breadstix 4 u

In case you missed it, here's some of my recent material from Unlimited Breadsticks:

Live "review" and some of my own (not-so-stellar) photos from the Los Campesinos!/Titus Andronicus show this past Saturday

Some of my January favorites

A heartfelt mini-tribute to Reel Big Fish. See the main page and scroll down for Nick's comments.

progress(?)

rehearsal run-through for a competition tape I will be making in a month. Some mistakes, there especially in the low range. Whoops.

I had never played back a recording of myself through GarageBand on my iMac while having the tuner open. WOW. It's clear that I have not yet learned to play in tune, especially on this new mouthpiece (I guess this only marks the second month I've played on it, so be easy on me). The volume was boosted on exporting, and while it helps overall, the sound quality is a little poor. Enjoy(?).

binge and purge: my 2008 favorite records, #10-1

10. M83 - Saturdays=Youth (Mute)
Here's a secret: I HATE the music of the 80s...well, most of it anyway. I've enjoyed M83's past records, but on Saturdays=Youth they seem to have taken the sheen, the very breathless finish from the best of that decade and stamped it onto their own achingly beautiful pop songs. The best M83 record yet.



9. Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Kranky)

This is the record that will probably sneak up this list as time goes on. As much as I enjoy Deerhunter, this alone-in-a-bedroom headtrip is just as good as the records by Brandon Cox's full band. Cox is criticized for trying too hard, but Let the Blind... shows that his effort lies less in tinkering with his material and more with pushing his gargantuan sounds on the listener a little too eagerly. His music doesn't develop; instead it hits the listener like a ton of bricks. Very loud, fuzzy bricks.



8. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)

Ba ba baaa baaa baaaaaaa ba ba ba baaaaa better than Return to Cookie Mountain.




7. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (Kranky)

Like many, I was confused when Pitchfork drooled over Cryptograms, a record that seemed to glue a psych noise record and a psych pop record together and place it on the platter. A much nicer balance is achieved with each of these records, especially on Weird Era Cont., as the noise jams stretch out while the pop tunes keep the disc buoyant. "Operation" might be my favorite non-single tune from 2008.


6. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair (Mute)

Indeed, HaLA is quite a motley crew, but their focused efforts hit the mark on each and every track on the self-titled debut. After a while, you realize how much this cruises as a dance record, when less intelligent acts might resort to an abundance of techno freakouts.

5. The Walkmen - You & Me (Gigantic)

WOW. I sort of gave up on The Walkmen after Bows and Arrows, a record that defined the bands sound and showed it to have extreme limits. You & Me eclipses the past discs effortlessly, especially in terms of songwriting. Never strained but always reaching.



4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)

Immediately likeable, I can imagine how pretentious Fleet Foxes could be. Yet when you see them play (as much of America did a few weeks back on SNL), I can't help be convinced that these guys just crawled out of the woods or something. It's like a deep woods version of CSNY.


3. Portishead - Third (Mercury)

THEY'RE BACK THEY'RE BACK THEY'RE BACK!!!

Why doesn't this record sound like trip-hop?

Nevermind - this creepy psych-rock thing is just as good. Makes me look right past some of the 8th-grade-notebook lyrics.


2. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (Modular Interscope)

I smiled more while listening to In Ghost Colours than at any other time during 2008.


1. Beach House - Devotion (Carpark)

2008 was not one of my better years. Anyone who has spent at least an entire year in a transitional state could tell you just how unnerving it could be, or how much of a constant downer it is. Yet with all of the beautiful records on this list (and those that just missed it), only Devotion felt immediately sincere, incredibly arresting, and ultimately nurturing.

binge and purge: my 2008 favorite records, #20-11

20. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL)

I do love me some Icelandic gibberish. I don't like me some naked mens' hind quarters on my covers, but I have been able to get past that. For some tunes, including the showstopping "Gobbledigook", Sigur Ros have created their tightest pop-esque hits to date. There's still a heavy dose of their gigantic aural splendors, but it is nice to hear them try their hand at something beautifully straightforward.


19. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (4AD)

Bad things about 2008: there was no new Grizzly Bear record. Good things abut 2008: there was still a Department of Eagles record. I can hear the difference between the two groups, and they're not quite as obvious as those between Okkervil River and Shearwater, but I'm not complaining. Beautiful folksy rock from one of music's "not overdone-not slap dash-just right" musicians.



18. Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)

I barely noticed that the opening tune was about ten minutes long. The Sun Kil Moon project shows that you can make pretty rock and roll music that can span whatever lengths it pleases. Beautifully paced and wonderfully delivered.



17. Shearwater - Rook (Matador)

So often when I talk about performing classical music with my peers, I am always bringing up the idea of bringing "drama" to the music. Shearwater's black and grey brand of chamber pop accomplishes this, letting frigid, roaring rivers grow from trickling streams. The vocals are excellent.



16. The Dodos - Visiter (French Kiss)

This is bound to be underrated, even on my own list. Quite possibly the freshest sound to emerge on a 2008 debut (except, perhaps, for a record to be found later on this list (and NOT Vampire Weekend, either)), Dodos make a large impression on the listener mostly because their gritty, jumpy sound is a natural part of their music. They don't impose on the audience the way a lo-fi act does, and their use of instruments and stripped textures seem to suggest that the typical band operates with a guitarist, thuddy drummer, and perhaps a toy piano, if they feel like it.



15. The Very Best - Esau Mwmamwaya and Radioclit are The Very Best (Ghettopop/Green Owl)

First of all, this record is free. Not in a Radiohead/In Rainbows type deal, but in a free-mixtape-for-you-to-enjoy-and-share one. What a beautiful cohesion of worlds: indie(ish) source material, powerful electric beats, and that African dude's beautiful voice. This is not for everyone, but certainly great for most.



14. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)

Everyone's saying it, so I will too - it feels like this record has been out for three years now. The group that might start bringing a new meaning to "college rock" has waited nearly the entire year to show up on this list, and perhaps they lost a few spots because of it. The record is still a success, as VW faces tremendous odds to deliver a stand-out sophomore release.


13. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador)

My impressions of hardcore bands have not been good ones. I kind of assumed I wouldn't like this record if it was going to resemble hardcore in the slightest, and yet I was happily surprised at the depth and density of The Chemistry of Common Life. In its side-by-side juxtaposition of various rock styles, it seems to resemble the common music lover, whose vast gamut of musical taste seems to contradict itself, but it's cool, because it works for them.



12. Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight (Fat Cat)

One of the only records on my list this year that delivered honest-to-goodness ROCK. It's not a bad thing, though: it seems the more prominent electronic sound becomes in producing an indie record, the harder it is to make one that captures that raw emotion of just plugging in some guitars. Scott Hutchinson squeezes the life from nearly every note he sings so you know you're getting your moneys worth.



11. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (THE SOCIAL REGISTRY)

2008 was a big year for me to let down my guard in terms of what kind of indie music I liked and what I dismissed. Pitchfork had been my shining beacon to follow in all matters music since my undergraduate days, and it's been interesting to see some of their tastes go slightly toward the direction of dance music. Gang Gang Dance simultaneously falls into that category and evades that category. Most interesting is the juxtaposition of electronic beats and live percussion instruments, making music by any means in-between. Somehow, I got over my phobia of all things electro this year, and I give a lot of credit to GGD.

binge and purge: my 2008 favorite records, #25-21

Well, although I keep scrambling to hear more of 2008's best records, it's about time that I weigh in. Not that I know anything - hell, I spend most of my time practicing music that no one has ever heard of on an instrument that no one has ever heard of - but I'm starting to feel that maybe I represent a greater number of music lovers than I thought - not in regards to readers of my blogs, but in terms of the kind of listener I am. I am VERY passionate about music, but for whatever limited resources - money, time, the ability to snuff out each and every relevant record in any given year - I can't be as involved in it as I would like. It comes from my general complex in being a music performance major working on my Masters - if you can't be the best at it, it's not worth doing. That being said, if a record did not cross my ears last year, I try to have a little faith in why it didn't get there. Still, I have only made one resolution for 2009, and that is to listen to more pop/rock/indie music as it becomes relevant, because it makes me happy and my life in general seems to benefit from it.

