Call All Destroyer

seared scallops, mushrooms with port and sherry, crispy kale...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:18:00 -0400

seared scallops, mushrooms with port and sherry, crispy kale with smoked salt. i wanted three elements that would cook in less than 15 minutes each, and here is the result. the nice sear on the scallops (my best ever) was basically an accident. they were perfectly cooked but oversalted due to me rushing around.

Home Blitz - “Two Steps” from O.ut O.f P.hase...

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:07:00 -0400

Home Blitz - “Two Steps” from O.ut O.f P.hase (Richie, 2009)

STUFF I BUY FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS #2

an outlier amidst the current proliferation of lo-fi bands, it’s hard to figure out how intentional the sound of this record is. the thing about home blitz is that “low” isn’t really the problem, the recording is actually ridiculously hot and present. makes the 50-buck guitars and the fact that the drummer fucks up a lot all the more obvious. but the songs are there—supercharged pop sung by a dude who sounds like he’s 12 and has drank a lot of soda recently. could they do any better than this and keep the charm?

True Widow - “Duelist” from True Widow (End Sounds,...

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:48:00 -0400

True Widow - “Duelist” from True Widow (End Sounds, 2008)

STUFF I BUY FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS #1

aquarius, in san franciso, is the best record store in the country. every few months, when i have the time and money, i browse through their voluminous, labor-intensive new release lists, read the descriptions, listen to the minute-long samples, and buy 4 or 5 things i’ve never ever heard of. i’ve gotten some of my favorite albums this way, and the aQ folks are pretty much the only people i’m aware of who provide this much exposure to this many obscure artists. so in this occasional series i’ll highlight as many aQ purchases as i can.

true widow write songs that sit pretty comfortably in a sort of familiar, 90s, heroin-y, dreampop/slowcore tradition that on its own would be enough to make me like them, since this kind of music isn’t done very much these days. but what they really are is a case study in how a minor band can differentiate itself with its sound. this record has an incredible sound: super grungey downtuned guitars, tons of low end, fuzz bass, even a little hazy pedal steel here and there. try to listen to “duelist” loud on decent speakers, it’s probably the only way you’ll notice that this is just a really heavy record that marries my 90s indie and stoner metal sensibilities together into something i could listen to for days on end.

again, NEVER WOULD HAVE HEARD without aquarius. and already feels like a classic to me.

Joanna Newsom - “Jackrabbits” from Have One On Me...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:45:00 -0500

Joanna Newsom - “Jackrabbits” from Have One On Me (Drag City, 2010)

i was p. much a newsom hater until two weeks ago—respected the talent, couldn’t listen to the songs. but this tune is a stunner, and not the only one to be found on three discs’ worth of HOOM.

Hot Snakes - “Plenty For All” from Audit In Progress...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:50:00 -0500

Hot Snakes - “Plenty For All” from Audit In Progress (Swami, 2004)

well last week i compared the soft pack to hot snakes, so maybe it’s time for the real thing. hot snakes always struck me, from both my own listening and critical consensus, as a band that was next to impossible to hate on—they knew exactly what they wanted to do (tight downer garage jams with a level of craftsmanship that put the idea of all other post-60s “garage” to shame) and did in just about 100% of the time. “plenty for all” was always a favorite of mine for a few reasons: the last song on their last studio album, it was both atypical (where did that cheery major-key melody riff come from?) and a perfect summation of their “thing.” that’s because rick froberg’s black-heart sarcasm never got better than this one—southern california is a hellhole, but come here anyway, what else are you going to do (ps it’s all pointless anyway)? you can’t take him seriously in the context of his body of work as a lyricist, but i’d be lying if i said this song wasn’t affecting (and genuinely sad) on some level.

i guess part of that reaction is that except for a live album, this was it. i’m not a purist in anything, but sometimes when i listen to these guys i just want them to come back and show everyone how it’s done.

The Soft Pack - “C’mon” from The Soft Pack...

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:29:00 -0500

The Soft Pack - “C’mon” from The Soft Pack (Kemado, 2010)

“army, navy, air force, and marines”

dan, you were right about these guys, who are my new favorite hot snakes tribute band.

