Midweek Music News Roundup 12.16.09: It Was A Very Decade, Part One
Posted by Lucas Wesley on 12.16.2009
New songs from Portishead and Massive Attack, Jay Reatard faces more problems, The Jackson 4 set their sights on America, Taylor and Kanye celebrate together (though probably not literally), the Grammys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dish out major accolades, and I start the countdown of my 100 favorite songs of the past ten years, kicking things off in style with number 100 all the way up to 41. For that and more, check out the Midweek Music News Roundup!
Continuing the series started two weeks ago, then titled It Was A Very Good Year, now appended to It Was A Very Good Decade. Because, well, let's think big here! As always, the important part is down there in Star Power, and the ability to post what I'm going to post down there to a mainstream crowd is more or less the reason I took this gig in the first place, but hey...there's some news I need to mention first. That's the job.
- Portishead have a new song out! Wooo! And it's for charity! Wooo! It's called "Chase The Tear," and proceeds benefit Amnesty International. Whether or not this means more Portishead is on the way (consider their last album took nine years and this track took one, that may just be par for the course, but we can hope), it at least means fans have one good track to tide them over. And hey, there was that beak> release, too...I heard someone cool reviewed it. He thought it was alright and I trust him. Anyway, for this track, it's kind of upbeat sounding given the band and the cause, but Beth manages to keep things ethereal. So check it, fans.
- Jay Reatard seems to be having a bad year. Granted, he released a critically acclaimed album, but man. First his band quits and now he's attacked on stage. Two fans rushed him on stage in Austin, Texas. Not shying from confrontation, Jay attacked them with his mic stand until police officers took them away. Granted, things could've been worse, but for the fans there that didn't attack Jay (and for Jay himself), that had to suck.
- You know, I really thought Michael's death would put the rumors to death, but nope. The Jackson...4 are once again alleging that they will soon be going on tour. While it's nice that they never can say goodbye to their fans, it really begs the questions...what songs will they even perform? I understand Jermaine has a good voice, too, but not even Michael could do those songs anymore. It's a shame, but some things just can't be redone forty plus years later.
- Billboard has tabulated the results, and the most successful artist of 2009 is Taylor Swift! Swift is very happy and allegedly would like to thank her...
- Hold on! I'm really happy for her and I'mma finish that bullet, but I just want to say, Kanye West is the most successful male artist of 2009.
Goddamn that was an easy joke.
- The Grammys honorees for the Lifetime Achievement Award have been announced. Honored will be Michael Jackson, Leonard Cohen, Bobby Darin, Loretta Lynn, and people I've never heard of. Congratulations to all of them, especially the four listed, since they all very much deserve it. I've never watched the Grammys aside from when Eminem performed with Elton John, but I hope the surviving honorees join together for a stirring rendition of Mack the Knife. It truly would be awesome.
- Lou Reed is old. As such, he does what he can to help other old people. Called the Lou Zoom, a new iPhone app makes text bigger so people with bad eyesight can read text easier. I guess it's not just for old people, since I'm wearing glasses as I write this. Still, uh, cool. I guess. Kind of odd they needed someone incredibly random like Lou to come out of nowhere and say "hey, that text sure is small." But whatever works.
- Indie music isn't the only supercool facet of indie life. There are also indie movies. And when the two come together, whoa boy, you just might get yourself a Juno. Or no one will care. I guess it varies. But anyway, a new film called Blue Valentine (no relation to the Tom Waits album), starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, will feature music from Grizzly Bear. While most fans will probably just wait for the soundtrack to check it out, the real fans will be there opening day, I'm sure. Or at least they would if it ever goes wide, which it probably won't. Oh well, I guess we'll all wait for the soundtrack.
- Hey pop culture maniacs, do you know who Imelda Marcos is? Me neither! That's her holding a shoe! Here's our chance to find out more! Fatboy Slim and David Byrne have teamed up for a massive concept album box set about the former First Lady of the Philippines, titled Here Lies Love. It features two discs and a 100 page book, so even those of us that hate music might learn something. The set also features a fantastic guest vocalist lineup, including Martha Wainwright, St. Vincent, Camille, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Pierson, Santigold, Tori Amos, and of course, David Byrne himself. The interested can find it February 23.
- Massive Attack are further prepping Heligoland, out February 9, by re-releasing a porn film from the 70's. Well, they're saying it's a music video for their song "Paradise Circus," but anyone who watches it will tell you the same thing: it's a porn film. Yes, it starts with an interview with an old lady who apparently used to be a young naked lady in the film, but it quickly turns in to sex. There's also a snake for some reason, and that's not a euphemism. The song just so happens to be playing in the background. For what it's worth, the song is pretty great, but I privy my column something the whole family can enjoy while sitting around a fireplace (and also I imagine it exists in 1932, and computers are magic), so I won't link to it. But if you really want to find it, I'm sure you can.