So without any further ado, the first installment of my 25 favorites from 2008:



25. Lykke Li - Youth Novels (Atlantic)

How could I have underestimated Lykke Li? Her debut has few details worth scoffing at, and yet this record sort of sat on the back-burner of my listening for quite a while. While she's not the only Scandinavian with a cute voice (I'm still a bigger Annie fan), the tunes are full of a pep that caters to Lykke Li's innocence, an innocence that sometimes finds itself contradicted in contrast with the lyrics in some tunes.


24. Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type)

Some indie projects that are headed by just one individual don't always deserve to name their work as if they are a band-like entity. Some qualify because the project becomes a collective type of affair (Bright Eyes, for example). And then there's Grouper, which qualifies mainly because Liz Harris's skewed sense of singer-songwriter causes her music to feel like it is echoing from somewhere inside of you. Some say a it's a voice deep from the bottom of the ocean, but I find it more to be zig-zaging between the chambers of your heart or a cavity between your ears.


23. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (Last Gang)

The first part of my year-end wrap up of sorts talked about the odd appeal I found in many of 2008's danceable records - some of which will show up near the top of this list. Crystal Castles fit halfway into that grouping, at least in their most easily enjoyable material. Right from the opening "Untrust Us", the duo let their blippy grooves skate on ice, constantly writhing with energy. The most powerful tracks are, to be blunt, aggravating, but in a way that creates an irresistible intensity that adds depth to what many might see as old video game noise.


22. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Vagrant)

I'm a fan of The Hold Steady, even as they refuse to change with the times. I can still appreciate how they are half throwback and half here-and-now. If you gaze at this list when it is out there in full, you'll see just how much different THS is from any of the primarily electronic-genre records that made a big splash in 2008. Yet in almost every account, Stay Positive is a focused account of clarity, where the listener has a role beyond the innocent bystander. Where other artists are beginning to affect audiences by working in huddled masses, The Hold Steady continue to make rock music for the people.


21. Women - Women (Jagjaguwar)

Long live noise rock - that's what I say. I've grown a little tired of lo-fi, finding that the noise rock bands are finding a way to bring the bristling appeal of lo-fi to their records by just how complex their sound can be. With Women, it's a matter of letting the noise feed the intensity and general confusion involved with their music (the dash of prog rock is a beautiful touch, as well). This is a very impressive debut for a band whose next direction is one that I cannot determine, but I will be eager to follow in the future.

binge and purge: my 2008 favorites, part one

NOTE: I'm kind of stealing this...from myself. I'm working on a new blog with some friends from my hometown, so for a few days I'll be posting double-duty. Check it out at http://unlimitedbreadsticks.blogspot.com. That should at least clear up the "breadstick" rating found below.

I spent the year 2008 teaching middle school band, auditioning for graduate schools, and starting my Masters (lots of practicing in between all of that). My ears were so tired, I can't even tell you. Still, I think by now I've caught up enough on this year's musical happenings to weigh in, as long as I remind myself that there's no way I could have heard everything that good bloggers are hearing, considering that I don't get paid to do this, I have to spend hours each day making dying cow noises with a big piece of silver-plated brass, etc etc.

Anyways, without further ado...

INDIE IN '08, part one:

THE YEAR I COULD HAVE GOTTEN MY GROOVE ON (IF I WANTED TO)

Motley crew (not the band, stupid), party of four.

I think I'll always be slightly perplexed by just how much dance music I dug in 2008, but I won't be confused on how it got there. When James Murphy proclaimed "I will make minimalist dance music, and geeks everywhere will rejoice", it seemed to open the doors to a revival of sorts, perhaps not lead but quietly eclipsed by Hercules and Love Affair, pictured above. In the beautifully written and clumsily paraphrased words of the mighty P4k Media, HaLA don't just represent the past glory of dance music; rather, they seem to have adjusted it to better fit the sleeker, sexier body of their own three-headed monster. On either side, the unique vocals of Antony and the colossal figure of Nomi need not work hard to heighten the appeal of Andrew Butler's immaculate textures and landscapes. People who know me relatively well (especially Jamie) are probably shocked at just how much this record appeals to to me, but what can I say, in my head I get a MEAN groove on.



