日志

Right now I'm in the process of putting together a best of 2009 list, because I am a nerd who listens to too much music and also because I have successfully deluded myself into thinking people actually care about my opinions. There are, though, a bunch of albums from this year that I never got around to hearing, and I want to fix that before the month is up. So I just need an idea of what I NEED to hear and what I can probably give a pass to. Here's the list I'm working with:

Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Superchunk - Leaves In The Gutter
The Aggrolites - IV
Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive
Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
Iron & Wine - Around the Well
Cheap Girls - My Roaring 20's
The Mountain Goats - the Life of the World to Come
Cloak/Dagger - Lost Art
Dead to Me - African Elephants
Chuck Ragan - Gold Country
dälek - Gutter Tactics
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
Obits - I Blame You
Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
Lovvers - OCD Go Go Go Girls
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone!
The King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
Condo Fucks - Fuckbook

Thanks!

10. The Dead Weather - Horehound

9. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours / Eddy Current Suppression Ring

7. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

7. Yves Klein Blue - Ragged And Ecstatic

6. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

5. Sugar Army - The Parallels Amongst Ourselves

4. The xx - xx

3. Girls - Album

2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

1. Silversun Pickups - Swoon


Other artists that deserve a mention (In no particular order):

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Passion Pit - Manners

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand

Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone

Sarah Blasko - As Day Follows Night

Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing

MSTRKRFT - Fist Of God

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

Iron & Wine - Around the Well

Metric - Fantasies

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Red Riders - Drown In Colour

royksopp - Junior

Eels - Hombre Lobo

The Horrors - Primary Colours

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

for an album to be good, it needs a few things. good songs are usually a must. some good musicianship always helps. maybe it tells a story. every story has an end and this top ten deals with the endings of the stories. without further bullshit, here are my ten favorite albums closers.


10. Colorado - Grizzly Bear (album: Yellow House)

what better way to close the beautiful, ambient Yellow House than with the coup de grace of all tracks. Swooping, mysterious, full of vocal melody and intrigue. I have no idea the relevance of the track's lyrics but I feel as though I'm immersed nonetheless. All together now: Coooollloooooorraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadooooooooooooooooo.

9. Re: Stacks - Bon Iver (album: For Emma, Forever Ago)

this is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization/it's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away/your love will be/safe with me

bon iver closes for emma with words of determination, security, resignation, and acceptance, bringing ultimate closure to a cold, dark record often full of uncertainty and isolation. hearing vernon singing those last lines makes the listener feel as though their journey with him (one longing for recognition/understanding of the self and belonging) has been entirely worth it.

8. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles (album: Magical Mystery Tour)

whimsical, repetitive, but full of life and hands down one of the best messages in the history of music. lennon refined his thoughts started in previous tracks ('the word' most of all) into one line that defined a generation, and still continues to resonate to this day. the clusterfuck at the end of the song of background sounds and vocals accompanied by lennon's haphazard singing is still one of the best moments in song, period.

7. Two Headed Boy Pt. II - Neutral Milk Hotel (album: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea)

rife with lyrical imagery (albeit wacked), musical and instrumental mastery, and wonderful production, neutral milk hotel's opus 'in the aeroplane over the sea' set a new standard for 'indie' rock music in the 90s (alongside ok computer). two headed boy pt. II closes the disc by retaining various motifs and lyrics from previous songs, and ends with one of my personal favorite lines "but don't hate her/when she gets up to leave." I never want this album to end, but since it has to, this track is the only way to do it.

6. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin (album: Led Zeppelin IV)

I feel as though Led Zeppelin crammed so many genres into their music that they transcend all genre and inhabit a plane of their own. IV was a perfect example of this, from the subdued folk vibes of the first half of 'stairway to heaven' to the progressive drone of 'battle of evermore' to the blues domination of the closer 'when the levee breaks.' the song is huge sounding, complete, and begging for attention. it's zeppelin at their most groovy: harmonica loops, perfect drumming, epic bass, and as usual wonderful vocals from plant.

