December 26, 2007:
I’m currently sitting on the Westport, NY to New York City train staring at the glaciers going by and we’re running along Lake Champlain. There are three obnoxious kids bouncing around in their seats across the car from me on their PSPs and Nintendo DS(s). (Why is it that the girls use DS and the boys PSP? This is a trend I’ve been noticing more and more).
The views are amazing, I’ve been taking pictures at every stop on this train of these small train stations. I feel like such a God Damn tourist, but I’ve grown up here, so I feel like I should share my area. I just wish the glare wasn’t horrible on the other end of the car otherwise you would see some amazing ice fisherman photos on Lake Champlain.
I think its obvious what I think is the best album of the year that being Radiohead’s In Rainbows. I just recently acquired the second disc of this set. Which is eight more tracks that kicks off the ending beat of disc one’s last track, “Videotape,” following up with “MK 1,” leading into what I think is the best track of the entire two disc album, “Down Is The New Up.” There is a haunting quality to that piano, and the addition of that orchestra in the last half of the track; mix in some bit of Trent Reznor and I swear, the first thing I realized about this album is that you can hear Thom Yorke actually smiling through the lyrics. Though I am in no way breaking new ground with my accolades of this band, I find it completely impossible on my part to not say something more about this album.
Moving on…
My buddy from college turned me onto My Morning Jacket, after seeing Sufjan Stevens in concert. A lot of their stuff is not necessarily great stuff; its all very folksy and alt-country, even more so than their distant cousins Wilco. However this album, Z, has a stellar movement of their own and goes in another direction than the folksy tunes of their first album, At Dawn. I found a lot of their albums, but I am completely unable to stop listening to Z, that entire album is easily their best, with such serene and calming sounds throughout. My friend Uncle Burt, saw them live in Austin, and said “Gideon,” from this album is easily the best live song they performed. Though during this holiday season, I’ve had “X Mas Curtain,” in my head for weeks now that has kept me in my happy place. Their Christmas album, Does Xmas Fiasco Style, is probably the first non-traditional Christmas album that I’ve liked to any great degree. I generally loathe modern artists renditions on old Christmas songs. I think they do it as a cash cow and their performances of these old songs generally destroy the quality of the original versions. (See: Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, etc.).
I’ve already spoken at length about Arcade Fire’s recent album and I’m not going to get into stuff I’ve already written about. (See previous entry).
CARNAVAS by SILVERSUN PICKUPS: I forget where I became turned onto them but it was this week. I think someone was listening to them over on my last.fm friend’s list, and recommended them to me. I got an iTunes gift card for Christmas so I downloaded this last night. I am glad I did, these guys go from dark to light exceptionally well without changing their overall sound that would create a jarring feeling for the listener. With Arcade Fire you can pretty much expect what an album from them is going to sound like throughout; it’ll lean on the dark orchestrated sound. Where these guys if you listen to the subtle differences from “Future Foe Scenarios,” to their first single “Lazy Eye,” you can still hear their main influence of electronica alternative guitar, but the vocals accompanied by the bass which will go from frustrated anger to upbeat, and happy; making this a very well transitioned and produced album. Definitely be looking forward to when these guys make it around to NYC.
Uh oh…there’s beer on this train, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Be aware: this may get rambly and non-sensical, but I think I write like that when I’m sober anyway. Throw in the sounds of an album I acquired following the New York Comic Con last February, and this could get really moody. The second to most recent album from Murder by Death called Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? Tells an incredible, that according to my friend Venial Blur (sorry, we really must catch up as soon as possible, I’m just insanely busy). This story tells the story of Lucifer coming to a town during the old west and infecting a town. The Devil gets gun downed by the law man and starts spewing out oil causing the Oil Rush. This album sounds like something you would hear in a Wild West saloon but with electric guitars. This album is a pure classic.
Tomorrow: the best in television. This’ll be a short one as there wasn’t anything in television this year that impressed me significantly.
