Dying Tree In Front of My House

New is the New Old

Pop Nine from Outer Space

It's been a while

This is a silkscreen print worked over with acrylic and India ink that I finished this morning. I like the texture a lot.

New Zealand's Fourth Most Popular Folk-Parody Duo

After hearing a lot of buzz about HBO's Flight of the Conchords in the past few weeks, I watched it about a week ago. I have to say that I was not in the least disappointed. After quoting it endlessly with my mate Adam, I watched it a second time, and it was even funnier than before. Of course, I have only seen the pilot of the twelve part series, and time will tell, but this could possibly join the ranks of such excellent HBO comedies as Entourage, Extras, and Da Ali G Show. (Yes, I know that the last two were originally excellent BBC comedies, but for the sake of argument, disregard this).

The premise is two New Zealanders trying to make it in music in New York City, and features Rhys Darby as their hapless manager, Murray Hewitt (much like the brilliant Stephen Merchant as the similarly hapless Darren Lamb in Extras), Kristen Schaal as the obsessive number one fan Mel, and the members of the real life comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement as themselves. Also look for the short appearances of the similarly hilarious Judah Friedlander and Eugene Mirman. The tone feels in some ways like a mixture of the UK version of The Office, Rushmore, and Christopher Guest films, with a healthy mixture of Bret and Jemaine breaking into songs such as this one.

When taken in sum, it is an excellent pilot for a series that I will be sure to keep an eye on as it progresses. Also, I really liked the description of Jemaine Clement as "an ogre who works in a library" in the cast and crew section of the HBO website. Flight of the Conchords premiers tonight after Entourage on HBO, but you can watch the premiere episode for free (Update 10/6/08: Not!).

Thought Pie

Everything can be expressed in a chart.

Letter Flourish

Sparrow is Not Sorrow

Animal Collective in Denver, May 21

The hipsters were out last night in Five Points here in Denver. The freak-folk group Animal Collective played at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, which really was a spectacle to behold. The theatre itself is located in a recovering neighborhood and was a great venue for such an eclectic show. As we walked around before the show, I could see the old Denver, the place that Jack Kerouac roamed. We passed old barber shops and family stores that were flanked by new lofts and light-rail tracks. Cervantes has lots of seating around the dance floor which was helpful because the show was more of something to see rather than listen.

Sir Richard Bishop (he’s a knight of the Spanish guitar, apparently) opened with an angst-ridden showing of classical guitar and folk songs. Bishop is very skilled at classical guitar, but his lyrics were more the ravings of a crotchety old man that actual songs. He sang about lynching a preacher and various other anti-Christian themes, for which the crowd really seemed indifferent. He finished with a fifteen minute instrumental piece that raged in a flamenco dialect. Bishop was entertaining, but his virtuosity with a guitar was not enough to merit his lengthy set.

Animal Collective’s frenetic sound demands a live show. Their equipment crowded the stage- not a guitar in sight. They opened with ‘Purple Bottle’ and transitioned into ‘Grass’ and I really couldn’t take it all in at once. Animal Collective’s music is complex and layered, it was very interesting to watch them assume the stage and jump into their entrancing performance. The frantic vocals of Portner and Lennox (aka Avey Tare and Panda Bear, respectively) hounded the theatre in waves of reverb and rang true to the group’s name. All of the performers stuck to their stations throughout the performance, which was appropriate considering how small the stage was. They played new material from their upcoming album, but I really couldn’t tell the difference between it and their old work. Animal Collective has released seven albums since their conception in 2000. Animal Collective has pretty decent music, but their act is truly a sight to behold.

Their next album, Strawberry Jam, will be out in September 2007.