5. In the Backseat - Arcade Fire (album: Funeral)

how the fuck do you end an album born from the loss of the people closest to you? I never would have imagined it possible to do it well until I heard the closer of funeral. sure it's a song about death, but it's also a song about life. passionately sung, wonderful instrumentation, a song that feels 'real' amongst the trite nonsense of the day. I defy anybody that understands this song/band to not have their emotions stirred when regine sings "my family tree's/losing all its leaves." simply one of the best, most gut-wrenching lines in a song I've had the pleasure of listening to.

4. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles (album: Revolver)

I honestly boggle my own mind when I consider what tthe 60s audience must have thought when they heard this track. it's unlike most things around during that time, a precursor to the electronica genre and lennon writing some of his most surreal lyrics. if anything, this track is the embodiment of the growing power of the drugs (lsd) the beatles were immersing themselves into, but also a mind-bending, time-defying, genre-warping pleasure for the ears.

3. Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine (album: The Shepherd's Dog)

I like folk music, and here's why: when done right, it's beautiful, inspirational, poignant, and makes the listener feel utterly connected with the artist, as if we're painting the story hand in hand. the shepherd's dog was a triumph in all regards, and no track more so than the closer. unbelievable vocals and drop-dead melodies riddle this track, a track so beautiful that many (me included) cannot believe that it's NOT a love song but one about the corruption of the political spectrum in america. this is a song that makes me want to close my eyes and just listen, just fall into when it's on.

2. Videotape - Radiohead (album: In Rainbows)

'no matter what happens next/you shouldn't be afraid/because I know today has been/the most perfect day I've ever seen.' I feel as though words can only detract from the beauty of this song. at its core simple, videotape closes in rainbows by posing challenging questions about death, morality, the afterlife, and redemption IN ONLY A FEW LINES and also features some of the most haunting/enveloping/simply friggin controlling piano/instrumentation work I've ever heard. I can't help going through a myriad of emotions while listening to this track: sadness, fear, loss, nostalgia, happiness, and finally hope. the final minute when the vocals end and the piano continues on is simple bliss. that's all there is to it. I sometimes struggle with the fact that humans made this song, and that I was lucky enough to live to hear it.

1. A Day in the Life - The Beatles (album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band)

the obvious choice amongst dozens of wonderful songs. no matter how much I love videotape, or any of the rest, none can ever hope to touch this one. it's the best song by the best band of all time, a mindfuck like no other. THIS WAS WRITTEN IN THE 60S. BANDS TODAY STILL AREN'T DOING HALF THE STUFF IN THIS SONG. the orchestration! the verses! the instrumentation! unbelievable in every note. every time I hear this song it gets harder and harder to believe that any band could ever write anything like this. it singlehandedly made sgt. peppers the best album ever. it singlehandedly defined music. it singlehandedly made having three pianos play the same massive note at the end of a song a good idea. there could be a book written on this song.


The End. I'd love to hear your thoughts about your own choices. thanks for reading. love you all.

Opening Credits
Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
HELL YEAH!!! This is EPIC!


Waking Up
Pink Floyd - High Hopes
Great song for waking up and then, when David Gilmour's guitar solo kicks in... THIS must be a great day! =)


First Day At College
Bob Dylan - 4th Time Around
Yeah the other three times I was visiting the young and attractive female professor, if you know what I mean, harrharr.


Falling In Love
Joshua Radin - What If You
Really beautiful song. It's a break-up song though. Maybe she's falling in love with me but I'm not with her.
Like he sings:

"So, for tonight
I'll stay here with you
Yes, for tonight
I'll lay here with you

But when the sun
Hits your eyes
Through your window
There'll be nothing you can do"

I'm such a bad guy! :D


Losing Virginity
Jack Johnson - Cocoon
She is losing virginity and I'm the one who breaks her cocoon. Oh what a metaphor! ;)


Fighting
Eddie Vedder - Long Nights
I'll not use "fight" as the common term of "combat", more like "struggle". Maybe I'm struggling with not knowing who I am, where I belong, etc.


