At Home

As I may have mentioned on these pages before, Iceland's Sigur Rós (regardless of my inability to properly pronounce their name) have long been one of my favorite bands - if not my absolute favorite. All of their albums pack an incredible punch with me, heightening whatever emotions I'm feeling at any given moment no matter what. It doesn't matter what emotion it is, they have the amazing ability to fit anything I feel and make that emotion all the more textured and assured.

One of my favorite movies has to be the documentary about their travels through Iceland as they put together a free, unannounced tour through all parts of the country no matter how small. This journey in 2006 was one of uncertainty (as the band says in the film, they never knew if anyone would actually show up), but it ended up being a uniting point of pure positivity for a country that has seen troubling times befall them. This documentary is called Heima ("at home" in Icelandic) and is alternately the world's greatest advertisement for Iceland and perhaps my favorite performance/music film ever. I find myself being compelled to watch it on a nearly monthly basis (strangely almost always combined with Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, which makes sense from a Rob Gordon of High Fidelity organization sort of way as I purchased them on the same day), always finding new and enriching reasons to fall in love with it once again.

If you're a fan of Sigur Rós and you haven't seen it yet, shame on you. It's a beautiful film and something that should be experienced. If you aren't a fan of Sigur Rós, even bigger shame on you and I highly suggest you get on that right now because they are one of the most remarkably talented bands I've ever heard.

If you need convincing, watch the video above. It's from Heima and is of "Sé Lest", one of their standout tracks from 2005's remarkable album Takk...

Capitalist Pig Tuesdays

Album of the week: Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

"With a buzz in our ear, we play endlessly..."

That is what the album title of the new Sigur Ros album means in Icelandic (not even fictional Icelandic this time, we're talking legit Icelandic) and to be honest, I wish that were a possibility. Sigur Ros, Iceland's favorite sons, are one of the greatest bands on the planet, and this album proves that to be true just as much as previous smashes such as Agaetis Byrjun, Untitled, and Takk... did.

I said once that Agaetis was one of my all time favorites, and I legitimately think that this album rivals it in greatness. Listening to it is like listening to Sigur Ros again for the first time. All the spectacle and grandiosity, but replaced with a tinge of joy instead of sadness. It's a different angle on the same thing, but good god if it isn't beautiful.

This band has always been able to pull off big and beautiful, but this album shows their intent to try out smaller strokes to redefine themselves. I love them however they come, but their desire to explore the possibilities of their sound within this album are both met with welcome ears and an open heart. The sense of epic tragedy always hung over their previous albums, but hearing this album reminds you of that strange and joyful wedding you went to once, or that get together that you could never express but always wanted to. In short, this album is about unexplainable joy and Sigur Ros rediscovering why they love music.

For me? This is rediscovering how incredible this band is, all over again for the first time.

Favorite Songs

This week on Sheri and I's favorite things breakdown we have favorite songs and this will be our last week of this. I have to first apologize as for the first time I am late on posting this. I was rather tied up last night and it couldn't be avoided.

No less, for the songs list we're doing a special breakdown and that is top 20 songs but put together in a mixtape format so the songs are not necessarily in order of favorite to least favorite, but are in a randomized order to make the album as a whole work better. I'm a big fan of mix cd's and pride myself on being able to put together a quality mix, so this was a particularly fun one for me. I recommend collecting these songs and putting them on to a mix, as I'd wager it would be a particularly good one.

Also, the only other rule is that each band can only have one song on it. No repeat offenders (sorry Spoon!).

See Sheri's list here.

