This week's Internet installment of Anthem's Future Sound is pretty stunning. The five bands profiled include Pink Skull, the Littl'ans, Abe Vigoda, the Answering Machine, and Blonde Acid Cult. A varied and compelling shortlist, to say the least!
I conducted the Littl'ans interview ... that was thrilling. Blonde Acid Cult was also a pleasure to talk to. Be sure to check out the whole story! There's plenty of content not worth missing.
Here at BBBD, we pride ourselves for the quality of a few aspects of our blog:
(a) Regular updates (b) High-quality content (c) Meaningful criticisms, endorsements, and general discourse
However, it's hard to stay on top of the blog-o-sphere ball 24/7 and we admit that we've our fair share of shortcomings and short sights.
So here we are, in the eve of 2008, the end of the first decade of the 21st century, arms spread wide, hands laid out in the open, asking for forgiveness: we messed up, we've made a mistake!
Many great bands that were written about on this blog over the course of the past year were omitted from our slew of year-end lists, and we apologize for that! To make up for the mistake -- since we want to support all that we deem worthy! -- we've compiled a list: The Best Of the Rest, 2007. These bands are (a) not "mainstream" yet and (b) not any worse or better than the bands that made the Top 25 Unknown Tracks of 2007 List. They were just ... forgotten! To those of you on the list: our sincere apologies. Anyway, enjoy this final compendium of great music from 2007. We are officially listed out for 2007!
Pacific! It's been noted before, but while there's no shortage of great pop groups hailing from Sweden, there is a shortage of uniqueness and creativity. We eagerly welcome Pacific! for this reason: the Gothenburg duo blends funky soul, Beach Boys-esque pop arrangements and harmonies, and an electronic bite that's just ... wonderful!
Pacific! - Hot Lips
Cowtown Like Mark E. Smith meets DEVO. Stupendously quirky and off-kilter pop songs disguised by abrasive and noisy constructions. Go Leeds!
Poney Poney The French have never been all that great at making rock music (erg, Plastic Bertrand), but Poney Poney shows that genres know now borders, languages, or nationalities: they crank out hooky, simple, and punk-infused tunes that render you a mere puppet dancing to their gritty bass lines and hard beats.
Glasvegas I've been suffering from a Camera Obscura withdrawal. Seriously. I need more dripping-in-reverb, depressed post-punk ballads from the Glasgow group. Fortunately, Glasvegas is picking up some of the slack, reminding us all just how great a music scene the Scottish town supports and how divine a good shoegaze song can make you feel ... even if it is a little heart-wrenching!
Avalon Aide from a few outliers (Cornelius, OOIOO, Boredoms, Boris), Japan just doesn't have that many great bands coming out of it, a is certainly suffering from a lack of boss pop groups. Avalon is an welcome exception. No one knows what the future holds for Escalator Records/Every Conversation, but if they keep signing groups like Tokyo's Avalon, they'll be in good shape. A futurist merging of electronic-driven pop, atmospheric post-punk, and just some great dance music.
the Elephants While I've not heard the entirety of this Danish band's debut LP, I've no idea why it's been generally panned: it's really, really good! A hybrid of twee, bedroom pop and 60s pop with a rare meticulous craftsmanship to add a unique twist to the whole package. Denmark, BBBD feels, is grossly overlooked ... so let's make 2008 the year of the Danish Invasion!
LA Priest Anyone who receives Erol Alkan endorsement (much less a remix by the God of Rave) can't be a half bad electronic act. LA Priest was first recognized for a stellar Envelopes remix, but stayed under the radar for too long. Now the Londoner is back with "Engine," a bouncy, robotic dance track filled with bizarre bleeps, boops, and strange computer glitches. Somehow, it all coheres into one masterfully arranged funky club banger that's too hot to handle. Get on it.
Metronomy Metronomy has had what, a dozen times to make it? The London-by-way-of-Brighton trio remixed Franz Ferdinand's "Do You Want To" fer cryin' out loud! They've finally settled on a sound, though, and now it's time to break! The band toured the N. American Atlantic coast and simply must come back soon! They play these great lo-fi post-punk tunes with equal parts funk, disco, and house elements to them to excite a fan of ... pretty much anyone ... from Fatboy Slim to Bloc Party to New Rave kids to the Unicorns. They rock hard and mighty. Just listen to "Heartbreaked (Live in Turin)" on their MySpace page. You're convinced.
