musicleech » Yeah Yeah Yeahs http://musicleech.com Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:38:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 My Top Albums 2009 http://musicleech.com/2010/01/17/my-top-albums-2009/ http://musicleech.com/2010/01/17/my-top-albums-2009/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:40:41 +0000 Rad Parker http://musicleech.com/?p=3141 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> I realize I am putting this out really late. I always put this off until winter break, thinking I'll have tons of time to listen to the albums, but always underestimate how much I actually need to listen to. But honestly, that isn't a bad thing. I think we are living in a time where there is a lot more new and interesting stuff coming out than ever before. Last year, I probably listened to about 75 albums for my top albums article. Some of them only half way through (because I could tell they wouldn't make the cut) and some in excess of 20 times. I don't feel like doing the math on that, but it takes an incredible amount of time. This year I stepped my game up and literally wrote down every album that made it on at least a few top lists from around the music blog, newspaper, magazine community, including the big wigs: pitchfork, sterogum, prefix, spin, etc.

I think most top lists aren't really substantial if they don't talk about what makes albums 'top albums'. I want to let you know what helped me decide. Basically, I listened to albums all the way through and gave each song a rating (1-5). A 3 being a song that is good, but nothing special. A 4 being a song that is something special, but you can get tired of it. 5s are songs that never get old and never get skipped. I once heard someone say that if you could only keep 1000 songs from your library, they would be all of the 4s and 5s.  Then I check out what each album averages, giving extra points for originality, interesting overall themes, track cohesion, genre mixing, or basically anything that makes it more of an album than a bunch of songs.

Now, once I have a list of albums that are generally agreed upon to be good by the blog community, I go through and weed out bands with sounds that I know I won't find appealing. Albums that are automatically omitted include basically anyone who doesn't make their own music or write their own lyrics, anything considered pop punk, alternative metal, or anything termed just rock or pop, because frankly, I'm not interested. Does that make me seem like a music snob? Kinda. Do I try to be unbiased when the headphones are on? You bet.

This year I at least tried out about 100 albums. If you have any comments, questions, or albums you think should have been considered, drop me a line below.

1. Phoenix -

Wolfgang

Amadeus

Phoenix

Phoenix - "1901"

2. Grizzly

Bear -

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

3. The

xx -

xx

The xx - "Crystalised"

4. Animal Collective -

Merriweather

Post

Pavilion

Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes"

5. Real

Estate -

Real

Estate

Real Estate - "Beach Comber"


6. The

Flaming

Lips -

Embryonic

The Flaming Lips - "Watching the Planets"

7. Girls -

Album

Girls - "Laura"

8. The Smith Westerns -

The

Smith

Westerns

The Smith Westerns - "Tonight"

9. Neon

Indian -

Psychic

Chasms

Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer"

10. Cymbals Eat Guitars -

Why There

Are

Mountains

Cymbals Eat Guitars - "And the Hazy Sea"

2009 Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Passion Pit – Manners
Drummer - Feel Good Together
Atlas Sound – Logos
The Antlers – Hospice
Blakroc – Blakroc
Woods - Songs of Shame
10 ft. Ganja Plant - Bushrock
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
The Strange Boys – The Strange Boys and Girls Club
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II
Miike Snow - Miike Snow
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

EP, Mixtape, Compilation, and other non-album Mentions:
Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
Kid Cudi - Dat Kid From Cleveland Mixtape
Drake - So Far Gone Mixtape
Wale - Back to the Feature Mixtape
Toro Y Moi - My Touch EP
The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches - The Dark Side of the Moon (Cover Album)
Various Artists - Dark Was the Night Compilation
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP
Modest Mouse - No Ones First and Your Next EP
Washed Out – Life of Leisure EP
Deerhunter - Rainwater Casette Exchange EP
Various Artists – Underwater Peoples Summertime Showcase 2009

For comparison's sake, here is my list from 2008:

  1. deerhunter - microcastle
  2. little joy - little joy
  3. plants and animals - parc avenue
  4. mgmt - oracular spectacular
  5. los campesinos! - hold on now, youngster
  6. vampire weekend - vampire weekend
  7. the dodos - visiter
  8. bon iver - for emma, forever ago
  9. the sea and cake - car alarm
  10. starfucker - starfucker

2008 honorable mentions (in no particular order):

lil' wayne - tha carter III
white denim - white denim
atlas sound - let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel
the ruby suns - sea lion
women - women
beach house - devotion
q-tip - renaissance
albert hammond, jr. - ¿como te llama?
dr dog - fate
girl talk - feed the animals
hot chip - made in the dark
french kicks - swimming
passion pit - chunk of change ep
cut copy - in ghost colours
black keys - attack & release



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]]> http://musicleech.com/2010/01/17/my-top-albums-2009/feed/ 3 The Origins of Band Names http://musicleech.com/2009/10/10/the-origins-of-band-names/ http://musicleech.com/2009/10/10/the-origins-of-band-names/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:00:12 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=2479 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> The user ByteMe on rateyourmusic.com has compiled a list of band name origins. It's far from comprehensive but it covers a wide spectrum of bands, new and old, so you're sure to find a bunch that you know. And hey, maybe you'll be turned on to some just based on how they got their name!