1. Pete Yorn - For Nancy ('cos it already is) - all time favorite leads it off
2. the Dandy Warhols - We Used to be Friends - #3 in my top 3
3. the Shins - Gone for Good
4. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
5. Gatsby's American Dream - Recondition, Reprogram, Reactivate
6. Dire Straits - Walk of Life
7. Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want
8. the Killers - All These Things That I've Done
9. blink-182 - Going Away to College
10. The Faces - Ooh La La
11. Spoon - I Summon You
12. Eels - Last Stop, This Town
13. Wu Tang Clan - Shame on a N****
14. The Beatles - Hey Jude
15. NOFX - Theme from a NOFX Album
16. Weezer - In the Garage
17. The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
18. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, pt. 1
19. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
20. Sigur Ros - Olsen Olsen - #2 in my top 3

So there you have it, my all-time favorite songs all in one nice location. On top of that, they're organized for proper flow and mood changes to make sure no section is overly slow or fast and that everything is just right.

I'm going to try and add a project playlist of this top 20 later, but right now the website is being pretty fickle so you'll just have to take it for how it is right now.

Favorite Albums Ever

It's List Monday once again! After last week was seemingly pretty successful (50% increase in visits!) and a lot of fun, I decided this was definitely a tradition I'd carry on. Once again the list is music oriented but it's an even harder subject than last time. This time it's favorite albums ever (not "best," but favorite), and I judged each album over a number of factors.

Primarily, I looked at how long I've been listening to it, impact on my listening habits, how much of the album I love, standout tracks, worst tracks, and overall appeal of the band. I also limited each band to a maximum of one album on the list, although if I hadn't there only would have been a couple repeats.

I also excluded compilations (such as the Beatles Love and the Rushmore soundtrack) as they felt like cheating. With that said, on with the list!

1. Gatsby's American Dream - Ribbons and Sugar

Favorite track: Recondition, Reprogram, Reactivate

This is Gatsby's second album and the first one I ever listened to of them. They are my favorite band ever, and this album never ceases to be as great as it was the first time I listened to it. Every track of this album is superb and fits perfectly within the album, and every element of each song works perfectly. It's strangely danceable, rocking, fun to sing along to - it's everything I want in a CD.

The only thing I don't understand about it is the fact that it is supposedly a musical interpretation of George Orwell's Animal Farm and I never figured out how exactly it is that. But I digress.

2. Anathallo - Floating World

Favorite track: By Number

Everything about this album is beautiful. From the exquisite (and freakishly delicate) packaging, to the lyrics, to the instruments, to the sheer grandiosity of the sound, to the vocals - everything is gorgeous. This album is the perfect chi balancer, and I have used it many times to study, stretch, work out, work, and to just refocus yourself on the task at hand. It's not for everyone, but I wish that everyone would give a chance because this band from Mount Pleasant, Michigan (by way of Chicago) put out one of the most incredible albums I've ever heard.


3. Cake - Fashion Nugget

Favorite track: Friend is a Four Letter Word

This was a tough choice. Originally I was leaning heavily towards Cake's album Prolonging the Magic, with Comfort Eagle as a close second. Then something snapped, and the history and memories tied to Fashion Nugget made it so this had to be the album chosen. Truth be told, it's probably the right one to be picked if only because this is before they started including their "radio hits" that were great as well, but managed to be killed by repetition (Short Skirt, Long Jacket - I'm looking at you).

Cake is not a complicated band. They're a band that puts out records that are perfect for every situation. Having party? Put on Cake. Depressed because your girl left you? Put on Cake. Taking a road trip? Put on Cake! (See what's happening here? Bet ya do.) Just because the music isn't complicated though does not mean it's bad. Fashion Nugget is fantastic throughout, and gets bonus points for being one of the albums to really get me into music.

4. Phantom Planet - The Guest

Favorite track: Anthem

In the summer of 2005, I lived in Moscow, Idaho and Lewiston, Idaho selling advertising in a campus directory for the University of Idaho and managing a three person sales team. During that summer, I was constantly in a car or on my feet, and perpetually listening to music. Before that summer, I liked sections of Phantom Planet's album the Guest, but never really got in to it. Enter listening to the album on repeat for three months, probably putting down a couple hundred full album spins.

Front to back, this is a perfect summer album. It's warm weather, sunshine, windows down, shorts, sandals, and t-shirts recorded as music. That job was crap, as I made very little money and it was stressful, but I'm thankful very often that I did it if only for discovering the truth about this album.