Greengate Another excellent Japanese pop outfit that sounds like Kevin Shields on a happy day or something. They've seemingly been around for years, but because of lineup alterations and an overall enigmatic existence, never really got under anyone's radar. Listen listen listen!
Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya Is it just me or is Kitsune Records getting stranger and drifting further and further to the left (or right?) every day? One of their most recent signings, Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya, was first an annoying noise group with lofty aims to me (one of their first P.R. strategies: email all the "big" blogs), but I quickly opened my heart up to the pair and now can't let go. They've remixed CSS (nice!) and continue to churn out awesomely distorted noise ramblings that have just enough pop gusto to carry them over ... they're fresh, fun to dance to, and, quite honestly, strangely sexy in this sort of naive, infantile way. Makes me question my manhood (I kid, I kid).
Kalle J. Did I write about this Swedish kid on one of the other lists? Ach, doesn't matter. This guy is way, way, way too good. I cannot find the words to express how much my heart melts when I hear this day-dreaming, rambling, pop maestro. He's like Jonathan Richman meets Jens Lekman meets someone who's just really good at writing pop ballads that make you feel like breaking down for absolutely no reason. Such good hooks. So infectious. Every time I listen to this guy, I get sad, wallow about in sorrow. I will continue to pay that price as long as he keeps producing. Him and Parker Lewis.
the Coathangers Finally, an American band, right? Many, many U.S. groups have passed under my radar and I've liked -- if not loved -- a gross percentage of them. We make good music! Unfortunately, I don't see a tremendous amount of creativity or uniqueness coming out of the underground American scenes. Maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm just bored. I dunno. The Coathangers rock, though -- they're the Slits for a 2000s generation. Check 'em out.
Elias & the Wizzkids Yup, another Stockholm ensemble. Their contagious sing-along, naive pop music is just too sweet to resist, though. Wish them well.
the Millioners Aside from Dungen and Architecture In Helsinki (which, need I mention, is not from Helsinki!), few bands hail from the Finnish capital and fewer know of any sort of music scene even originating in the cold Northern city. The Millioners -- yes, that is their name, no, it doesn't make sense -- make super awesome, rather chilly electronic dance tracks that are reminiscent of what was being played at the Hacienda during the Madcester days. I feel like the Millioners would be promoted by Dolce & Gabbana, but I don't know why I say that. I diamond in the rough snow.
I thoroughly enjoyed writing up my list of the best "undiscovered" tracks of 2007. It was tough widdling the list down to a mere twenty-five -- there were many more I wanted to add and many more, I'm sure, that I just simply forgot about! -- but I think it gives a good oversight of the more obscure and unknown music I was listening to and promoting over the course of the year.
Now, on the last day of 2007, I present you all with a new mix (and my final for this year!): the Best Mainstream Independent Tracks of 2007.
Whereas the last list was a compendium of allegedly "unknown" tunes, this one is (1) in order (#1 is my favorite, #25 is my least favorite of the bunch) and (2) one featuring only artists of "mainstream independent" standing artists. So while Rihanna (ugh), for example, won't be on the list (not an "indie" artist), LCD Soundsystem will be since it's a "mainstream" independent artist. Even if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, I hope you all enjoy the thing!
Download the ZIP file here. Read some notes on the selection after the jump.
(1) Spoon - You Got Yr Cherry Bomb (2) M.I.A. - Paper Planes (3) LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (4) Justice - Phantom Pt. II (5) Deerhoof - +81 (6) Klaxons - Golden Skans (7) Arcade Fire - Black Wave/Bad Vibrations (8) Panda Bear - Comfy In Nautica (9) Babyshambles - Delivery (10)Digitalism - I Want I Want (11)the Go! Team - Fake ID (12)Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire (13)the Raveonettes - The Best Dies (14)New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream (15)Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation (16)Enon - Dr. Freeze (17)Hot Chip - Ready For the Floor (18)Bonde Do Role - Office Boy (19)No Age - Everybody's Down (20)Battles - Race In (21)Animal Collective - For Reverend Green (22)Calvin Harris - Acceptable In the 80s (23)Bumblebeez - Dr. Love (24)Shout Out Louds - Impossible (25)Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent Where's Jens? Where's the National? Where's Beirut? Where's a whole slew of people, for that matter? I just didn't like 'em as much. These twenty-five songs are my favorites, my anthems, my sing-alongs, my recommendations.
More importantly, perhaps, why is "Delivery" in the Top Ten? Why is Cut Copy's single on this, when there's no album to compliment it? And why the heck is Spoon's "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" #1? I don't really know ... enjoy it for what it is.