Top Albums of 2006 version 2.0, by Jack X

First of all: Yes, I know that "Best Of..." lists are supposed to be completed in December or early January, which I did. I decided, however, that a 2.0 version was needed, since I have had much more time to get into all the albums since 2006 ended. Here is my 1.o list, from January.
Top Albums of 2006 v 1.0

1. Ben Kweller- Ben Kweller
2. Bright Eyes- Noise Floor
3. Band of Horses- Everything All The Time
4. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
5. Regina Spektor- Begin To Hope
6. Tapes 'n Tapes- The Loon
7. Sufjan Stevens- The Avalanche
8. Grizzly Bear- Yellow House
9. Islands- Return To The Sea
10. The Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
11. Annuals- Be He Me
12. Camera Obscura- Let's Get Out Of This Country
13. Belle and Sebastian- The Life Pursuit
14. Muse- Black Holes And Revelations
15. Guster- Ganging Up On The Sun
16. The Strokes- First Impressions Of Earth
17. Jenny Lewis- Rabbit Fur Coat
18. Isobell Campbell & Mark Lannegan- Ballad Of The Broken Seas
19. Cat Power- The Greatest
20. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
21. Bonnie "Prince" Billie- The Letting Go
22. Beirut- Gulag Orkestar

Other things from the 1.0 list
Best New Artist:
Band of Horses
Runners Up:
Tapes 'n Tapes
Annuals

Best Compilation:
Bright Eyes- Noise Floor- Rarities 1998-2005

Best Outtakes Album:
Sufjan Stevens- The Avalanche
Runner Up:
Elliott Smith- The Basement on a Hill Sessions

Best Albums that I already had, but got really into in 2006:
Sufjan Stevens- Seven Swans
Antony and the Johnsons- I Am A Bird Now
Best Song of 2006:
Ben Kweller- Thirteen

After re-reading this list, I realized how foolish it is to make a list that close to some of the albums' releases. I decided to redo it with a little more thought and perspective. Some of the albums listed above I listened to a lot then, but not now, some of them don't stand the test of a year's time, and to some extent, my musical tastes have changed quite a bit. So here is a new "Best of 2006" list

Best Albums of 2006 v 2.0

1. Ben Kweller-Ben Kweller
First of all, I'm really surprised this wasn't on any top 10 lists last year. I remember reading an interview with BK before Ben Kweller came out where he said (and here I'm paraphrasing): "No disrespect to my back catalog, but these are the best songs I've ever written." I was somewhat suspicious, because I couldn't imagine him topping "Lizzy," "On My Way," "Family Tree" and a slew of others that are among my all time favorite songs. I thought this was just a way to say he was excited about the new album. Little did I realize that it was I who was wrong. Touché, Ben, touché. This album far surpassed my wildest expectations. There isn't one song on the album I don't like, and the album includes masterpieces like "Thirteen," "Sundress," and "Until I Die." I would urge anyone who loves music to purchase this album. Incidentally, the album is called Ben Kweller because every note and sound you hear is played by the man himself.

2. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical that the Decemberists could maintain their phenomenal streak of excellent albums on their fourth long player. After all, they had jumped major, and major label dollars mean they expect major sales, meaning major meddling, right? I was slightly worried because of the last band that had also an album in my top 5 ever (Death Cab for Cutie with Transatlanticism) had gone to a major label and produced a pretty good, though not great album. Then they started getting some major label-funded airplay, the annoying teens took hold of them, and all of a sudden, their concerts were full of super annoying emo kids. This didn't happen luckily. The Decemberists are too weird and literarily savvy to attract a whole lot of radio play, and what shallow fourteen year old girl wants to listen to songs of sailors, Japanese folk tales, and excellent antiwar commentary? All said, this album was excellent, not better than Picaresque, but great in its own right.