- Elliott Smith fans, rejoice. The label many claim his best work was released on, Kill Rock Stars, will be reissuing a two more of his classic albums. Elliott Smith and From a Basement on the Hill will be reissued April 6, with vinyl treatments on the way. For those that can't wait, the lost song, "Cecilia/Amanda," reworked from a song written with one of Smith's early bands, Stranger Than Fiction, can be found on Pitchfork. Good news abound.
- I guess eight times really is a charm. The Stooges have finally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well, the official induction happens March 15, which is coincidentally my 21st birthday, so maybe it's all a joke and when it doesn't happen the next day they'll just be like "yeah, dude, you were so drunk you thought the Stooges were in the Rock Hall." But that's doubtful and it probably did really happen. So congrats! Also inducted are ABBA, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis and The Hollies. I don't remember my original desired entrees, but I know Jimmy Cliff was also on the list, and two out of whatever ain't bad. Too bad for Darlene Love, but I guess she still has time. In the non-performer categories, names like David Geffen, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and Otis Blackwell were inducted. Not a bad year for the hall, all things considered.
Star Power
We here at 411mania recently posted what we are purporting as the top 100 songs of the decade. How nice of us. Unfortunately, though my name is on each page providing a write up for a song or two, I wasn't terribly involved in the process. Yes, I voted which songs of the top 150 would become the top 100, and thus had some say in the order the songs ended up in. However, it just so happens that I joined this site one week after the initial nomination process. While I do think I had some effect on the voting (I'm pretty sure I'm the reason "Toxic" ended up on the list, even if it was the low number of 92...read on for what I think), I'm greatly disappointed that my actual list didn't get to factor in. With the individual lists that are bound to pop up, it's equally upsetting that you won't see mine. So I'm rectifying that.
There was only one rule, really. Songs must have been released on studio albums between January 1st, 2000 and today. There was only one exception to this rule, and the exception was in the word "released." I bet you can spot it if you try. Single status is irrelevant, it's about album release. I tried to stray from remixes since there are just too many to pay attention to, but one did make the list, and it fared rather well.
I'm not purporting that these next 100 songs are the most important of the decade. I'm certainly not implying that you, dear reader, would like any of them. I'm merely saying that these are my favorite 100 songs released in the past ten years. There's still two weeks left in this decade, and I'm aware that it's possible London Calling will be released and suddenly the whole list will be in disarray, but I'm not banking on that. All the same, this is not definitive yet. It changes every day. There was no great process created by Rolling Stone magazine and the experts and Hewlett and Packard that helped me create some way of ranking these. It's all based on how I was feeling about that particular song at that particular moment. These things are fickle.
We've recently been listing our top five songs of each year over at the Top 5. You may notice that this list doesn't exactly sync up with that one. In fact, just two weeks ago I offered my top five of 2009. That doesn't even sync up. It doesn't really come close. This is just one example of how fickle I can be. Tomorrow you could try and trick me, name number 81 and number 17, ask me which one I like better. I have no idea what the result will be. Tomorrow is a long time, I can't be so definitive so quickly. Number one is pretty set in stone, but other than that, this is no more than a reflection of a moment in time.
There are some shameful omissions. Plenty of great artists and albums have been forgotten or missed. I really wish I could've included Sonic Youth on there somewhere (though I show no remorse for the omission of Jack White), and my favorite album of the decade (Smile) goes completely unrepresented. But this isn't about artists or albums, it's about songs, and that happens sometimes. I want to say that this list runs the gamut of songs, including mainstream rap and pop songs along with some indie hits and various deep cuts I've come across over these years that I particularly liked. It would be nice to provide that sort of comfort in my own beliefs; to say I'm well rounded and I know what I'm talking about, and that these really are the best. But obviously if I'm making this disclaimer, I'm not saying that. I have some clear biases and my weird pseudo-controversial nature means I'm putting in more mainstream pop songs than it's probably safe to do. But here it is.
The winner of the list is, appropriately, the best artist of this generation of this decade, with seven credited entrees, and a few more as a guest. Bob Dylan makes three appearances and Radiohead, OutKast, Phoenix, Sean Lennon, William Shatner, Jens Lekman, Scissor Sisters, Justin Timberlake, Tom Waits, Daft Punk, Katy Perry, LCD Soundsystem and Lady Gaga get two a piece. Otherwise it's one song per artist. I want to say this was unintentional, but I tried harder than I should have to appear multifaceted and it may have effected me a bit. It happens. Across genre lines, I don't care to count, but on some level every major modern Anglo genre is represented, though metal and punk are very underrepresented. I just don't know them that well. Finally, the year break downs might show a slight bias here or there, but I tried to pay it no mind, I promise.