Also, don't get down on this album because of the track "California." It's only one song, and a good one no less, but it is nowhere near the best this album has to offer. Trust me.

5. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends

Favorite track: Ghost Man on Third

This is the album (much to Colver's chagrin) that really, really got me in to music. I had listened to a lot of music before this album, but hearing this album more than anything sent me spiraling into the wide world of music more than anything. The dueling vocals, the shredding guitars, the incredible drums, the brilliant singalongs, everything about this album is stellar. Taking Back Sunday led me to the world of emo/screamo/punk, and from there I took the logical progression into indie, all the way to where I'm at now - listening to whatever I can get my hands on.

Although only ten tracks long, there is a lot of power on this album, and even though both albums since have been downgrades, this one maintains it's hold on me. Seeing them three times live (they're incredible) definitely helps, but listening to tracks like Ghost Man on Third and Cute Without the E takes me back to a time when it felt like I was opening my eyes for the first time. I hope some day they can get back to the level of greatness they were once at, but even if they don't they'll always have put out this marvelous record.

6. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Favorite track: Gone For Good

Disclaimer: I got in before the explosion they experienced after Garden State. Barely, but I got in before by just a tad. Not trying to be that guy to say "oh, I liked them before they were huge," but this band faced some of the biggest bandwagon jumping of recent memory in music.

These guys only put out great music, and maintain their position as one of my favorite bands, but Chutes is flat out their best album. Another short album for my list, as it only has ten tracks as well and clocks in at barely under 34 minutes, but that doesn't matter. This is the crown jewel of the barrage of indie pop records that came out over the last six years, all because of the sunny retro-tinged (and slightly country at times - gasp!) disposition to all of the tracks.

These guys aren't writing songs to be popular or to be critically acclaimed, they don't have an agenda. They just make brilliant pop music, and Chutes Too Narrow is where they brought it all together.


7. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

Favorite track: Olsen Olsen

This band is impossible to explain. Their music is ravishing, emotionally powerful, lush, gorgeous, , and it's all that without one understandable lyric. It's all in Icelandic, or all besides standout track Olsen Olsen, which is actually written in a dialect of Icelandic invented by the band. The amazing thing about this album is it is another ten track album, but this one clocks in at slightly over 71 minutes, and that I really like only half the album at a slighty-above-average level. I can definitely skip tracks.

However, tracks Svefn-g-englar, Staralfur, and Olsen Olsen would be in a "Top 10 favorite songs" list if I ever got around to making it. All three of them. You could call this album top heavy, I call it my seventh favorite album ever. Pick up the album and try not looping those three tracks for hours on end. It's tough.



8. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It

Favorite track: The Rascal King

If Tell All Your Friends is the album that took me to the next level of getting into music, this is the first album that really made me appreciate the album as an art form. I'll be perfectly honest, when I was younger I would listen to only single tracks off CD's. It blows my mind now, but it would happen often. This is the first album where I was taken aback by how great it was all the way through.

It's still a great album, one of my all time favorites, but it's definitely this high because of legacy as much as anything. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

9. Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter

Favorite track: For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)

This is another somewhat top heavy album, but what a half an album! The second half of the album is very solid, if not occasionally boring. But the first half? My god. Perfection. Standout track "For Nancy" is both the song most often associated with me by friends (good friend Sobo says that song always make him think of me) and also my favorite single track ever. Besides that, the rest of the first half are also delicious little ditties about love and heartbreak, all told through simple guitar rock that is just fun as heck to sing along to.

10. Eels - Electro Shock Blues

Favorite track: Last Stop, This Town

This is a very tragic album, as it is the album Mark Oliver Everett wrote after his sister and mother both died. What came from it is one of the most captivating and engrossing albums I've ever heard, at times being incredibly sad and others being marvelously uplifting. It's quirky and peculiar, but that is all part of E's charm.

