Public transportation is a chore. If I somehow forget my Touch at the apartment, I’m left deciphering advertisements on the bus or surreptitiously watching the crazy people talk to themselves. Were they crazy before they rode the bus, or was it the bus that made them crazy? It takes a while for me to realize that I had just asked myself that question aloud, and now the “normies” are anxiously studying me. To keep my sanity, I usually bury my headphones in my skull and let the music drain my stress away. As a result, the shelf-life of an average album decreases dramatically. Most albums are not meant to be listened to every day—especially more than once. So, to cure my, “Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am,” strategy, I had to seek a high volume of extraordinary music. Now, I can push my shuffle with confidence (I don’t believe in Freudian slips).
In anticipation for summer 2010, I offer this list of artists who have released albums in time for the summer or will release a new album at some point in the summer. I am always in need of new music, so if you have any suggestions, lay them out in the comments.
1. The Dirty Projectors “No Intention”
Genre: Indie-rock, brushing up against shoegaze and ambient-punk.
The first item of any list must define the tone, and The Dirty Projectors ooze with that summery (not summary), citrus sound. The tart noise surrounding each track of Bitte Orca is sharp and sweet. Although their album may be used as a battle anthem for all hipsters to assemble in an ironic war on genre, there is no doubt in my mind that this band could be the next trend-setter. Enjoy them while they are fresh, I sense each hipster band hereafter will hold a faint wisp of The Dirty Projectors somewhere in their musical genome. This particular song is a live set performed for Sirius Radio. It feels fluffy and romantic, but not in a typically bad way. Pick up Bitte Orca now and catch up before Ascending Melody knocks you off your tardy ass later this year. *Deliberative tip-of-the-hat to Sean for this suggestion.
2. Broken Bells “The High Road”
Genre: Alt-rock
The Shins never hurt anybody. I don’t ever recall meeting someone who absolutely hated The Shins; those who would hate The Shins probably never heard of them. Of course The Shins are not without their blemishes. Their three albums often meander to a fault, creating gaps. I could argue that their latest album, Wincing the Night Away, was their best at avoiding this issue, but I’m not talking about The Shins; I’m talking about Broken Bells, a duo project between The Shins’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton). Living in Japan distances me quite a bit from American pop culture, but apparently Broken Bells is doing very well, enjoying the 18th spot on Billboard’s top 200 in digital downloads. That is pretty damn mainstream. Their debut album is only two months running, so it offers a breath of life to the beginning of summer. Mercer hits harder with this duo than he ever did with The Shins. His performance is simplified, yet strikingly original. He is like a kid falling on purpose; it’s easy, it’s fun, a little sloppy, but he never finds a wrong way to do things. Burton does more than hit a few keys and sample some eighties hits. No, there is true texture to this album. If Burton made the backdrop any thicker, Mercer would not be able to tumble around. The result of their collaborative effort is the best example of how two genres can churn together in a meaningful way.
3. LCD Soundsystem “Drunk Girls”
Genre: Dance-punk
This is the single from LCD Soundsystem’s new album This Is Happening, released May 17 this year. The song forces you to buy the album. It is destined to be catchy-as-hell with a title like that. The video itself has “viral-wannabe” spanked all over it. James Murphy, frontman of the group, claims that the new album is the best (and the last). If Sound of Silver is any indication, then this album has all the potential to explode some heads. I can already see myself slapping people in the face, drunk off my ass, belting this song. It’s going to be a good summer.
4. Deerhoof “Offend Maggie”
Genre: experimental pop
There is no explanation for Deerhoof. Of all the artists mentioned on this list, I have listened to Deerhoof the longest. Each album contorts the band’s genre into something else entirely, but they have a distinct sound. This is hard to accomplish: perpetually change, yet remain familiar. This is the demon science of Deerhoof. Their new album, Offend Maggie, plunges deeper into the pop realm than their former releases, displaying their fading noise/punk/indie scars. The melodies lean on the sinister, yet Satomi’s voice threads through each track with a neon glow. I had the unfortunate experience of arriving to Tokyo two hours after they finished their concert on their world tour stop. I will always regret this.
5. The Joy Formidable “Austere”
Genre: Indie pop
These guys are friends with Passion Pit, a current favorite of mine. The synth-pop group will make you wonder why the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were ever popular, and wonder why these guys aren’t yet. I guess it might have to do with the fact that their first album hasn’t even been released. However, some of their singles are already up for grabs. I recommend this song, which I found via Justin Timberlake’s Twitter. That makes me hopeful for a ridiculous mash-up between the two artists. It also makes me someone who follows Justin Timberlake on Twitter…
6. Sakanaction “Sentorei”
Genre: Electronic/Alt-rock
The only Japanese band on this list! I try hard to keep up with the music scene in Japan, but a major problem with Japanese music is the massive amounts of clutter. It seems that anybody who can assemble a group of people can get a record deal in this country. But Sakanaction is different. They have enjoyed a little mainstream success (but only in Japan) while not conforming to the tried-and-true methods that almost every music act in Japan tends to follow (guaranteed money, who wouldn’t?). kikUUiki was their most recent album, yet I can’t find it anywhere. This song is especially important to my summer because the group will be performing (for the third time) at Summer Sonic in Tokyo and Osaka this year. They could very well hit it big in America a la The Pillows.