3. Jacob Borshard- The Last Brontosaurus
Jacob Borshard is criminally overlooked. We have tried promoting him in the past, but simply put, Jacob Borshard is making the best bedroom pop in this or any other country these days. Period. The Last Brontosaurus is phenomenally simple; just our man Jacob and his four-string (ukelele), but has that quality that I would call devastatingly simple. His lyrics, from the hilarious opener "Brains, Brains" (Brains, brains, you can't kill a zombie with a wooden stake), to the standout "Grass Stains" (I've got a kiss here, with your name on it. And I've been thinking all day about this dream I had, where I never lost you, but the only mermaid that's flesh and blood is a bad tattoo), to the excellent "Ernest Hemingway" (I’m waiting, and waiting, you’re fading away. I still see, you at work, shelving books by Ernest Hemingway. And the girls round here just aren’t the ones for me, the last girl I was with was from Albuquerque. I got grass stains when she kissed me, but I know that she won’t miss me, the girls round here just aren’t the ones for me) are phenomenally poetic, and he can write a song about nearly anything. If you haven't heard of him by now, and you like twee pop or bedroom pop or anorak pop or any of the other numerous names for it, download his albums at his website. There's nothing to lose, they are both available for free.

4. Regina Spektor- Begin To Hope
A standout breakthrough album for the Russian born Brooklynite. I'm sure you already know about her, but if not check out "On The Radio," "Samson," and the contender for best video of 2006, "Fidelity." Also, she puts on some excellent concerts.

5. Joanna Newsom- Ys
This is an artist, and album, that you shouldn't expect to get into easily. The five songs here total over 55 minutes and prominently feature the lovely Ms. Newsom's harp, her quavering, childlike voice (which I typically describe as "about as easy to appreciate as early Conor Oberst, Jeff Mangum, and Colin Meloy singing three part harmony"), and the kind of songwriting where "thees" and "thous" are not at all out of place. That said, if you do get past those barriers, they become endearing qualities that only enhance this gorgeously layered, multi faceted album.

6. Beirut- Gulag Orkestar
Phenomenal debut from the (then) 20 year old Santa Fe native Zach Condon. Balkan-folk-pop in the vein of A Hawk and a Hacksaw (aka Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes, who helped on this album) or Devotchka.

7. Islands- Return To The Sea
Ex-Unicorns Nick Diamonds (Nicholas Thorburn) and J'aime Tambeur (Jamie Thompson) return with a perfectly catchy summer album. Try "Jogging Gorgeous Summer" or "Swans (Life After Death)."

8. Sufjan Stevens- The Avalanche
An outtakes album with as many strong songs as the original (2005's excellent Illinois). Standouts include "The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)," "The Avalanche" and contender for best song name of the year "Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair," as well as three new versions of "Chicago."

9. Grizzly Bear- Yellow House
Great sophomore album for Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear. Try "On a Neck, On a Spit," "Lullabye," and "Colorado."

10. Band of Horses- Everything All The Time
Carissa's Wierd (sic) alumni Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke return with Best New Band (of Horses). Try one of the best songs of the year "The Funeral," "The Great Salt Lake," or "Saint Augustine."

11. Annuals- Be He Me
Phenomenal debut from a young (average age was 19 at time of release) Chapel Hill band that aptly draws comparisons to the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. "Brother" and "Dry Clothes" are your best bets.

12. Final Fantasy- He Poos Clouds
Owen Pallet, the string arranger for the Arcade Fire, won the Polaris Music Prize for Canada's best album. It was well deserved. "This Lamb Sells Condos," and "I'm Afraid of Japan" are both excellent.

13. Belle and Sebastian- The Life Pursuit
Scottish twee pop band's seventh LP delivers in an incredibly fun and catchy package. "The Blues are Still Blue" and "Sukie in the Graveyard" are worth a listen.

14. Camera Obscura- Let's Get Out Of This Country
A different Scottish twee pop band delivers a similarly great third LP. Check out the title track and the perfect pop gem "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken."

15. Jenny Lewis- Rabbit Furcoat
Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis enlists the help of gospel singers the Watson Twins to make her triumphant solo debut. The best tracks are the Traveling Wilburys cover "Handle With Care" and country tinged pop ballad "Rise Up With Fists."

Albums Ruled By Me To Be Ineligible
Bright Eyes- Noise Floor (I already had most of these songs and they weren't new)
Tapes 'n Tapes- The Loon (The album was apparently released in 2005)