EJP's Top Albums of 2008: 11-20

OK, let's just get this going. I'm not going to expound upon the albums about which I've already written, 'cuz this whole exercise will take a while as it is. There are tons of links on here though, so click on the band name to go to a relevant web site or the album title for the Amazon profile.

20) Nerf Herder--IV
Yes, I know they're simplistic and fairly ridiculous, but I thought this was a strong effort for these aging bubblegum punks.

19) Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse--Happier Than You
Like Nerf Herder, the band borders on a novelty act, but the music is very competent and the lyrics are whip smart. Risa Mickenberg's vocals leave something to be desired, but the songs themselves tend to make up for that. "Liz the Hot Receptionist" has received a little press, but it's "Back Burner Guy" that got my attention with lyrics like this..

When I’ve got you i’s a funny thing
I won’t be neurotic. I won’t have to cling
As long as I know you lust after me.
I can be the girl he wants me to be..

Because I know I've been that guy, as have some of my friends. You just have to listen to the song to know what I mean. Nearly all the songs are a mini essays or short stories, which is how this bizarre album ended up on this list.

18) The Hold Steady--Stay Positive
Touted as a great summer album, I have to agree. I'm probably in the minority who liked this album more than Boys and Girls in America, but I'm used to being in the musical minority by now. Not every song on the album is great, but they all seem kind of...big. There's lots of piano and in-your-face guitar work. "Constructive Summer" seems to be the the stand-out track for a lot of critics--and it is a good song--but it's two of the darker songs, "One for the Cutters" and "Lord, I'm Discouraged" that really struck a chord for me. I suppose it's odd to like two of the downer songs on an album called Stay Positive, but whatevs.

17) Flight of the Conchords--Flight of the Conchords
Whereas #s 20 and 19 on this list are borderline novelty albums, FotC are proud of being the fourth best novelty act in New Zealand. Don't know if I can add much about this group that hasn't already been said. The songs are brilliant and still make me laugh the tenth time around. Some of them were better in the context of the show, but I know plenty of people who enjoy the album and have never seen the show. I thought the songs on the first episode of the second season were a little weak, so I'm wondering if Bret and Jemaine can keep up with the high standard they've set for themselves.

16) Blitzen Trapper--Furr
It's been about a week since my last post, which praised the title track of this album. The album has grown on me enough that it had to move onto my list for the year. It's a great album to drink a beer to, and I wish I'd stumbled across it earlier in the year. For some reason, I think it will sound even better on a hot summer night. I have a feeling I'll be looking into the previous albums before too long.

15) Tilly & The Wall--O
This album only got an honorable mention at this year's halfway point, but after seeing them live and giving the album several more listens, O not only became my favorite Tilly and the Wall album, but it made it into my top 20 for the year. With all the tap dancing, it's easy to call them a novelty act, but they definitely don't write novelty songs, and it's nice to hear a band with some real energy once in a while. Also, they score a few points for unique CD packaging--every CD had a unique piece of art for the cover. Neat trick.

14) Noah & The Whale--Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
Already heaped praise on this one here.

13) The Black Keys--Attack and Release
I already I don't see eye to eye with certain people on Black Keys albums. I really liked this one. "Strange Days" is the stand-out track for me. It just doesn't sound like it was written in this decade, nor do a lot of the songs. That's not a bad thing. Unlike the 80s, the 70s were a treasure trove of music. The Black Keys have tapped into that treasure and given it a modern edge. A bit more on this album here.

12) Emiliana Torrini--Me and Armini
I'd never heard of Emiliana Torrini before a month or so ago, but this album was one of the rare gems that I liked upon the very first listen. By the artist's own admission, it's all over the place stylistically--sometimes she sounds like her countrywoman Bjork, but then she's got the happy-go-lucky "Big Jumps" or the silly, but dancable "Jungle Drums". Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what to think about this album, other than to say that I really like her voice and I've been playing the CD a lot. If I'd picked it up earlier in the year, it probably would have been bumped up into my top 10.

The song in the video below is actually not on this album, but it gives you a taste of what to expect, though I like most of the songs from Me and Armini even better.



11) She & Him--Volume One
I was happy to hear that according to NPR's top listener picks of 2008, this album came in at 11. For a while, I thought I was the only person who liked it. Indeed, I liked it enough that I wouldn't mind seeing a Volume Two some day. Until then, I'm looking forward to M. Ward's new album coming out next month. More on this album here.



Honorable Mentions
Make no mistake, even though these are only honorable mentions, these are all albums that I enjoyed thoroughly. I wish I had time to do a top 30 again so I could write about why I liked these albums, but I've already mentioned several on the blog. Check them out if you get the chance.