7. Crystal Castles “Xxzxcuzx Me”
Genre: Electronic
Jack Shankly at Drowned in Sound (a blog you should read) described Crystal Castles as, “…malevolent, malfunctioning 8-bit terrorism…” That’s about right. Many would agree that the band is just two people making noise. It is hard not to find the similarity between their sound and the final cry of a dying Speak & Spell. The album just pulls me in, more like a harpoon than a net. This would be the song I listen to when I come home from work and want to set fire to my apartment in frustration. This is like a more astute replacement for heavy metal. Their second album, Crystal Castles II, will kick start the summer this month on the 24th.
8. Miles Kurosky “Dog in the Burning Building”
Genre: Folk, pop, experimental pop
This guy worked with Eli Crews, who was the tracking engineer for a number of Deerhoof albums. Anyway, he’s a solo act now and doing great. His The Desert of Shallow Effects hit stores about two months ago. The album functions best as background music. I would not spend a lengthy amount of time studying it; the more intently I focus on the music, the less I seem to like it. The album as a whole would work well as a coaster: indispensable for some, unnecessary for others. For me, this song alone is worth a listen, and definitely worth its position on this list. This is a pop song.
9. Blakroc “Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)”
Genre: rap-rock
Finally. All that hipster love was making me feel really goddamn trendy. The Black Keys, a blues-rock duo, decided to rob black people of yet another musical genre with this side project, Blakroc. They were blessed with an opportunity to produce Attack and Release with Danger Mouse a few years back, and now they adopt some of that hip-hop flair to Blakroc. Thanks to the good people at Roc-A-Fella Records, some big names pop up in here, including Mos Def and Jim Jones (this song!), Q-Tip, RZA, and a ghostly recording of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Oh yeah, and Ludacris. This song is a little dated, but the Black Keys are releasing a new album this month, and this fun caveat will entertain until that time.
10. Wale “Pretty Girls”
Genre: Hip-hop, rap, go-go
Wale is a rapper out of D.C. that let’s you know he’s from D.C. about every song. If he doesn’t explicitly proclaim he is from our nation’s capital, then his music will feature some sample of D.C.-bred go-go music, a subgenre of disco. His debut album Attention Deficit came out late last year, so I have been waiting patiently to hear his stuff mixed in with this summer’s sets. I caught one DJ using “Chillin” in a mix on New Year’s, which was absolutely perfect to hear in a club. “Pretty Girls” has been set up too perfectly for this summer: 1) it is currently the new single from the album, 2) Wale is in cahoots with the best rappers in the industry, and 3) it has that insatiable Apache-esque cut from “Girls” by The Moments and the Whatnauts. If you go to a club this summer, you will hear this song.
11. Charles Hamilton “Gauchos”
Genre: hip-hop, rap
Here’s the third artist from Ohio on this list. This single was just released last week (talk about fresh). Charles Hamilton, a.k.a. Sonic the Hamilton, likes to stay underground, which explains the reference to “hedgehog.” There is no doubt he loves to create music. He has already made a couple dozen mixtapes and released two albums. His most recent mixtape will be his last, but he has a new album releasing sometime this year. “Gauchos”, meanwhile, is somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek homage to mainstream hip-hop, not unlike Kanye West’s “Drop Some D’s On That Bitch”. The redundant and nonsensical chorus is a direct hit at success story Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em. His build-up to the chorus was pulled right out of Jay-Z’s signature repertoire. The actual rapping portions of the single throw me straight back to Pharrell’s earlier days. I can’t help but imagine how perfect this song would be blaring out of my car that I don’t own.
12. Cancer Bats “Sabotage”
Genre: metalcore
This last song is just fun. Everything about it feels out of context, but absolutely wonderful. Listening to it is like finally realizing that you can drink beer while taking a shower (you can, I tried it, and it is incredible). First, Cancer Bats is doing a lot to bring metal to a much wider audience. They aren’t as alienating as most punk acts, but nowhere near as precise as metal groups. As a result, I could see them being hated by fans of both genres. However, they would probably rope in everyone else. This song is a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” I am reminded of how Limp Bizkit got their start in the mainstream with their cover of George Michael’s “Gotta Have Faith.” Limp Bizkit brought rap-metal into the limelight with that song. They weren’t particularly good, but they appealed to a wide audience. They cleverly sold a song that everyone was already familiar with and would rather hear as a head-banging riot anthem than the gay 80s ass-shake of the original. The same can’t be said for “Sabotage” as I see it. The song is already decent enough. This cover simply gives non-metalheads an opportunity to understand metal through lyrics and melodies already understood. Limp Bizkit had TRL back in the day to catalyze their popularity; I wonder if the recent release of Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones from Cancer Bats can enjoy similar success without TRL?
I have not spent an entire summer in Japan yet, so I am excited for what 2010 has in stock for me. Big thanks again to Sean for always suggesting great music. I just wish he listened to more hip-hop. Again, if you have any suggestions, leave a comment.