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/10/10/the-origins-of-band-names/feed/ 5 Lineup: 2009 All Points West Festival http://musicleech.com/2009/03/30/lineup-2009-all-points-west-festival/ http://musicleech.com/2009/03/30/lineup-2009-all-points-west-festival/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:38:45 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1722 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> A bunch of big names are slated to play the second All Points West Music & Arts Festival in New Jersey the last weekend in July. Lineup is below.

Tickets go on sale this Friday (4/4) at noon via Ticketmaster. They are $89 for a single day ticket and $199 for a three-day pass.

A new addition this year is the option of rail and boat transportation in addition to the popular ferry service that arrives at Liberty State Park from lower Manhattan. More travel info here.

girltalk-allpointswest

Girl Talk at All Points West 2008

Friday, July 31 : Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, The National, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, The Pharcyde, Organized Konfusion, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, Telepathe, Shearwater, Heartless Bastards, Flying Lotus, College Humor Live, Arj Barker, Eugene Mirman and Bo Burnham.

Saturday, August 1 : Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, The Ting Tings, Yelle, Crystal Castles, St. Vincent, Tokyo Police Club, The Cool Kids, Kool Keith, Cage the Elephant, Chairlift, White Rabbits, Electric Touch, The Postelles, Black Gold, College Humor Live, Tim & Eric, Judah Friedlander and Jim Jeffries.

Sunday, August 2 : Coldplay, Echo & The Bunnymen, MGMT, The Black Keys, Elbow, Silversun Pickups, Mogwai, We Are Scientists, Ghostland Observatory, The Gaslight Anthem, Etienne De Crecy, Lykke Li, Akron/Family, Steel Train, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, College Humor Live, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter and Todd Barry.

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/03/30/lineup-2009-all-points-west-festival/feed/ 0 It’s Blitz! Stream YYY’s “Zero”, “Heads Will Roll”, Others http://musicleech.com/2009/02/25/my-thoughts-on-yyys-its-blitz-stream-zero-heads-will-roll-others/ http://musicleech.com/2009/02/25/my-thoughts-on-yyys-its-blitz-stream-zero-heads-will-roll-others/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:28:42 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1421 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

Change has come in the YYY world. Nick Zinner subdues his punk-pop guitar licks to accommodate the band's (temporary, I think) new synthesizer fad. "Zero" is a perfect example of the new sound: it rocks pretty hard, but in a much different way than Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones did. Besides the heavy use of synths, it's a little less up front and more thought out. The new album uses a wide range of other instruments besides the usual three to distinguish the tracks from each other: twittering (no pun intended) flute on "Soft Shock", piano on slow tune "Runaway", diverse Zinner guitar ("Dragon Queen" is a lesson in guitar layering), and a few other surprises. The drums fit extremely well and Karen O does an impressive job vocally and lyrically. In "Zero" she sounds pretty sassy as usual in her own special Karen O way, but on the love song "Hysteric" she sounds like Amy Milan or something. Lyrically, the songs are a little less up front, something I thought was just Karen O's style. Any way you look at it, it's a sweet compliment to their previous two releases.

The goods:

Stream "Heads Will Roll" and others

It's Blitz! is out 4/14 via Interscope. (I'm not going to sticker it)

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/02/25/my-thoughts-on-yyys-its-blitz-stream-zero-heads-will-roll-others/feed/ 1 Sasquatch > Bonnaroo? http://musicleech.com/2009/02/24/sasquatch-or-bonnaroo/ http://musicleech.com/2009/02/24/sasquatch-or-bonnaroo/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:59:56 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1437 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> sasquatch-lineup09-pic_210x

I can guarantee one thing: Sasquatch will not pull a Langerado.

A handful of big names overlap with Bonnaroo, but that's not a bad thing considering how far apart they are from each other: Sasquatch is in Washington state and Bonnaroo (lineup) is in Tennessee. Both still have more artists to add, but already it seems like both are upgraded from last year. I don't think Bonnaroo can be called a jam band festival anymore, but it's a wee bit more chill than its intensely indie counterpart. West Coast, start rounding up the troops.

