Markie Posts

The Decemberists Lego Men

I'm not going to front and do a big ole’ “Top Albums of 2006” list being that I don’t feel like I paid enough attention to music in general to give a really thorough and intelligent review of all the albums that were released in 2006 (I promise, 2007 will be very different) but there are a handful of albums that were highly acclaimed last year that I do have certain opinions about. So, here they are, take them for what they are, and enjoy the read.


Everything All The Time - Band of Horses
Unlike most everyone else, “Funeral” was not the first track I heard from this album. The appropriately titled “First Song” (the first song on the album) was actually the first song I heard and I was instantly lassoed around the ankles and dragged in. With a lead vocalist whose voice (one of my co-workers insightfully pointed this out one afternoon when I was listening to them in my cubicle) resembles Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell and studiously taking musical notes from (but not mimicking) My Morning Jacket, A Band of Horses has created a melodic album that evokes yearning and romanticism. **WARNING** this album comes off as depressing and slow at first, give it a couple of spins before confirming an opinion.

Video for "Funeral"


The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
To me, The Decemberists are like eggs. When I was six, I ate a really bad quiche and was turned off by eggs until drunk one night in college, I made a munchies run to Denny’s and got a Grand Slam with scrambled eggs….and loved it (which is strange, because most likely they were straight from the box).

After lots of acclaim for their album, The Crane Wife, I went out and bought The Decemberists’ CD and initially didn’t like it.

The presence of an accordion evoked memories of Steve Urkel. The lead vocalist had the same out-of-tune harshness as The Mountain Goats’ but didn’t have the aid of an acoustic guitar to soften the blow.
The sound in general was something that seemed so unfamiliar I initially didn’t know how to relate to it. But then I heard “Summersong” on the radio and it all sort of snapped, especially after taking the time to listen to such well written lyrics like -

“Ramblin' where to begin/I taste the summer on your peppery skin/Been saved the warmer the waves/I felt a slip into a watery grave

My girl, linen and curls/Lips parting like a flag all unfurled/She's grand the bend of her hand/Digging deep into the sweep of the sand

Summer arrives with a length of lights/Summer blows away/And quietly gets swallowed by a wave/It gets swallowed by a wave …”

- I was struck.

Like eggs, The Decemberists have their own basic form or sound, but with each one of their songs comes a different variation of their style. Scrambled, sunny-side up, or soft-boiled The Decemberists give you a new side of themselves with each track, adding a completely new and delightful flavor to your life.


Return to Cookie Mountain - TV On The Radio
Love “Wolf Like Me”– the song sounds like the embodiment of a wolf and it’s hard for me to dislike a song with a lyric like “...gotta gut that fish…” but it ends there for me. I have the album and am having a really hard time getting through it, or maybe that’s because I can’t stop listening to that one particular song. I’ve got to admit, I’m shocked that’s it has popped up on so many Top of 2006 lists, I don’t get it. But I guess I’ll try to figure it out. If my opinion changes, which it might, I’ll post something about it when it happens. If not, assume I still don’t dig it.


Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins
I am very sentimental towards this album. First off, I actually remember Jenny Lewis as the freckled-face jewelry-prodigy from Troop Beverley Hills (allowing me to naturally like her), have witnessed her bluntly stopping a show to call out some drunkoid for stepping on mic wires and fucking up her performance (allowing me to like her even more), I bought this particular album in Manchester, England for about four pounds and in a really lame way made me feel little connected to a city that’s produced so much good music, and she covers one of my favorite songs from my childhood, “Handle With Care” by the Traveling Wilburys. In this solo debut, the Rilo Kiley frontwoman re-visits her mother’s haunting fur coat, ponders the existence of God, and boldly asks in the song “Rise Up With Fists”,

“What are you changing? / Who do you think you’re changing? /You can’t change things / We’re all stuck in our ways.”

This is an album that steps back from Lewis’ firmly planted indie roots and graces it’s listeners with a pinch of gospel (“Run, Devil, Run”), folk, and some good old fashioned Dusty Springfield-inspired country.


The Greatest - Cat Power
Like the title, Chan Marshall is the greatest. Everything by her is good. Her albums all rock. Her music is a scared but compassionate personality that’s illuminated with Marshall’s low, smoky, and broken voice, simple piano chords, and the occasional honky-tonk twist. Go here to read a very well written description of one of her live performances.


I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass - Yo La Tengo
I'm gunna be lazy again (this and Cat Power are the two last reviews I've written and I I feel burnt out, but both albums I feel I should mention and that people should be aware of) and quote the quick review written by Mike from WOXY.com:

"That a band who has been around for more than 20 years can put out an album of this quality staggers me. What band wouldn't kill for the calling card that is 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind'? Throw in the complexity of 'The Room Got Heavy', the lounge slink of 'Mr. Tough' and the soft touch of''Beanbag Chair' and you're talking a winner. And you do know that's just the tip of the iceberg here, don’t you?"

Night Ripper - Girl Talk
At first, this album seems so ghetto, sampling hooks from “Laffy Taffy” by D4L and “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas, but after a full spin and a ton of brief encounters with the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders, Elastica, and …Paula Abdul, brilliance ensues. This is a fun album that samples modern pop hits, early 90’s alternative rock, and classics from the 80’s, essentially paying homage to the popular music of the past twenty or so years. It also takes old, tired songs and breaths new life into them, helping you remember why that particular song was a hit in the first place. Although the album definitely peaks when it lands on its 12th track “Bounce That” you’ve got to listen to this album as a whole, from beginning to end, and I suggest you take that plunge while sitting bored in rush hour traffic. You’ll drag along with a smile on your face.

***Anticipation - Albums Due to Release in 2007***


Alright, Still - Lily Allen:
Although this debut album by Miss Allen was released in the UK months ago, setting off an atomic-buzz bomb that shook the motherland, the official American-release of Alright, Still is set for February 6th. Perfect timing if you ask me, because with up and offbeat tracks like “Alfie” and “LDN” which was scientifically proven to be one of the “happiest” songs ever made (along with Abba’s "Dancing Queen" – Ireland On-Line ) it looks like the frosty winter blues will surely be melted away by this cleverly internet-hyped album. PLUS, she openly hates Pairs Hilton; a Brit after my own heart.


Wincing the Night Away – The Shins:
Honestly, just scroll down a little bit and play the video for “Phantom Limb”. Afterwards, if you’re still not the tiniest bit excited for the January 23rd release (the day after my birthday, happy birthday to me!) then I don’t know what else to tell you.

Links, thanks to cut'n'pasting from WOXY.com will take you directly to lala.com where you can check out, sample, and buy the album