Breaking Up
Blackfield - Open Mind
Is it that I'm too open minded that she breaks up with me?!


Prom
Robbie Williams - Feel
Wow, this is a beautiful song! I could imagine dancing with a gorgeous girl to this song.


Life
The xx - Fantasy
Erm, my life is just a fantasy?


Depression
Bright Eyes - The Movement Of A Hand
Maybe I'm depressed 'cause I couldn't understand the movement of a hand.


Driving
Death Cab for Cutie - Bixby Canyon Bridge
I'm listening to this song while driving on an early winter's day.


Partying
The Doors - Soul Kitchen
Not the party song that I had expected, but yeah, nice though.


Happy Dance
Pink Floyd - Bike
Yeah, I'd love to dance to this song! It'd be ridiculous and funny.


You & Friends
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Red House
Me & friends making a jam session and listening to this song to get inspired by.


Betrayal
Tenacious D - Fuck Her Gently
I'm so sorry honey! It was just that girl I've seen on the streets, you know, she was so drop-dead gorgeous and I, I just couldn't resist.


Regretting
Jack Johnson - Times Like These
I miss times like these, where everything was so perfect and these times were only with you. So please, don't leave me!


Long Night Alone
Jack Johnson - Enemy
You might think I'm your enemy, but that don't make you mine.


Flashback
Bright Eyes - Arc of Time (Time Code)
Would fit nicely as a flashback song.


Getting Back Together
Coldplay - Swallowed By The Sea
Cute and tearful reunion. Very moving.


Wedding
Bon Iver - Flume
GREAT! I love it. Memo to myself: This song should be played on my wedding.


Honeymoon
Yann Tiersen - Comptine d'un Autre Été L'Après Midi
Beautiful!


Birth of Child
Iron & Wine - Carousel
Nice song for one of the best moments that life offers: The birth of a child.


Losing Someone Dear
Weezer - The Damage In Your Heart
Man, it fits so perfectly.


Final Battle
E.S. Posthumus - Ebla
An epic battle this will be.


Death
Ólafur Arnalds - Fok
I didn't expect that Ólafur Arnalds would be the last thing I'd hear.
I'm sure I'll die peacefully and with a happy smile after listening to Fok.


Funeral
Mono - Pure As Snow (Trails Of The Winter Storm)
Really beautiful. The funeral will be very moving.


Final Credits
Ludovico Einaudi - Yerevan II
Sad ending credits. Could imagine half of the people are crying while leaving the theatres.


I'm a bit disappointed that there was no Muse, Radiohead or Jeff Buckley.


So here's how you do it:
- Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
- Put it on shuffle
- Press play
- For every question, type the song that's playing
- When you go to a new question, press the next button
- No cheating!

