25 Albums From The 2000s That I Really Liked

Some Q+A With Dischord Records

Jason: Now that anybody can easily get your releases for free digitally online, does it still make sense to sell recorded music at all?

Alec: Absolutely. We have never felt like we were simply pushing sound waves out there and have always understood and respected the idea that punk bands and labels represent a community and a conversation as much as anything else. In other words — people like to feel connected to the people and ideas behind the music and there has always been something distinctly impersonal about the digital medium. Social networking sites are clearly an attempt to personalize this space but they still have a ways to go before they can up-end a 12″ LP.

But isn’t commerce a barrier to communication and community? If (now or in the future) an artist can record a quality album on a cheap laptop and distribute their music to fans for free as a digital medium, why shouldn’t they?

They can they absolutely should. I am only saying that we live in both worlds right now and there is not immediate need for every label to roll over and play dead. Also — this digital age has not yet established a medium for all of these artists to break beyond the static. Labels offer a filter and so far that is still useful to people. I am not fighting the alternative — I am still looking for it to emerge.

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Laminar Excursion Monthly

I was contacted recently by Jared at Flannelgraph Records. They are teaming up with Crossroads of American Records on a 3-inch CD subscription series that they’re calling Laminar Excursion. It costs $45 and subscribers will get two of the CDs every month for a year, and includes some kind of box for holding the discs. They’ve got some bigger names involved, including Damien Jurado, Richard Swift, and Saxon Shore, along with some lesser-known artists.

The price might seem a little steep, but it breaks down to $3.75 a month which is definitely affordable. And considering you’re talking 24 discs and it’s limited to only 100 subscribers, there’s a scarcity and uniqueness to it that hopefully will bring them some luck.

It’s cool to see young labels working together and trying something a little different. These two labels have also teamed up to release Starflyer 59’s debut album “Silver” on vinyl, which is pretty sweet.

Interview: It’s A King Thing

I was turned on to It’s A King Thing after they were mentioned along with The Color Wheels over at Sound As Language. We’ve since done a couple of shows with those guys and kept in touch. I’ve really enjoyed their full-length album Proper Nouns, which you can download for free. Below is an interview with front-dude Brian Meitz:

Most of your lyrics seem very personal. You even make references to people by name. A few of the songs are addressed to people (usually, girls) almost as letters. Are you making up stories or are these based on real experiences?

All of the songs are based on an experience. Mostly about friends, girls I’ve hooked up with or girls I want to hook up with. I’m not deep enough or poetic enough to write about anything serious either and if I tried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off without sounding like a dummy. So I stick to what I know. Hanging out and being a total pussy.

How do the other members contribute to the songs?

Everyone came up with parts for the new album. Johnny came up with some neat guitar stuff. Mike came up with neat bass stuff on songs where I probably would’ve just played the root note. Jay wrote some really neat keyboard parts and Steve helped arrange a few of the songs. If someone came up with an idea, we tried it out and would decide whether it was right for the song or not.

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More magic, less marketing

I read this article today over at Hypebot. The author, Kate Bradley points out that while there is merit in being great, it’s no guarantee of fame and fortune:

I don’t care how friggin spectacular you are… if you don’t have anyone to tell, it might as well not be true. It’s a chicken and the egg deal. Almost. Because, you CAN have real, passionate, loyal fans at every stage of your career, from fledgling to Trent; if I like you, I’ll help you. Period.

Think of it like this: the way you make me feel about your product handily trumps the actual product. In a heartbeat.

So… how do you do it? Um, it’s called MARKETING.

There’s definitely something that happens between creating something great and having tons of people psyched about it. That’s really nothing new. However, I wouldn’t call it marketing. It’s something that can’t be outlined in the cold, sterile world of a business spreadsheet or a corporate boardroom. And when it is, it’s usually worthless. It should be something more mysterious, organic, meaningful, and timeless. More magic, less marketing.

Paper The Operator - 2009 Tour Photos

Paper the Operator went on tour in August of 2009. Here are some photos from their tour.

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Artist Interview: DM Stith

Interview by Nick Belle.

David Stith is a multi talented artist from Buffalo, New York; he is a gifted painter, designer, writer, and musician. His blog showcases some of his work, both in progress and completed. In late 2005 Stith created artwork for My Brightest Diamond and Asthmatic Kitty Records; through this relationship he was encouraged to submit some of his own music. Last year he signed a deal with the label and released two records: Curtain Speech EP and Heavy Ghost, both of which we highly recommend. Stith is also currently teaching 3D design and working towards an MFA in Graphic Design at the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Art. Recently Stith took some time to correspond with us about his music and his creative process:

Both Curtain Speech and Heavy Ghost are made up of songs that are incredibly layered, dense, and dynamic in structure; can you explain a bit on your writing and recording process? Do you build these songs layer by layer or do you have a general idea of what a song is going to sound like before you start?