I really think it's a very influential album, as this is a forefather to a lot of the indie pop that came from after it. It's definitely the best album E ever produced - which is saying something as this band has produced a lot of wonderful material. This is an underappreciated gem that should be loved by more, but for now, it's at least loved by me.









11. Gorillaz - Gorillaz














12. Muse - Absolution

13. Spoon - Gimme Fiction














14. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism












15. Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)














16. The Strokes - Is This It?

17. Blink-182 - Enema of the State

18. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.



















19. Fenix Tx - Lechuza

20. Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

21. NOFX - So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes
















22. The Postal Service - Give Up

23. Say Anyhing - ...is a Real Boy

24. The Killers - Hot Fuss

25. Radiohead - Kid A

26. Arcade Fire - Funeral

27. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

28. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

29. Sublime - Sublime

30. The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre

Concerts are my favorite things

So, as I said in the title, concerts are pretty much my favorite things. I'm a huge fan of music as it is a big part of most every aspect of my life. I never write without it, never work without it, and the majority of my free time activities involve it - yet I can't play a note on nearly anything? Odd. Growing up in Alaska though, I never had a lot of opportunity to see a lot of shows. The first show I ever went to was MC Hammer (with Boyz 2 Men opening, the 6 year old in you fellow 23/24 olds just dropped their jaws in envy - don't deny it), and the majority of other events I went to rarely expanded outside of shows my parents saw such as Reba McEntire or Neil Diamond (with the latter being one of the best performers I've ever seen).

In one of my last years in Anchorage before I went to school, I caught the Offspring with Millencolin opening, and I was instantly hooked. I LOVED the concert experience. It was so invigorating, and I was enraptured with hearing a favorite band playing all of their songs, and I had discovered a new band to follow by seeing their opener. It was an eye opener and a half, and soon after moving to college I quickly started seeing shows.

Starting with the unparalleled genius of Andrew WK at a small club in Spokane, Washington, I managed to see 140+ bands after that show in October/November of 2002 until now. Not a crazy amount for many, but for a kid that grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and went to school at the University of Idaho, it was plenty. Bands seen ranged from musical giants like Radiohead and the Wu Tang Clan, to bands that took giant leaps over the time period such as Death Cab for Cutie and the Shins, to emo/punk/screamo stars early in their career like My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday, to the stars of festivals such as Bumbershoot in Seattle and the Warped Tour at the Gorge (for a full list of bands I've seen, see here)

As I changed, my concert going habits changed, going from "always up front" to my current state of "up front for pictures, but then I'm outta there," and I went from going to shows with big groups of friends to quite often flying solo. It didn't matter. I loved it all.

The point is, I'm not done yet. Just because I'm in Anchorage again does not mean my aspirations to see great live music has changed. With the current slate of upcoming music in Anchorage, it hardly has to. However, there are many bands that I really, really would like to see at some point, which is the point of this exercise.

Below, I have a breakdown of the top 10 bands I'd like to see, with a little snippet of why I want to see them more than the rest. They're of course revealed Rick Dees style, from 10 to 1.



10. Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens is a pretty unique artist. He for the most part records all of his albums by himself, but due to the orchestral nature of the albums and the rather large sound he creates, it is obviously impossible for him to perform them live. Without help, that is. The man is simply one of the best artists making music today, and even though I know it'd be tough for his traveling band to recreate his extremely complex sound, I still would love to see him live, if only to see the cheerleader bits and dance sequences in between songs, as he and his bands often perform at his shows.

See above to watch Sufjan perform his track "Casmir Pulaski Day" off Illinois.



9. Incubus (But only before they released Light Grenades and A Crow Left of the Murder)

Incubus is a very perplexing band to me. S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is one of my all time favorite albums, and with two of their albums (Make Yourself and Morning View) they have one of my favorite three album samples of any band. Yet I cannot stand their two most recent ones or their debut. So Incubus places on my list, with one caveat: they only play music off those three that I love. Very unlikely I'm sure, but at the very least it'd be worth it to see them once and chance that they're feeling saucy that evening.