I thoroughly enjoyed records by electronic acts of all shapes and sizes, from the dabbling in drum machines (The Kills) to full-blown noise (Fuck Buttons). For me, the "are they a band or are they one man and electronics?" sound I heard any time I listened to Cut Copy's record In Ghost Colours was right up my alley. The bees' knees, I say. To me, dance music is characteristically positive in almost every regard, and I can't think of any other record (including the newest The Hold Steady, even with the title) that oozed with a hip and sunny feeling like this one. I think I need that right now. I think the world needs that right now.

So, although most of these titles are bound to show up on my 20 favorites form 2008 (coming soon), here is a short list of tunes that I danced to in my head this year:

FIVE BREADSTICKS (and sommathat marinara sauce, son)
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

FOUR AND A HALF BREADSTICKS
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair

FOUR BREADSTICKS
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP

THREE AND A HALF BREADSTICKS
Air France - No Way Down EP
Lindstrom - Where I Go You Go Too

Coming next: the first half of my 20 favorite records from 2008. I know SOMEONE out there cares.

the resolution post - how i will listen better in 2009

It's like a taste explosion!

Y'know, I started to update this bad boy the other day, spending about an hour babbling about my current state of affairs with the euphonium. It was valuable to do in a diary type sense, but MAN do I have to keep it off of my blog! Rather, I need to pare it down a bit, because a lot of it is the same paralysis-by-analysis story that leaves me reveling in a "what went wrong?" feeling post-practicing when I should be actively pursuing the musical offerings of the internets.

That's right - I am going to be a better listener in 2009. I am so interested in digesting new music and weighing in on it, but I've been totally discounting and doubting my own opinions because, well, I couldn't keep up with the speed at which new music comes out. Combine that with a general lack of funds, and piracy becomes your main option. Well fear not, because I've got a few ideas now...

I stumbled upon Twitter last night, and it has already helped me to fend off a bit of boredom since I am still on break from UNT (not from teaching, although that's only two days a week right now). Besides keeping in touch with friends in an AIM-meets-Facebook statuses sort of way, I've already found just how much information can change hands so concisely and so damn quickly. I used to rely on subscribing to blogs, but it can be rather messy to try and browse through different posts to find out what it worth reading and/or saving. This will make life much easier.

If you have no idea what Twitter is, get a sense of it here:
http://www.twitter.com/pgiampi1


As excited as I am about Twitter, I am ravenously ecstatic over BLIP.FM. Blip.fm meets Twitter at the quick transfer of ideas and info, but adds the ability to a tiny URL link to a streamable song of your choosing. For example, at this very moment, I posted a micro-tribute to The Stooges since their guitarist died today. At the end of the message, you can take the link and listen to "T.V. Eye" for free. Free!

So not only can I push my musical opinion on an unsuspecting public, but I can find ways to hear new music without shelling out a ton of dough OR feeling guilty about "stealing" it. For example, I've spent the duration of the writing of this post listening to Frightened Rabbit's new record Midnight Organ Fight, track by track. Sure, there are still plenty of social networking possibilities, the chance to discover new music from the recommendations of others, etc etc. That's all well and good, but I'm just very happy about the chance to take my normally idle time and hear some new stuff.

The only bad news here is that jazz and classical seems relatively scarce on blip.fm so far, if not just poorly labeled or hard to find. Still, I am hoping I can find enough Twitter resources to keep me on my toes for many months ahead.

http://blip.fm/pgiampi1

BY THE WAY, the previous post about Thrice is actually part of another project that was started by a few of my friends from my hometown in Connecticut. Check it out at http://unlimitedbreadsticks.blogspot.com

thrice - the alchemy index EPs

The farther away I get from mainstream rock, the closer I get to Thrice. Sometimes they seem to be the missing link in my record collection between the glory days of alternative rock gone by and the threatening pace of the college/indie scene. Always inventive but not necessarily progressive, the post-hardcore band has taken on two large-scale projects in the last two years: a set of EPs themed around the elements, and a live double-disc surveying most of the band's work since 2003.