Well, I've yakked enough. That was the longest disclaimer of all times. Without further adieu, my opinion as to what entails the top 100 songs released from 2000-2009.
100. Daniel Johnston - Now
99. Prince - Fury
98. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
97. Rhymefest - Build Me Up
96. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl
95. Lily Allen - Smile
94. Kid Cudi - Make Her Say
93. Paul McCartney - Ever Present Past
92. Atlas Sound - River Card
91. Beck - E-Pro
90. Bob Dylan - Po' Boy
89. Boris - Pseudo-Bread
88. Katy Perry - Hot N Cold
87. Vitalic - Your Disco Song
86. Brian Wilson - Going Home
85. Tricky - Excess
84. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
83. Phoenix - 1901
82. Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
81. Eminem - Stan
80. Ben Folds - The Ascent of Stan
79. Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head
78. Modest Mouse - Float On
77. Cut Copy - Nobody Lost, Nobody Found
76. R.E.M. - Imitation of Life
75. Cake - Love You Madly
74. Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice
73. David Bowie - I Took A Trip on a Gemini Spaceship
72. Weezer - Island in the Sun
71. Mika - Relax, Take It Easy
70. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
69. Jay Reatard - Always Wanting More
68. Matias Aguayo - Menta Latte
67. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Hallelujah
66. Brother Ali - The Preacher
65. Lady Gaga - Just Dance
64. The Virgins - Rich Girls
63. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
62. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
61. Max Tundra - Which Song
60. Estelle - American Boy
59. Anthony Stewart Head & George Sarah - All The Fun of the Fair
58. Sean Lennon - Dead Meat
57. Grinderman - Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)
56. Justin Timberlake - Summer Love
55. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
54. Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk
53. Kanye West - Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)
52. Tegan and Sara - The Con
51. Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong
50. Amanda Palmer - Leeds United
49. Bob Dylan - Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
48. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
47. Love is All - Wishing Well
46. Kanye West - Flashing Lights
45. Jamie Lidell - Another Day
44. Tom Waits - Trampled Rose
43. LCD Soundsystem - Yeah (Pretentious Mix)
42. Jens Lekman - I Don't Know If She's Worth 900 kr.
41. Kanye West - Welcome To Heartbreak
The top 40 along with some album talk comes next week. Can't go and prematurely blow my wad before you're ready for me, now can I? In the interim, feel free to tell me how wrong I am, how much you hate me, how much you hate number 87 and all those other feelings you may have down in the comment section. I'll read them and if I really like them, who knows, I may comment on them or update my Facebook status accordingly.
Farewell Song
There are no mermen yet, but we are on 1983. I'm so clever with my silly references to music I don't even like. I kind of already said everything I'm about to say with 1981, but it just so happens I apparently already wrote this some unnamed time in the past, so I'm going to save time and use what I've already written.
While on the surface it might have simply been the year of "Every Breath You Take" (or the year Thriller took over the world in earnest), looking deeper 1983 can be considered perhaps the greatest year for one of my all time favorite songwriters. Though he's quite slow in terms of releasing music today, at the time he was one of the most prolific artists around. In 1983 alone he released three albums, at least two of them certified classics. Of course it wasn't until 2006 or so they were all readily available to the mass public on the newest medium, since he recorded on tapes in his brothers garage.
It was a real tough pick choosing between Hi, How Are You and Yip/Jump Music as album of the year. Either one is a perfect place to start to love Daniel. However, because Yip/Jump Music is more complete, that's the one I'm going to give the nod to. Hi, How Are You is Danny's favorite, though, for what that's worth, and it's definitely more concise.
When we get to song of the year, the task becomes a little bit harder. It's by Daniel, there's no doubt. But we have "Speeding Motorcycle," we have "Running Water," we have "I Am A Baby (In My Universe)," we have "Walking the Cow." "Hey Joe," "The Beatles," "Sorry Entertainer"..."Casper the Friendly Ghost!" I'm sure only a fair few readers understand why this is so hard, but it truly borders impossible. It's the year of Murmur and Violent Femmes and Swordfishtrombones, but if I really wanted I could make a top ten of the year that's all Daniel Johnston. That's fanaticism, yes, but it's honesty, at least for now. Ultimately I'm just going to go where it all began for so many latter day Daniel fans and call it "Chord Organ Blues," with the asterisk that they all have potential to be your favorite. Or you could hate them all, I don't know.
So there you go. More on how it was a very good decade next week, or in two weeks when I rename it It Was a Very Good Century or something. I'm kind of fickle on these things. Never one to yield to Buckingham Nicks, I stopped thinking about tomorrow long ago. Regardless, tomorrow will come, as will next week. And next week I hope to see you again for another thrilling issue of the Midweek Music News Roundup.