This was the year of solid, matured, intriguing comebacks (Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire); the year of New Rave's rise and inevitable, necessary fall (Klaxons); the year that at least some segment of the population learned what good, smart dance music is all about (Simian Mobile Disco); the year we embraced the international music community (Bonde Do Role); the year we finally ironically embraced the irony with which we originally embraced the 1980s (Calvin Harris); they year we finally heard from Cut Copy ... I'd say it was a pretty damn good year.
The twenty-five songs I've listed out seem to me to not only be the catchiest of the lot this year, but also the most significant and important. May we remember them for decades to come.
BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 5 of 5)
I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!
I now present to you the fifth (and final) installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)
You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.
Ungdomskulen - Ordinary Son Bergen, Norway's Ungdomskulen will make more hair pop up on your chest than a straight double shot of whiskey on the rocks. Play them loud. They are the intelligence of Frank Zappa ("pop music is too much of a constrain for my genius) and the stoic metal fun of Black Sabbath. Priceless. Why didn't this band spring to the scene sooner after the demise of Test Icicles?
Vincent Vincent & the Villains - I'm On My Own Vincent Vincent & the Villains started that whole rockabilly/old school rock trend that we're experiencing today. Step aside imitators, Vincent Vincent & the Villains did it first. They did it best. Had I made a similar list of undiscovered tracks for 2006, these guys would have topped it. Luckily, they released another single this year and now that I've gotten my act together, they're on a list! Woot!
White Rabbits - The Plot Crafty, smart pop music that draws from a plethora of world and traditional musics is so in right now. White Rabbits preempted that trend and got us all on the band wagon. Give them their due respects.
White Williams - New Violence I'm from Cleveland originally. White Williams is our pride and joy; our Beck and Pavement all in one ball. He makes me feel proud to hail from such a depressed industrial city. Keep churning out them hits, White. We love you!
Whitey - Wrap It Up Whitey is the best thing that could happen to the British music scene today. I would post everything from his "lost" album, Great Shakes, if I could/if it wasn't supposed to officially be a 2008 release, but alas, this is all we've got for now. His organic, analog style of dance music is a highly sought-after musical commodity these days -- we need more liek Whitey. Funky, rocky, foot-stomping beats, fat bass lines, and head bobbing guitar/keyboard hooks. Ahhhh ... too good!
BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 4 of 5)
I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!
I now present to you the forth installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)
You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.
the Dodos - Fools Innocuous enough name, right? San Francisco's the Dodos are formidable indie-folk players, though. The seamlessly meld the wackiness of Animal Collective with rhythms that almost robotically trudge along and summery Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies. Oh, and they throw in quite a few mean swooning melodies that will ease you into submission. The Dodos are coming.
the Mules - We're Good People (CSS Remix) The Mules are a minimalist Talking Heads displaced thirty years forward to a present-day London. They're nerdy and clean-cut, yet exceptionally rhythmic and musically creative. Unfortunately, the band's best song is a CSS remix of "We're Good People." Hate it when that happens ...
the Tough Alliance - Something Special You're still not tired of hearing about the Tough Alliance from BBBD? You shouldn't be. The Swedish duo is just as fresh as it was when their music graced the digital pages of our humble music blog last year. Not only do these guys run Sincerely Yours -- one of the best Swedish record labels -- but they also churn out spectacularly fun and vibrant music. It's like New Order doing a beach party, but with an underlying maturity and somberness that's tough to place but memorable and sincere. Breaking down our preconceived notions of pop one song at a time ...
the Virgins - Rich Girls The Virgins are still under-appreciated and undiscovered by the masses. They're a sure bet if you're looking for simple and super-hit rock with an R&B/funk twist. And no, you nitwit -- they're not the second coming of the Strokes. Not gonna happen.
BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 3 of 5)
I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!
I now present to you the third installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)
You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.
Pete & the Pirates - Come On Feet Remember Tap Tap? Pete & the Pirates is Tap Tap's founder, frontman, and main member Thomas Sanders' latest project, and while the filled-out full band does resemble Tap Tap in many regards, there's a lot more going on here. The U.K. quartet plays insanely hooky tunes with the energy of an original punk band and the smart attitude of the Futureheads or Gang of Four. They're an absolutely delight. Forthright (it take barely more than two seconds for a song to kick off), deliberate, and confident, Pete & the Pirates is making us rethink what makes a good pop song and is reminding us that a sharp, jagged melody and lyric can be just as emotionally evocative as Coldplay slosh.
