glistening
Lethal Bizzle Vs. The Download Festival's Sophisticated Audience
If I had found it at the beginning of the set, I'm not sure I would have carried on. It was a banana skin, thrown at my feet as I played last weekend's Download festival. On the outside, someone had written "Bizzle you black cunt". I couldn't believe my eyes.
Being who I am, I'd probably do it again. I'm pretty sure my DJ wouldn't though. We're used to getting looks and things like that when we tour middle England, six black guys getting out of a van, you can see they're looking at you and getting defensive. That can get frustrating, but you deal with it. This was different. Why did they have to bring my race into it? Lethal Bizzle, Guardian Music Blog, 6/20/08
Chicken in a bag
Late to posting this: a couple of months ago I became intrigued by John Thorne's writing on poached chicken, in his first book, Simple Cooking. He modifies a recipe by Barbara Tropp, where you submerse an entire chicken in boiling water, cover it, turn off the heat, wait for two hours and then eat. Thorne uses a Reynolds oven-proof bag (first time I'd come across this item, but it was available at my local supermarket), and increases the cooking time to three hours. You rub the chicken with olive oil and herbs, put it in the bag, and then suck all the air out of the bag, or at least as much as possible. I'm not a huge fan of sucking on a bag containing a raw chicken, but it is an absolute must since the chicken will not submerge otherwise.
Do not attempt this recipe if you like attractive food. The chicken will emerge pallid and sweaty, though "meltingly tender" and, as Thorne puts it, "full of its own flavor."
Matador Records and Record Store Day!
I know for me, every day is Record Store Day, but now there is an official day to celebrate independently owned record stores and it is this Saturday, April 19th! RECORD STORE DAY!
The following bands/members will be participating by:
The New Pornographers - John - DJing at Vintage Vinyl (St. Louis, MO) @ 3:00
Times New Viking - Adam - DJing at Used Kids Records (Columbus, OH) throughout the day between bands
The Cave Singers- In-store performance at CD World (Eugene, OR) @ 3:00
Dead Meadow - Jason - DJing at Other Music (NYC) @ 3:00
Also, this is a list of the very special, very limited edition items we produced specifically for this day:
Matador Turntable Slipmats
Stephen Malkmus - Cold Son 10"
FREE Matador Sampler CD
Shat In The (Linkin Park's) Van!!
No square inch of scenery left to chew, no square inch of Shatner's ass to kiss, and no clips of the interview on YouTube yet, but one can enjoy Mike Patton exploring everything that happened in music between The Infectious Grooves and Linkin Park!End of an Ear Welcomes The Cave Singers To Austin
The Cave Singers will be performing at End of an Ear on Friday, Oct. 19th at 5pm. The performance is free to all so please come enjoy!
(photograph by jenny j.)
The Cave Singers at End of an Ear
Friday, 10/19 at 5pm
2209 South First Street
Austin, TX
You can also catch them later that night at Emo's, supporting Black Mountain.