Wild Nothing - “Summer Holiday” a good break from...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:34:05 -0500

Wild Nothing - “Summer Holiday”

a good break from reviewing last year—let’s blog abt some new band that i don’t even think has a physical release yet. sadly, pitchfork already said what i wanted to say about this but i still want you to listen to it and i’ll supply a quick recap: it’s one of those perfectly needy indie-pop songs until the chorus, when a wordless moan and two unexpected chord changes take it to a more indelible place. the lyrics seem to suggest an early teenage ambivalence (with a little anxiety for good measure), and then there’s that chorus again, expressing so much and so little at once. evocative and timeless.

#1 Album for 2009: The-Dream - Love vs. Money (Def Jam) i came...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:46:17 -0500

#1 Album for 2009: The-Dream - Love vs. Money (Def Jam)

i came to love vs. money only a month or so after discovering terius nash and his amazing first album, love/hate. that record came out in december ‘08, just late enough to make a big splash on 2009 year-end polls. by the time i really absorbed any of it love vs. money was on the shelves. i bought it the day it came out in early march. in a sense this was the best way to “get into” the-dream—with two albums worth of his maximal, highly self-referential take on r&b to deal with at once, i started to hear him trade themes, lines, and even individual sounds between the two. the effect was dizzying; the music seemed unbelievably intricate. because, while i’m not normally a big fan of meta, the-dream just has so much fun with it, and he makes you believe it’s all a part of some kaleidoscopic larger narrative. and sometimes maybe it is: lvm opens with 5 love songs, culminating in “put it down,” and “sweat it out,” both packed with the type of detailed lyrics that only nash can write, both spliced with tender feeling and goofy humor simultaneously. following these are a staggering four-song breakup set—“love vs. money” parts 1 and 2, “fancy” (a six and a half minute story-song that’s just kind of out on its own planet), and “right side of my brain,” which you can listen to above and which matches nash’s gift for melody and wordplay (he sells “touch/untouch” and “love/unlove”) with his producers’ best musical qualities: huge synths, oddball vocal samples, monumental drums, and an unerring ability to ride the line between “too much” and “just enough.” after this it’s actually hard to recover for the end of the record, even though the last two songs are ace and the very last line namechecks (what else?) listening to the-dream’s first cd on a hookup.

it adds up to an exhausting and inspiring record of the year. no one else had a fuller vision, and i don’t think anyone else gave us more of themselves. but it’s the little things i always come back to. at the beginning of “love vs. money” (part 1) the music darkens and nash says something like “i’m gonna tell a different kind of story.” and all these songs are stories: they’re human-scale (believe it or not), they’re relatable, they make you laugh, they make you feel pain. supposedly the third the-dream album is out this year. how could anyone truly be ready?

#2 Album for 2009: Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport (ATP...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:58:24 -0500

#2 Album for 2009: Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport (ATP Recordings)

it’s been a long time since i had a strong emotional reaction to sheer sound. we’d have to bring it back to the halcyon days of mogwai which were about 10 years ago (yikes). fuck buttons work with strong contrasts: earthbound, simplistic percussion against stratospheric, beatific synth noise; the beauty of sturdy postrock melodies against the violence that the band’s basic menu of sounds suggests. the result is one of the year’s most powerful, overwhelming albums, something that still has me a little bit in awe when i think about it and brought about one of my favorite written descriptions of music ever. “surf solar,” in my opinion, is the vital track from this one. it’s too big to embed in tumblr at any quality so use the youtube above. but if i can be a pedant this is the exact type of music that suffers at low quality, do yrself a favor and buy a physical copy or at least a really good file.

#3 Album for 2009: Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and...

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:53:43 -0500

#3 Album for 2009: Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another (4AD)

future of the left (ex-mclusky) wrote the best rock song i heard this year. it’s called “arming eritrea” and you can listen to it above. for the rest of twmaa they only write some of the most inventive and interesting guitar/bass/drums music i’ve heard in ages, with a muscular dexterity that extends from faux-showtune outros to post-shellac grind to violating the remains of dance-punk. simply put, they pull a lot of stuff together, and it’s rare that a 32-minute record with this level of aggression would also have so many layers to pull back. the constant is andy falkous’ madcap black humor, which has apparently gotten more unhinged since the mclusky years. falco covers satanic orgies, pterodactyls, and a guy named reginald j. trotsfield in lyrics that are both genuinely hilarious and regularly disturbing. people who complain about where indie rock has gone, i have a record for you.

#4 Album for 2009: Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt....