Ponytail - Start A Corporation Many a band has risen from (and fallen out of?) the Baltimore music scene. Many of these bands we all know and many of them subscribe to a certain psychedelic, potpourri of styles folk hybrid, but there are several outliers that are hard to place and especially intriguing. Like Ponytail! I like the describe the Baltimore group as Deerhoof on speed. They brazenly rush through hook-filled songs with a squealing vocalist carrying the tunes along (albeit it in a schizophrenic and claustrophobic manner). They will rock your socks off and send you running ... but then you'll jet back to meet them when they return to your town.
Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker Finally, a band that deserves all the Young Marble Giants comparisons it can rile up. Prinzhorn Dance School is one of DFA's more out there signings. The German U.K. duo sing shout non-sequiturs accompanied by uber-sparse instrumentals. So minimalist are they in fact that the drums, bass, and vocals never seem to hit at once ... the listener is just exposed to one, then the other, then the other. A weird listening experience that requires more concentration and thought than one would expect.
Shugo Tokumaru - Future Umbrella Shugo Tokumaru is an outrageously talented Japanese guitarist who composes they meandering, slight, mystical guitar tunes that span one to eight minutes. Injected with just enough Oriental twang, the pop ballads slowly and seductively wrap around your ears, subversively build to a crescendo, and innocently enough climax into a bang that's impossible to replicate. Good going, Shugo. Once again, Japan has done it better.
Studio - West Side Studio is Robert Smith and the Cure done dub. I've been able to say nothing else of worth about this Swedish duo since I was introduced nearly a year ago. Stunning. My jaw still drops listening to them.
BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 2 of 5)
I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!
I now present to you the second installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)
You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.
Holy Hail - Born of a Star Holy Hail represents the new New York cool. Sort of like Tom Tom Club goes church-y or something. It's Fannypack done folk. It's indie-dance done twee. It's so many things done backwards and contrary to common belief and hipness ... thereby making them the epitome of hip. It's creatives like these guys that we need more of.
Jana Hunter - Babies We're tired of Devendra, we're tired of "freak folk," we're tired of nondescript singer/songwriters like Feist ... we want more authenticity and trueness and now Jana Hunter is here to deliver that to us. The Texas-born singer/songwriter doesn't rely on a especially unique or quirky vocal talent, complex guitar melodies or riffs, or ecstatic stylings like many of her folk and country companions but plain and simple talent. She evokes old standbys like Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, and Joni Mitchell while refraining from being derivative, trendy, and hip to the now ... which, again, makes her cool, anyway!
Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming I don't know why interest in Late of the Pier sputtered out. They're easily one of the more progressive acts to sprout from the U.K. this year. With their off-kilter tribal-meets-dingy-bedroom-drum-machine beats, soulful singing, and loopy synth and guitar lines, the band represents a weird sort of hybrid of Talking Heads, the Unicorns, and a lo-fi incarnation of the Rapture.
Mancino - L'amour (Or Less) Mancino is the smartest pop group out of NYC this year. Bringin' grunge back in a nerdier fashion. 'Nuff said.
Parker Lewis - Dirty Dancing There have been one too many wussy male singer/songwriters to spring from Sweden in the past few years. One daydreaming Jens Lekman is all we really need, right? Nah ... Parker Lewis brings a whole new level of earnest sweetness and endearing pop writing to the table. He sings from the heart, will undoubtedly make you feel so much emotion for him (a stranger!), and will refuse to let you turn him off repeat. The young musician has been based in NYC for a while now ... perhaps it's the detachment from his home and sorrow from homesickness that has given him such talents, but whatever it is, his sadness is pure beauty. Turn all the noise off. Listen. Fall in love.
BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks of 2007 (Part 1 of 5)
I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!
I now present to you the first installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)
You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.
Breakbot - Summer Party 2007 was the year of Justice -- at least on the electronic/dance end of the spectrum -- a statement most clearly illustrated through the sheer number of Justice imitators! From the rest of the Ed Banger crew to Teenage Bad Girl to Yuksek to Brodinski to oh so many more, this year was clearly influenced in a substantial way by the young Parisian duo. Breakbot represents a faction that splintered away from the Justice bandwagon. He retains the same underlying dance aesthetic and robotic swing, but adds an extra dose of funk to the mix. He represents the true successor.
