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| Posted: 30 Dec 2008 02:00 PM CST The end of the year always and never without fail means lists and lists of the best and worst that happened the previous 12 months. Everyone gets into it and thus, Popwreckoning can’t go without some lists of its own. First, and perhaps the most important, comes the list of 2008’s Best Albums. We had a couple ties so we’re going with more than the traditional Top Ten. 01. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular  02. TV on the Radio - Dear Science  03. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals  04. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes  05. She & Him - Volume One  05. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend  06. Radiohead - In Rainbows  tie 07. Beck - Modern Guilt  tie 07. Santogold - Santogold  08. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely  09. Lykke Li - Youth Novels  10. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead  Runners Up: What are your 2008 favorites and how does PW’s list stack up? Related Posts |
| Rosie and Me - Swing, Swing Demos Posted: 30 Dec 2008 12:15 PM CST Whenever I see the words "bedroom recording," I get excited just at the prospect of being brought into such an intimate space. That's where the most interesting things happen, right? Most people were created on a bed, most probably die on a bed. Beds are where people dream, people fuck, people go to cry and write in their journal. Albums created in that space are special, and while I don't really know if Rosie and Me's Swing Swing Demos were created on a bed or in a bedroom, they have that special, lo-fi, intimate feel as if they could have been. With this five-song set, Rosie and Me welcome the listener into their private head space of loneliness, heartbreak and happiness. And that's exciting. The first song, the sharply written "Folkie Song #2", begins the album on the right note, immediately delving into the confusing and contradictory nature of human emotions with a song in which the verses always culminate in, "I love you, but I don't." Though the vocals often border on modern-radio-worthy histrionics, the naked emotion on display throughout makes up for everything. When the female vocalist (Rosie) sings, "Do you feel loved?" in "Telescopes", it's not a question, but a desperate plea. The beautiful, melodic guitar lines that follow seem to intensify the question in place of a heavy silence. The song ends with a fadeout on "I won't go if you say so / I won't go if you say so…" In their cover of Irving Berlin's "You're Laughing At Me", the singer seems to take refuge in the majestic sway of the song's chorus as again she deals with the maddeningly frustrating seeming impossibility of love when she sings, "For while I am crying for you / you're laughing at me." The set ends with the innocent and heartbreaking "Come Back", where "Rosie" throws her guard down and bares it all for love, singing, "I will treat you right / I'll buy you candy bars / I'll be your fiancé / I'll walk the line, I'll make this right / so we can be together / because you and me are meant to be." By combining childish innocence and adolescent romantic yearning in this song as well as the other five on the EP, Rosie and Me have created a delicate and precious debut EP that sentimentality junkies will want to inject straight into their bloodstream. And also, damn you Rosie and Me, you owe me a box of Kleenex. Swing Swing Demos are available now. Tracklisting: Rosie and Me: myspace Written by Marc Z. Grub Related Posts |
| Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:15 AM CST Not so hot on the heels of their breakout Ships, Danielson has released this compilation of the best of their pre-Ships output. If Ships piqued your curiosity but you never went back and sifted through their 10 years of back catalog, then this might be the place to start. There is no way around it, Danielson will not appeal to everyone. They’re just too eccentric. Daniel Smith’s nasal falsetto alternates between a screech and a chant as quickly as the music changes directions, abandoning one hook for another. His voice at times reminds me of Frank Black, especially on “Jersey Loverboy” and the first half of “Rally The Dominos”, which have similar structures to Pixies songs. The music generally falls somewhere between the hyperactive indie pop of bands like Architecture in Helsinki and any of a number of slightly off-kilter freak folk bands. There certainly are some religious themes — quite a few “lords,” “heavens,” and “Gods” pepper the songs — but they are easy to ignore. In fact, I have no idea what most of the songs are actually about. That may be because their lyrics aren’t very linear or because I get distracted as the music constantly changes tempos, singing styles, and vocalists. The overall tone is chaotic, but also energetic and joyful. The vocals in particular seem happy and caffeinated, and are full of theatrical interjections — making nonsense sound urgent and important. During songs like “Flip Flop Flim Flam”, which builds off a childlike chant, I find myself smiling, shaking my head, and saying “what the hell.” It’s an oddly catchy and enjoyable album. At least in small doses. However, at 28 tracks this album hardly qualifies as a small dose. I liked this album a lot more when I broke it up, but don’t let the length dissuade you. There are plenty of songs that make the slog well worth it.  Written by: Jesse Gelwicks Related Posts |
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