The writing process feels to me a little more like painting than maybe song crafting… I deal with something like shapes — you make a sound, you record it and then you deal with it and with the space around it. Sometimes that initial sound shape is a rhythmic guitar pattern or a chord progression, sometimes it’s a vocal arch, sometimes it’s a lyric. In any case, you take that piece, appreciate it for a while, and then compliment it with another and then another and so on and so on. By about a 3rd of the way through I start to have some concept of where this thing is going and then I can begin making bigger decisions about the piece, what other musicians to incorporate, what kinds of textures… This was the process for the EP and LP — I still work this way somewhat, though I am now beginning to hear songs more fully formed and am able to skip some of the initial searching.

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Artist Interview: FOX Japan

Interview by Jon Sebastian.

FOX Japan is an indie rock band from West Virginia. The first record I heard of theirs (And Now This!) reminded me what it really means for music to be infectious. A week after hearing it, I literally had trouble getting to sleep because I had the chorus to A Nursing Home stuck in my head on infinite repeat. Or was it the verse? Or was it the pre-chorus?

See, that’s one of their tricks. Upon first listen, it’s hard to tell whether you’re hearing a verse or a chorus or a pre-chorus, because what you’re hearing in every case is too damn catchy and big to be anything other than the chorus. It has to be the chorus. But then the REAL chorus kicks in, and you can’t believe they’ve topped themselves in the same song, but they just did.

Most bands who stumble across hooks this good handle them with forceps, place them carefully into track 2 or 3 or whatever their single is going to be, and post a huge flashing neon sign nearby that says BIG CHORUS RIGHT HERE!!

FOX Japan uses the same hooks so liberally and so nonchalantly, they make it look easy. Like they have a tree in their backyard that grows hooks. They’ve been here before, and they act like it. They didn’t happen to stumble upon them, they’re not strangers to them, and they didn’t crap their pants when they found them - it’s just what they do.

I recently interviewed lead singer Charlie Wilmoth via email.

As a songwriter, what are your biggest influences music-wise?

I think our instrumental style owes a little to the Pixies and Pavement. Also, for our first couple of records I was interested in the idea of writing these really jagged, nervous, topical pop songs like Devo did–”An Investigative Sentence” is probably the best example. I think after that we got a little more comfortable stretching things out.

Also, hip-hop has been a really big influence on the way I write lyrics. I tend to like lyrics that are very specific and direct, and am probably more willing than most rock lyricists to cram lots of syllables into each line, the way an MC does. All four of us were really into the Dismemberment Plan as kids, and I think we liked that they were an indie rock band who said what they meant (often with tons of words, like us) and tried to integrate lots of styles besides rock into their music. That last part sounds obvious now, in 2009, but there was a time in the 1990s and early ’00s when indie rock mostly seemed to be talking to itself.

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Review: Blues “Snakepit”

Our friends over at 1912 Records are really doing some cool stuff. Last year they released this album Snakepit by Tucson, AZ band Blues. The very cool beer-colored vinyl initially caught my attention, so I picked it up. The album artwork is equally as awesome, with the faith healers without faces, the full insert with photos and lyrics, etc. Such great packaging.

Musically, these dudes take that Botch metal-hardcore template that’s been the rage for the last decade, and they throw in some seriously great Unsane-esque riffs, lots of Helmet-style start-stop dynamics, and tons of those beefy Clutch riffs that give it an almost Southern Rock swagger. Unlike so much of the heavy stuff I hear these days, this record seriously rocks. They throw tons of furious riffs at you without relying on ridiculous time signatures, and there are no chuggy palm mutes or goofy melodic parts - really, just some seriously great heavy rock and roll. The production is warm and roomy, but still totally raw, and the vinyl sounds really nice on my stereo.

Another thing that really sets this record apart is the vocals. There’s plenty of throaty screaming, but they mix it up with some really great yelling that reminds me of ATDI or maybe Guy from Fugazi. And there is the occasional distorted vocal and gang yelling, right where you need it. And actually, all the members are credited with vocals along with the main vocalist. So yeah, awesome yelling and screaming all over this thing.

A great record with some great packaging, definitely worth picking up.

Artist Interview: Jon Itkin

Jon Itkin contacted me a couple of months ago, saying he had recently moved back to Rochester and was looking to get plugged into the music scene, describing his music as “raw, old-school Americana.” I checked out his MySpace page and liked his songs, so I invited him to open a show at Abilene. I’ve seen him play out a couple of times now. He’s a friendly, down-to-earth guy and he really puts his whole heart into his performances. He’s going to be teaching a songwriting workshop in Rochester, check his MySpace for details. His self-released albums Big Gold Guitar In The Sky and Oregon are available from iTunes, CD Baby, and at shows.

Do you come from a musical family? What were your experiences with music as a kid?

My parents aren’t very musical at all, though my dad has a great collection of old records which he keeps in perfect shape. One of my earliest recollections of listening to music was my dad playing “Johnny 99″ off Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska record. I thought the song was about me. I forgot about that record for a long time, then it came back to me somehow. Now it’s one of my major musical touchstones.

Though my parents we’re musical, they always encouraged my sister and I to play. She played violin and I started on cell in the 2nd grade. I hated it. Eventually, I wound up playing clarinet in 5th grade or so (sax was taken), and I wound up hating that too. About the end of middle school I got an acoustic guitar and started learning to play. My sister continued with violin, then switched to voice and got her BA in music.

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