The EPs, packaged in pairs, hit the mark when it comes to sticking with a theme. Rather than grouping their newest material into vaguely associated batches, Thrice seem to be taking this experiment rather seriously. I use the term "experiment" because the identity of the band is altered, turned inside out, and sometimes even compromised as they take an additional step past the digital tweaking and power choruses of Vheissu.

Fire comes closest to representing the Thrice of "old", perhaps exploiting the edgiest of timbres the band can produce to characterize the subject of the EP. "Burn the Fleet" deserves a special mention as being a perfectly crafted pop song, usually out of place in the music of Thrice, that stands mightily and clumsily at the back end of this otherwise vicious disc. The cool electronic vibes of Water are where the overarching problem with the Alchemy Index EPs begins to surface: while the musical terrain pulses with timbres that keenly represent each of the four elements, the lyrical subject matter starts to get contrived and a bit troubling to the listener. As achingly beautiful as the music can be over the second EP, especially in the haunting "The Whaler," there are times that these tunes become a group of sea shanties for the 21st century.

Air finds a much less cringeworthy batch of songs balanced on rather light textures, impressive for a band that normally packs an intense aural punch (yes, that is actually a celeste you're hearing!). The third volume certainly achieves the most in a sense of flow and connection among its six tracks, an area where the other three EPs are not as strong. While the first two volumes seem to perplex Thrice at times, Air is constantly creative and resourceful: the band sounds like they are careful in just how much they dig into the digital toolbox and keep the sound of the rock band in primary focus. Like the other EPs, this one ends with a startling amount of inward contemplation, perhaps a brief glimpse at just how vulnerable the next Thrice full-length could be.

The most reaching of these experiments, and ultimately the only one that can really be viewed as a failure, is the final volume of this collection. The band's conception of what would make the earthiest sound, "backcountry" instruments like mandolin, acoustic guitars, and a piano they seem to have pulled from a western saloon, comes off as a parody of a hokey indie act. It isn't a strong look for Thrice, although it is worth mentioning that the cover of "The Earth Isn't Humming" saves the EP for a flickering moment, especially in hindsight of hearing the boring version presented on their new live disc. Ultimately, the EP finds a queasy rally cry in "Come All You Weary" before sputtering out in the vocally over-layered "Child of Dust".

If nothing else, the Alchemy Index EPs are telling of the varied talents of Thrice as a band that seeks a new sound each time they retire to the studio. Almost five years removed from the tunnel-vision hypermelodia of The Artist in the Ambulance, they are due for another record of such strength and weight. Which of the various directions explored in these past few records hold the future of Thrice is yet to be seen.

Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vol. 1: Fire
*** 1/2

Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vol. 2: Water
** 3/4

Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vol. 3: Air
****

Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vol. 4: Earth
* 1/2

I'M BACK, BABY!!!

Hang tight for a few hours, or maybe a day or so.

a music "dead month"

Most colleges have "reading days" right before Finals Week, where classes do not meet so that students can prepare for exams. Here at UNT, this week is called "dead week", a period of time where classes in the music school are often cancelled so that juries can occur without compromising the schedule. My classes happen to be meeting this week, but it got me thinking about my schedule getting lighter and lighter this month general, as well as a shift in the frequency of my concert-going.

In order to fill the gaps, I thought it might be a good chance to see the local symphonies. Alas, they are programming Christmas music from now until a few days after my return to Connecticut. And I have to confess that I HATE Christmas music. The reasons are varied and perhaps a little ridiculous, so I'll spare you for now, but I might find an opportunity to blab about some of the only Xmas music that I do own at some point this month.

With most of the country fa-la-laing this month, this would be a great chance for me to catch up on my own music listening. I'm sure I've shared my woes of not wanting to listen to much music after the day is done, whether it be due to having my ears worn out or my confidence depleted. Right now, I'm coming up on the final stage of changing my embouchure, an endeavor that nearly any brass player dreads but not all need to pursue. This has given me a VERY short leash in regards to my tolerance to listening to most music, especially classical, because I have too much on my mind that frustrates me. My juries will be over on Tuesday, and I hope that by Wednesday night I will continue my Music of my own Church project as the first step of what will hopefully be a month of musical rehabilitation.