Cheap Beat - Club Cheap Beat Just when the Swedish pop scene was starting to get boring or at least monotonous, Cheap Beat waltzes onto the scene with contagious power-pop licks, Robert Smith-esque vocals, punkier roots, and an overall fresh approach to popular music that their fellow Scandinavian musicians failed to pick up on. Ashame, but at least Cheap Beat is here to save the day now!
datA - Aerius Light While Breakbot represents the suave, classy substitute for Justice (for those of us who have just heard "D.A.N.C.E." one too many times), datA represents everything that's good about the overplayed pair's music. The metal-inspired electronic anthems, tremendous distortions, abrasive sound qualities, and angular, sharp beats can culminate into something worthwhile and fun, and datA proved that aptly this year.
Glass Candy - Beatific I'm not even sure if Glass Candy really counts as an "undiscovered" band, but they certainly haven't received the attention they deserve, so I'm classifying them as such. Johnny Jewel -- a member of Glass Candy as well as of Chromatics as well as the producer for both entities -- is massively under-appreciated. Mr. Jewel is, in BBBD's eyes, one of the greater producers of the 21st century. His crisp and clean style is reminiscent of post-punk legends (Martin Hannett!), but the extra jolt of Italian disco and space rock is refreshing addition (too many New Wave bands these days). Glass Candy's music is all at once digestible and accessible yet exceptionally foreign and excitingly confounding. It's like valuing modern art and pointing out which painter will be "big" in five, yen years time: it's a gamble, but usually, the folks who are most out there and most bizarre are the one who, in the end, will be most prized and valued. So it is with Glass Candy/Johnny Jewel.
HEALTH - Triceratops BBBD is based in L.A., so HEALTH, a four-piece based just around the corner from BBBD HQ, gets extra Brownie points by default. That being said, though, the quartet is an exciting new band that's making those of us who've become a little jaded with the "noise" scene find some solace in the decaying genre. HEALTH infuses true talent with their noise jams ... I only hope it heightens all our appreciations for solid music and good craftsmanship. HEALTH has shown us that noise isn't just for people wanting to form a band but not having the skills and wherewithal to do so. The really rock.
This December, I've been hiding out in a corner, feeling a pretty worthless addition to the Internet music community. No top-fifty, twenty, ten, five ... no 2007 recommendations ... no pulling of forgotten or overlooked gems ... no year-end/holiday offerings from BBBD, everyone's favorite (!) music blog out there!
What's up!? I felt that I couldn't compete with other bloggers ... my top ten would approximately resemble at least five-hundred others', and the prospect of coming off completely unoriginal with a chart that's not up to snuff compared to other bloggers was ... daunting and frankly saddening.
After twenty-two days of intense thought, I've got something different (hopefully) to gift you this year, so here it goes: my top-ten based statistically on the number of plays each artist received from me this year. So, as the first chart below indicates, I listened to Joy Division 488 times this year, making that band the most popular and therefore number one on my un-adjusted, raw chart. Perhaps utterly boring, perhaps completely enlightening.
There are two charts below: one which includes artists/bands that predate 2007/didn't release anything this year and one which only includes 2007 artists. If anything, this might be sort of fun to look over ... and certainly less pretentious than my prepared list would've been (as much as I may claim Panda Bear was one of my top fives, he didn't end up there). Oh and hey -- there's a mix for each list, too (no carryover tracks). Enjoy the free music ... I've some saved up bandwidth!
BBBD'S 2007 STATISTICAL BREAK-DOWN (1) Joy Division (488) (2) Of Montreal (353) (3) Klanguage (338) (4) Babyshambles (286) (5) Klaxons (284) (6) the Arcade Fire (271) (7) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (223) (8) Shugo Tokumaru (222) (9) LCD Soundsystem (221) (10)the Books (216) BBBD TOP TEN MIX (Raw) (ZIP)
BBBD'S 2007 STATISTICAL BREAK-DOWN (Adjusted) (1) Of Montreal (353) (2) Babyshambles (286) (3) Klaxons (284) (4) the Arcade Fire (271) (5) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (223) (6) Shugo Tokumaru (222) (7) LCD Soundsystem (221) (8) Working For A Nuclear Free City (183) (9) Deerhunter (176) (10)the Tough Alliance (175) (11)Deerhoof (163) BBBD TOP TEN MIX (Adjusted) (ZIP)
*Animal COllective, Beirut, Digitalism, Justice, Panda Bear, the Go! Team, Marnie Stern, and Liars would've been included on a Top Twenty list.*