See above for them performing their track "Vitamin" off of S.C.I.E.N.C.E.



8. Beastie Boys

These guys were my favorite band for quite some time, and they still are one of my all time favorites. They've fallen off in my book over the last couple albums, but I love brushing off my Sounds of Science greatest hits album every once in a while and just throwing down 50 straight Beasties tracks. I missed an opportunity to see them (TWICE) last year at Sasquatch, and I'm sure it would have been a blast, but it wasn't meant to be - yet. The reason they are this low considering my love for them is frankly, rap translates poorly live. It's not who they are, it's what they perform.

See above for the Beasties performing "Ch-Check It Out" off recent album To the 5 Boroughs on David Letterman.



7. Anathallo

Based off sheer volume of performers, Anathallo should win with seven total members cramming on stage. This band made my favorite album of 2006 and one of my favorite albums ever with Floating World. They're not very well known, but those who know them love them and those who've seen them live rave about them, as they are very interactive and a ton of fun to see live. Never had the opportunity to see them, but I cross my fingers every day that they'll be added to Sasquatch.

See above for the band performing "Dokkoise House" from Floating World.



6. Eels

Eels are a "band" that only features one permanent member: Mark Oliver Everett, also known as "E." This band has been one of my favorites for a long time, as they've released only good albums throughout the history of this band. They never stick with one simple style, and they always challenge themselves to try something new. I've heard mixed things about them live, but I love them enough that I simply have to see them at least once. Plus, anyone who has an original piece of art from Y the Last Man in his bathroom is cool in my book (E does).

See above for them performing "In the Yard, Behind the Church."



5. the Strokes

The Strokes are unusual band. They're one of the biggest "hype" bands of the 00's, but they've managed to continuously expand their sound throughout their career, growing more polished and arguably improving with every new release. Even though due to familiarity, classic debut Is this It maintains its status as my favorite, I love all three albums whole heartedly. For this reason, and for the fact that I think there would be a decent chance lead singer Julian Casablancas may fall asleep on stage, they are number five with a bullet.

See above to see the band perform "Reptilia" off album Room on Fire.

4. The Flaming Lips

This band is supposed to be about as much fun as any band around live, and you know what? I'm seeing them in May, closing out the Sasquatch festival in massive amounts of style with their special U.F.O. show. I cannot wait!

This band is one of the strangest around, and assuredly their live show will match. The good news is, their live show is a spectacle and they are supposed to sound perfect, so what more could you ask for out of a performance?

See above for them performing "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots."

3. Rage Against the Machine

The band that put on one of the greatest shows I've ever seen (on DVD, I'm a cheater) is back together, and I would absolutely love to see them live before they break up again (as they assuredly will). This band is one of the tightest groups live, and their sound and energy are hard for anyone else in the world to match. I'm envious of anyone who has seen them.

See above for them performing "Testify" at Coachella 2007.




2. Sigur Ros

Ironically enough, the first place I ever saw or heard of this band was live, with the Icelandic band performing track "Svefn-g-englar" live on HBO's old concert series Reverb. As I watched the lead singer sing and play his guitar with a violin bow, I knew immediately that this was the most beautiful music I had (or maybe ever would) hear. They are really 1b, but someone had to finish second and the first band could not be overtaken.

See above for the band performing "Hoppipolla" off album Takk....

1. Muse

Maybe the most powerful rock band in the world today, Muse makes some of the most epic and driving and hauntingly beautiful songs you will likely ever hear. The mere fact that they do it with just three members is even more incredible, and lead singer Matthew Bellamy may be the single most talented frontman of any band around today. All four of their albums are pretty much genius, but it was Absolution that really made me stand up and take notice. Interestingly enough, they just released a live album titled H.A.A.R.P.and the votes are in - it's one of the best live album/DVD combos out there. Color me not shocked in anyway.

See above for the band performing "Blackout" from Absolution.