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:27:47 -0500

#4 Album for 2009: Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II

i know, i know: old guy rap. but it’s only fair to acknowledge that the last great wu-related album could happen at any time, and may well have happened this year: i pushed play on cuban linx pt. ii with no expectations whatsoever, and got a bracing, engaging, almost perfectly sequenced record that spanned 15 or 20 years with no seams. its 22 tracks contain an almost overwhelming haul of old soul samples, nearly abstract beats, interstitial dialogue, and verse after excellent verse from a crew of guys in the age 35-40 range. seriously, it’s verging on unbelievable that everybody would sound so good, from career bench guys like styles p up to ghostface. don’t get me wrong, i more than respect ghost’s right to follow his muse, but he never sounds more at home than he does on stuff like this—belting out hard, gritty lines with that urgent sound in his voice. at the center of it all is rae, a guy so disinclined to draw attention to himself that he’s happy to cede many of this album’s thrilling moments to others. but don’t forget about him because he gives this stuff a heart. listen to his awesome, heartfelt tribute to odb, “ason jones,” above.

#5 Album for 2009: Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (Domino) the odds...

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:47:35 -0500

#5 Album for 2009: Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (Domino)

the odds of a very british art-rock band taking this spot were incredibly low, but here we are. way overlooked in the u.s., this record won me over with its clear vision, sophistication, maturity, and intellect. the band mostly works by contrasting two expressive, almost indulgent vocalists with a very cool and controlled post-punk sound. there are lots of guitars but none of them take the spotlight, and there’s the blessing of a really good drummer who pushes the rhythmic complexity of these songs while never overtaking them. one more notable contrast—most of the lyrics on two dancers are about aggression, chaos, violence, and all kinds of other words that could never possibly describe the singing or music. i love how they characterize runaway misogyny on “all the king’s men” (which you can listen to above), in which the narrator and his crew terrorize the girls from roedean and whitby, hounslow and shipley.

#6 Album for 2009: The xx - xx (XL Recordings) the odds of a...

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:24:00 -0500

#6 Album for 2009: The xx - xx (XL Recordings)

the odds of a british buzz band comprised of 20-year-olds taking this spot were incredibly low, but here we are. i haven’t changed my position on these guys since i first heard them on myspace—they understand more about the little things that make music good (dynamics, understatement, use of space) than most musicians much, much older than them. their debut is nocturnal pop of the highest order. it’s moody, a little sexy, and surprisingly wide-ranging—at points for me it calls to mind chris isaak and early pinback (easy way to score points in my book) and ymg and lots of other things that they may have never heard. or hey, maybe they have. check out “infinity” above.

#7 Album for 2009: A.C. Newman - Get Guilty (Matador) i guess...

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:36:28 -0500

#7 Album for 2009: A.C. Newman - Get Guilty (Matador)

i guess in fairness at this point the question is what would a carl newman record have to do to not make my top 10 (let’s see if i just jinxed the new pornographer album coming out in a few months)? still, i was pretty indifferent to get guilty when it came out. it wasn’t until a few months later that i listened to it for an entire week. and thereafter it would come out every so often for another week of compulsive listening. with different arrangements and singers, over half the songs here would not be out of place on a killer stretch of any of the new pornographers records—the guy just writes songs that i love, they’re catchy and thoughtful and familiar without ever being obviously referential. and the best part is that i think he’s getting more out there with time: check out “young atlantis” above, it’s closer to musical number than pop song but good luck getting it unstuck from your head.

#8 Album for 2009: Bat For Lashes - Two Suns (Astralwerks) so i...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:21:29 -0500

#8 Album for 2009: Bat For Lashes - Two Suns (Astralwerks)

so i think my original post on bat for lashes still applies—not because i successfully blogged that much, but because it took many more listens to finally settle my feelings on natasha khan and her second album. and in the end i’d say this: she’s a lot rangier than many of her comparables, she has a real knack for characters and personas, and i’ve never seen her get enough credit for the superbly varied production and arrangement on two suns. in a lot of ways it’s just a cool old art rock album, which is way even at maximum piano bombast i can hang with it—it still feels measured, and it still feels like songwriting more than autobiography. so the audio above, “siren song,” is presented as proof that maximum piano bombast can still work on me.

#9 Album for 2009: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix...

