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December 24, 2008

Our Favorite Songs of 2008: #40 - 31

Blitzen Trapper - "Not Your Lover"

The plot is explained in the first two lines, (the ominousness of marriage) and develops only in the sense that it continuously reiterates the track's main themes: regret and hopeful optimism. Yet, instead of treating these feelings as contradictory opposites, they are framed as coexisting, and perhaps, symbiotic. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud writes, "All men are great in their dreams," but nowhere does he assert that he's "a moonwalking cowboy" as Trapper proudly claim through closed eyes. R. Monty

Annie - "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me"

At once objective and cocky, "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" might inspire a legion of delusional single women to adopt it as an inaccurate rallying cry of self-confidence, but we shan't hold that against Miss Strand. She's the reigning pop princess of Indie Rock Land, and can do no wrong. Besides, working off the song's video, it's almost impossible to ascertain Annie's intentions, be they coquettish or harmless. At one moment she's a voluptuous and monochromatic chanteuse, the next she's modestly dressed to match her tea set. Whatever the suit, she seems thrust into the role of pop star, rather than self-placed. Unlike comparable contemporaries, Annie isn't attempting to take over the world through focus-grouped sex appeal, which is commendable. But all things considered, with those perfect Norwegian cheekbones, immaculate marble jaw line and even tighter production (thanks to Richard X), if she so chooses, Annie could certainly do just that. RM

Blood on the Wall - "Junkee...Jullleee"

The drumming is present and consistent, but it's the bass dribbling that does all of the work. Strained vocals are harmonized by violent, barely-tuned strums. Right around the two-minute mark, the solo guitar screams across the sky in total ecstasy. And at the end, the song breaks down in a heap rather than come to a formal close. Sound familiar? Sure, the Blood on the Wall/Pixies comparisons are just, but there are certainly worse artists to cop, and besides, "Jullleee" stands up to (almost) anything in the influencing band's catalogue. RM

Blank Dogs - "Setting Fire to Your House"

Brooklyn record store clerk Mike Sniper, the year's most persistent oddball, kept screaming into the void, even as he hid his face from the spotlight. Singles, LPs, and cassettes bled freely from Sniper's jagged synths. They were mostly all packed with hooks, but smothered by violent fuzz. His best piece of bedroom butchery was this Dutch-released single which, despite the obscurity of its release, seemed the least melodically ashamed and the most rhythmically strident. Gas-soaked rags in one hand and a flickering match in the other, it's tough to come across meek in moments such as these. J. Klingman

Wolf Parade - "Fine Young Cannibals"

Pulsating bass, clean plucky guitar, Spencer Krug's keyboard bursts, and Dan Boeckner's raspy voice projecting like a blossoming modern bluesman. Clear, precise and measured here (dare I say mature?), sounding far less harried than their earlier, more erosive material. This says a lot; since the scope of the band's yield is not nearly as prolific as perceived without the weight from the considerable output of associated side projects. M. Swankster

M83 - "Graveyard Girl"

What with the Cure and all, you'd think that there must have been an 80s teen movie that shoehorned in a goth at some point. But, sadly, the pioneering mascara-men and graveyard girls of that era had to wait another couple decades for their archetype to finally shine (in a pop song if not the projection room). Our heroine asks, "I'm fifteen years old, and I already feel like it's too late to live. Don't you?" As society seems to crumble around us, minute by minute, yeah I guess I kind of do. The painted black polish is wrapped in New Wave sunshine, though, adding an extra layer of goony nostalgia for the good old days when fatalism was an indulgent put-on, and not a sober acknowledgment. JK

Be Your Own Pet - "Becky"

Tracked to a punked up version of "Locomotion", "Becky" is cartoonish teen angst of the murderous variety. Intertwined with scenes of typical young girl banality, the storyboards are more saccharine than sinister. Regardless, Universal’s infinite wisdom forced the group to drop "Becky" from their album for being too violent. Shortly after, the band broke up. BYOP-RIP 2008. MS

the Breeders -"Overglazed"

The first track from Mountain Battles, the second album from the Breeders' second act is also the shortest. Lyrically, this song doesn't have much to say other than "I can feel it!", and the title itself lends very little to interpretation. But as the vocals and guitars bleed into one echoing mash of reverb, and the octopus-drumming plays its own song, the introductory statement becomes apparent and authoritative: the raw emotive power of music is something visceral and not restrained by time. And you can most definitely feel it. RM

Of Montreal - "An Eluardian Instance"

Kevin Barnes lost some of the riders who hitched on the Hissing Fauna train after 2008's Skeletal Lamping. This track should be seen by those astray as a ticket for reintroduction. In telling the story of meeting his future wife, it shares the confessional personality of Hissing Fauna with none of the Georgie Fruit narrative. But as if not able to resist himself, Barnes extends beyond the song’s expected end with a down tempo, space-disco tag. The words "this inbreeding of ideas is intolerable" appear like a hidden footnote in plain view – perhaps a cryptic rubric revelation for the record? "No, but yes, oh well, oh well, yes and no."

Of Montreal - "Mingusings" (tie / couldn't decide)

“Mingusings” comes off as a much more straightforward relative to the rest of Skeletal Lamping. Anthemic touches in lyrics like "Sisters don't you know/Our shit is only going to get better" beg for singalong while classic Of Montreal bluster guides the heavy use of multi-textured, frenetic rhythms. For an album built on superficially haphazard stitching, this compact three-minute track follows traditional structures. It even ends with a grinding, sawmill guitar outro that could easily find a home in the grungy early 90s. Ironically it’s the lack of weird that makes it the odd one out. MS

Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream"

Some songs put a smile on your face; this one makes me absolutely giddy, which befits a song about the delectable anticipation of perfect sexual congress. When singer Luke Steele's voice ascends to the Prince-like falsetto he often employed with his previous band, the Sleepy Jackson, it's an expression of pure joy. A quick Google search reveals that the chorus goes, "Is it real now?/Two people become one" but I must confess that after 20 listens, I was sure it was, "A soprano/Do people come home." Quickly clearing up such mysteries has its advantages, but sometimes I yearn for the days when song lyrics could be a matter of debate. D. Klein

#52 - 41

Posted by Jeff Klingman at December 24, 2008 01:36 AM

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