1 – The Black Crowes – Before The Frost…Until The Freeze
2 – Gov’t Mule – By A Thread
3 – Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
4 – The Derek Trucks Band – Already Free
5 – Clara Luzia – The Ground Below
6 – Miranda Lee Richards – Light of X
7 – Vic Chesnutt – Dark Developments
8 – Simple Minds – Graffiti Soul
9 – Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship
10 – Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
11 – Son Volt – American Central Dust
12 – Sonic Youth – The Eternal
13 – Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)
14 – Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
15 – Portugal.The Man – The Satanic Satanist
16 – Ozric Tentacles – The Yumyum Tree
17 – The Bottle Rockets – Lean Forward
18 – The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
19 – Ben Allison – Think Free
20 – Bill Frisell – Disfarmer
21 – Phish – Joy
22 – Simon Finn – Rats Laugh Mice Sing
23 – Cross Canadian Ragweed – Happiness & All the Other Things
24 – Blue Rodeo – The Things We Left Behind
25 – Branford Marsalis Quartet – Metamorphosen
26 – Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
27 – Kris Kristofferson – Closer to the Bone
28 – Sister Hazel – Release
29 – Sons Of Bill – One Town Away
30 – The Felice Brothers – The Mix Tape
31 – Robert Cray – This Time
32 – Tinsley Ellis – Speak No Evil
33 – Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
34 – Luther Dickinson/The Sons Of Mudboy – Onward And Upward
35 – 3rd World Electric – Kilimanjaro Secret Brew
36 – Marissa Nadler – Little Hells
37 – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Speed of Life
38 – Iron & Wine – Around The Well
39 – Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
40 – Frontier Folk Nebraska – Pearls
41 – Bon Iver – Bloodbank (EP)
42 – Willard Grand Conspiracy – Let The Lead Fly
43 – Urban Sevdah – Urban Sevdah
44 - Tomasz Stańko Quintet – Dark Eyes
45 - Éric Le Lann - Le Lann, Kikosky, Foster, Weiss
46 – Portico Quartet – Black & White Sessions
47 – John Zorn – Femina
48 – Sumru Ağıryürüyen – Issız
49 – Birsen Tezer – Cihan
50 – Neil Young – Fork In The Road
51 - Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun

bensteinsmoney's top albums (overall)
1. OutKast - Stankonia (560) 2. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (498) 3. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (416) 4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (374) 5. Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh (370) 6. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (369) 7. Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (354) 8. The Beatles - Let It Be (350) 9. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (309) 10. The Beach Boys - Smiley Smile (297) 11. Kanye West - College Dropout (297) 12. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die - The Remaster (277) 13. The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (266) 14. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (262) 15. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love (254) 16. Paul Simon - Graceland (249) 17. Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle (224) 18. The Beatles - Help! (211) 19. Talib Kweli - Quality (208) 20. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang-36 Chamber (198) 21. The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee (196) 22. audiobytes for autobots - 2.0 (183) 23. Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue (178) 24. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle (177) 25. John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (174) 26. Annuals - Be He Me (164) 27. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver (163) 28. OutKast - ATLiens (163) 29. U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (160) 30. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (156) 31. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (153) 32. Frank Zappa - We're Only in It for the Money (151) 33. The Beatles - Revolver (151) 34. David Bowie - The Singles 1969 to 1993 (disc 1) (150) 35. The B-52's - Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation (148) 36. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (146) 37. The Beatles - Rubber Soul (144) 38. Sublime - Sublime (142) 39. The Beta Band - Three Eps (141) 40. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (140) 41. Jon Brion - Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (139) 42. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (136) 43. The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (135) 44. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street (134) 45. The Arcade Fire - Funeral (131) 46. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (131) 47. The Beatles - Abbey Road (131) 48. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (129) 49. OutKast - Aquemini (129) 50. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (127)

I always look through YouTube and find stuff I like about Twilight or New Moon. Here are some faves! Including my own, of course. ;)

Mine is composed to the song Kingdom of Welcome Addiction by IAMX which, imho, is perfect for Twilight. It just sounds vampish, I reckon!



I like this one from RaggDollish -


This one from phoebalicious1 is good, particularly because it's her own song and pretty good too!


I also like this one from darksoulvamp, the music is what sold it for me. It's Love Song Requiem by Trading Yesterday


I think most people have already seen tiffanyd666's famous fan-made trailer!

She's got lots of other cool ones as well.



Twilight connections:
Robert Pattinson
Muse
Alexandre Desplat
Carter Burwell
Paramore
The Black Ghosts
Blue Foundation
The Killers
Death Cab for Cutie
Marjorie Fair
Linkin Park
Yiruma
Hana Pestle
Phoebe Sharp
Iron & Wine
Mutemath
Lykke Li
Collective Soul
OK Go
Radiohead
Thom Yorke
Band Of Skulls
Anya Marina
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Bon Iver & St. Vincent
Hurricane Bells
Editors
Sea Wolf
Grizzly Bear
Perry Farrell
Rob Pattinson
Bobby Dupea