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:34:13 -0500

#9 Album for 2009: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)

sometimes these things aren’t very complicated: wap wasn’t my favorite album of the year, but it was certainly my most listened-to. it’s 36 minutes of ultra-clean, sharp focus pop that was useful on just about any occasion, seemed just as good during the day as at night, and left you with no fear of the cd ending and starting back at track one (these are all extremely underrated qualities as far as i’m concerned). two things about this one will always stick out to me: the perfectly processed drum sound, and thomas mars’ vocals throughout: he’s a walking non-sequitur in english yet (or perhaps as a result) it only adds to the band’s universalist appeal. anyway, you can her “1901” and “lisztomania” just about anywhere so here’s “fences,” which to me is their peer.

#10 Album for 2009: Fever Ray - Fever Ray (Mute) it would be...

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:59:29 -0500

#10 Album for 2009: Fever Ray - Fever Ray (Mute)

it would be unusual for a debut album to arrive so fully-formed, but for those of us familiar with the knife, it wouldn’t be totally fair to call this a debut. still, while the electronics and unmistakable voice are there, there are some differences. fever ray’s music is maybe a little more functional and less ornamented, and karin dreijer andersson’s lyrics work within a different, narrower set of obsessions—mostly what i’d call a kind of low-key domestic dread. it’s about being in a quiet house alone at night with a spinning mind, all empty streets, imaginary bottles of rum, real dishwasher tablets. essentially, it’s this simple: andersson led the way creating evocative, haunting music in the second half of the decade. i chose fever ray’s huge closing track, “coconut” for the audio above.

#11 Album for 2009: DJ Quik and Kurupt - Blaqkout (Mad...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:08:00 -0500

#11 Album for 2009: DJ Quik and Kurupt - Blaqkout (Mad Science)

blaqkout starts off with a classic g-funk beat, just like you’d expect from west coast vet dj quik, and gets weird so gradually that you probably won’t notice when it actually becomes weird. maybe you will when you hear the sample that inspired “hey playa” (it’s from anthony bourdain’s tv show). maybe it’s during the heart-stopping “9x outta 10” (closest kin: “machine gun” by portishead and playable in the audio above). maybe you’re really confused and you make it all the way to “jupiter’s critic and the mind of mars” (which i don’t even have a one-liner for) before you realize how weird things have gotten. there’s a standard critical line of thinking for this record, but it really rings true and really holds up: basically, quik and kurupt are industry vets with near-nonexistent commercial prospects, a fact that has liberated them and devoted them to the only thing they have left—craftsmanship in the most honest, best-meaning sense of the word. so you get to hear quik come up with some awesomely strange beats and work his class-clown persona, and you get to hear kurupt pull him back to earth and rap for the sheer joy of rapping. no one’s going to pretend that the words on “9x outta 10” makes one bit of sense, but the sound of kurupt’s flow makes the song’s case countless times over. and taking joy in craft for craft’s sake is the argument for this fantastic album.

#12 Album for 2009: Baroness - Blue Record (Relapse) it took a...

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:35:30 -0500

#12 Album for 2009: Baroness - Blue Record (Relapse)

it took a live show for me to really “get” this album, which could reasonably have a few criticisms leveled against it—too long, too same-y, not enough progress from 2007’s fine red album. there was counterpoint too—stick with it, it’s a grower, it displays a heavy yes influence, etc. etc. then seeing baroness flawlessly, earnestly, tear through this material in person made me think about this recording in a different light. the production was so close to the sound of that show, pressed up close in the boomy, weird-sounding middle east downstairs, every riff and kick drum causing some physical feedback inside me. as i listened more, the songs mostly started to come into their own and all the progressions and repeated motifs came into focus. on the balance, i don’t think any band was more generous with their music than baroness last year, and that’s why they’re deserving of this spot. “jake leg” can be played above.

#13 Album for 2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!...

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:52:45 -0500

#13 Album for 2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz! (Interscope)

you probably don’t need me to tell you about the yyy’s, but for my money they have one of the most compelling narratives of the 2000s and capped off the decade in brilliant fashion with a record that secures their place as one of the great pop acts of our time. karen o has never been more in command of her vocals, and the band ups the complexity of their music without sacrificing much of the charm they had back in ‘01. in a previous blog post i had called out “zero,” which is my song of the year, and i’d link to it here but some jerk removed the video. so seek it out on your own, and i’m instead giving you deep album cut “dragon queen,” which is a disco rip that hits all the right notes.