Sasquatch! 2009 lineup
Jane's Addiction (feat. all four original members)
Kings of Leon
Nine Inch Nails
Ben Harper & Relentless7
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Erykah Badu
The Decemberists
Fleet Foxes
TV On The Radio
Animal Collective
Silversun Pickups
Bon Iver
Santigold
Of Montreal
Explosions In The Sky
Devotchka
Peter Bjorn & John
Gogol Bordello
M. Ward
The Avett Brothers
Doves
Calexico
Grizzly Bear
M83
Girl Talk
The Gaslight Anthem
The Walkmen
Chromeo (dj set)
Deadmau5
Mugison
Sun Kil Moon
Airborne Toxic Event
Blitzen Trapper
Shearwater
BLK JKS
The Wrens
Tobacco
Monotonix
King Khan & The Shrines
St. Vincent
Passion Pit
John Vanderslice
Bishop Allen
Blind Pilot
AA Bondy
Black Moth Super Rainbow
The Knux
Ra Ra Riot
The Dodos
Beach House
Arthur & Yu
The Submarines
Owl City
Viva Voce
James Pants
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
The Builders & The Butchers
The Dutchess & The Duke
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele
Fences
School of Seven Bells
Death Vessel
Horse Feathers
Hockey
Point Juncture, WA
The Pica Beats
Loch Lomond
Vince Mira
Comedians:
Zach Galifiankas
Demetri Martin
Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job
Todd Barry
Jon Benjamin
God's Pottery
People's Republic of Komedy

Bands playing at both festivals:
Nine Inch Nails
of Montreal
Animal Collective
Santogold (now Santigold)
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Bon Iver
Grizzly Bear
Girl Talk
Ben Harper & Relentless7

Tickets for Sasquatch! go on sale this Saturday (2/28) at 10am at for $154.40/$56.50 (three-day pass/single-day pass) if you buy them over the weekend. Once Monday hits prices will be bumped up to $199.50/$66.50. Buy them here.

Oh, and this could be the last Nine Inch Nails tour ever, so take your pick: Sasquatch or Bonnaroo?

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/02/24/sasquatch-or-bonnaroo/feed/ 0 Bonnaroo Announces 2009 Initial Lineup http://musicleech.com/2009/02/03/bonnaroo-announces-2009-initial-lineup/ http://musicleech.com/2009/02/03/bonnaroo-announces-2009-initial-lineup/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:08:55 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1381 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> The king of summer festivals is back on the beautiful 700-acre Manchester farm in June (11th-14th), and the announcement of (some of) the performers came this morning.

The lineup is packed full of big names and great accompanying artists. Metallica and Kanye are gone this year (YES!), and Phish is bringing back Bonnaroo as a jam band festival, doing two shows over the four days.  It could use a dosage of hip-hop though, so hopefully that comes with the next announcement (last year I got front row for Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli followed - needless to say it was a highlight of the festival). Other than that, the lineup is spectacular. We'll let you know when more artists get announced. 

See the whole thing at bonnaroo.com. Tickets go on sale Feb. 7. The first wave sold out already (before the artists were even announced), so the next price level is $234.50, then $249.50 once those sell out.

bonnaroo_aerial_1280x1024

Image via BandBuilder.com

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/02/03/bonnaroo-announces-2009-initial-lineup/feed/ 2 Coachella 2009 Line-up http://musicleech.com/2009/01/31/coachella-2009-line-up/ http://musicleech.com/2009/01/31/coachella-2009-line-up/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:05:49 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1331 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> After some delay, the lineup for the huge spring Cali festival is up.

coachella_lineup09

Tickets are on sale at coachella.com: 3-day passes are $270, 1-day passes are $100.

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2009/01/31/coachella-2009-line-up/feed/ 0 MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “All I Want For Christmas” http://musicleech.com/2008/12/16/mp3-yeah-yeah-yeahs-all-i-want-for-christmas/ http://musicleech.com/2008/12/16/mp3-yeah-yeah-yeahs-all-i-want-for-christmas/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:37:49 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=1040 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

Time is winding down until Christmas, and it's about time we post something holiday related. I thought this was just going to be another cover, but it's original and actually one of the better Christmas songs I've heard recently.

The YYYs haven't come out and said it themselves, but everyone assumes them to be working on their third album, due sometime in 2009.

MP3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "All I Want For Christmas"

[via The Culture Of Me]

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]]> http://musicleech.com/2008/12/16/mp3-yeah-yeah-yeahs-all-i-want-for-christmas/feed/ 0 Members of Arcade Fire, YYYs, Balkan Beat Box Form Sway Machinery http://musicleech.com/2008/08/31/members-of-arcade-fire-yyys-balkan-beat-box-form-sway-machinery/ http://musicleech.com/2008/08/31/members-of-arcade-fire-yyys-balkan-beat-box-form-sway-machinery/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:08:54 +0000 Mark Jackson http://musicleech.com/?p=225 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Supergroup news is always interesting news, and this time it's movement in the indie scene.

Here is your line-up:

  • Brian Chase, drummer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  • Colin Stetson, touring saxophonist for the Arcade Fire
  • Stuart Bogie, tenor saxophonist for Antibalas
  • Jordan McLean, trumpeter for Antibalas
  • Jeremiah Lockwood, guitarist for Balkan Beat Box

Already wondering what they'll sound like? Download their first leaked track HERE or simply stream it:

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