Ponytail-Ice Cream Spiritual
Love Psychedelico-This is Love Psychedelico
The Dodos-Visiter
Jonathan Richman-Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild
Flogging Molly-Float
The Kills-Midnight Boom
The Ditty Bops-Summer Rain
Carla Bruni-No Promises
The Terrordactyls-The Terrordactyls
Nana Grizol-Love It Love It
Golden Animals-Free Your Mind and Win a Pony (also wins prize for best album title)
Jenny Lewis-Acid Tongue
TV on the Radio-Dear Science
Jared Mees and the Grown Children-Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan-Sunday at Devil Dirt

Concert Review: Big Digits, The Ruby Suns, Tilly & The Wall

So last night my sis and I went to show in downtown Boston. I hadn't been to a show since TMBG, so I was about do. I'd been wanting to see Tilly & The Wall for a while and they'd come through Boston several times, so I gave'em a shot.

Both my sister and I had early days today, and she had over an hour to get home that night, so it was a risky venture. But in the end, I think it was worth it.

We started at 9PM with Big Digits, a "band" I'd never heard of before. This opening, opening band will probably get the longest description because, quite frankly, it blew my mind. They started with one guy on the stage in front of his Macbook and a Wii remote in his hand. He had on a T-shirt proudly proclaiming "Whoomp! There it is!" and some sport shorts right out of the early 80s. As my sister said, this guy might have rolled out of his BU dorm room and straggled across the street to the Paradise. He proceeded to do his DJ thang, drinking beer with his right hand and changing samples and bass lines with the Wii remote in his left hand. DJ Mark E. Moon definitely subscribed to the "More Bass is Better" school of thought. We were up in the balcony, and when I commented to my sister that the bass was a little out of control, she said, "Yeah, it's making my boobs jiggle." "Mine, too", I said.

He never took his eyes off his screen, and sort of bopped up and down to the beat. It was one of the most awkward things I'd ever seen on stage. My ever-observant sis spotted another oddity. I dude with a ninja hood on over at the end of the stage was REALLY getting into it. Soon afterward, things got more awkward.

The ninja guy (sporting very tight, bleach white, denim cut-offs) jumped up on the stage with another dude. Then the rapping began. Big Digits hail form Cambridge, MA. They were very white, and they were there to rap and dance for us. For the next half hour, they busted every dance move from the last three decades or so. The Robot came out several times. There were definitely some New Kids on the Block moves. Some random flailing. They rapped about fashion, being progressive...you name it. Ninja guy's hood started falling down, revealing a handlebar mustache and some mutton chop side burns. At that point he looked kind of like he was wearing chain mail.

For a while, I just found the entire thing hilarious. The rapping, the dancing, the DJ still waving his Wii remote around...it was too much. Then I ran out of snarky comments and just sort of became hypnotized by the entire thing. By their last song, when the non-ninja guy whipped out a tambourine to accompany their rap, I kind of wanted to be friends with these guys. At one point, my sister said, "This is like something you'd see on YouTube." Funny she mentioned that, because here's just a tiny taste of what you all missed by not seeing Big Digits live:


The Ruby Suns were up next at 10 (whoa, it was getting late!), but they were a bit of a letdown. I like their most recent CD (see a brief review of Sea Lions here), but I'm pretty sure there were about a dozen people playing the songs for that album. There were exactly two people up on that stage last night. I realize it's a long trip form New Zealand, but c'mon! Try as they might, the synthesizers and multiple instrument playing did not compensate for the loss of that many people. The music went from something kind of tribal and fun to something very, very 80s, and not the good 80s. And really, it was only 1.5 people up there, because I'm pretty sure the woman was on ludes. I can recommend the album, not so much the live show. I'm assuming these Kiwis are much better playing at home.

Finally, at 11PM, a good hour or so after I usually go to bed, Tilly & The Wall came on. Full disclosure: we did not stay for whole set. I have no idea how long they played. I just knew that we had to work in the morning and my sis had a long drive ahead of her. That said, what we saw rocked. Yes, their outfits were a tad pretentious. Yes, the tap-dancer-as-percussionist is a bit gimmicky. But they put on a true performance, and they sounded great. I was actually pretty mesmerized by Jamie, the tap dancer. She puts enough energy into her dancing than you can usually get out of an entire band. And the vocalists, Neely and Kianna actually sound much better live than they do on CD. The whole band sounded better live. I've liked T&tW since their first CD, and they definitely have a few great songs and several good songs. But live, I think all their songs sounded great. I highly recommend seeing them live if you can. The video below is for one of my favorite songs of their newest album. It doesn't really do the live show justice (and in a bit of a departure, it's actual drums), but it's still a fun song:

Pot Kettle Black from Team Love on Vimeo.