Sgt. Pepper's Strawberry Jam

Vampire Weekend’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:29 -0700

Vampire Weekend’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City, is a triumph.

I’ve pumped it through my ears at least a half dozen times in the last three days, and it’s… it’s great. This is the kind of music that I would want to create if I could.

I saw VW in a dining hall at Williams in 2008. They rocked us well and good, and then apologized because we were demanding that they play more, and they didn’t have anything else. They had used up their entire self-titled on us.

I saw them a month ago, just a few weeks before this album was released. They played a good assortment of cuts from Vampire Weekend and Contra, as well as five songs from MVotC. Those five songs were special, and I couldn’t wait to hear the rest.

I’m seeing them in three months at Outside Lands. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to that set.

Vampire Weekend - “Hannah Hunt”

#155/200: Wilco - Being There Wilco, like Radiohead, is...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:18 -0700

#155/200: Wilco - Being There

Wilco, like Radiohead, is basically never going to be overrated. I’m surprised this one isn’t higher on the list.

Wilco - “Outta Mind (Outta Sight)”

#154/200: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz Mike played...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:19 -0700

#154/200: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz

Mike played “Zero” in his car at least once a day during the summer of 2009. I didn’t even know it was Yeah Yeah Yeahs until the end of the summer. It’s such a great song, it doesn’t really matter what comes after it on the album.

But yeah, the rest of the album is solid, too.

#153/200: Beach House - Devotion Remember when we were...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:37 -0700

#153/200: Beach House - Devotion

Remember when we were collectively obsessed with Beach House?

#152/200: Beck - Midnite Vultures Delightfully funky.

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:30 -0700

#152/200: Beck - Midnite Vultures

Delightfully funky.

#151/200: Spoon - Gimme Fiction Sometimes rock bands blend...

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:55:32 -0700

#151/200: Spoon - Gimme Fiction

Sometimes rock bands blend together, but Spoon consistently sticks out. This is a Good Thing.

Spoon - “I Summon You”

#150/200: The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows One hundred fifty. Of two...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 -0700

#150/200: The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows

One hundred fifty. Of two hundred. 75% done.

Ok, so this is definitely the best Walkmen album I’ve listened to. I first heard them with 2010’s “Lisbon,” which was awesome at the time but I got sick of for some unknown reason. And then I saw them open for the Fleet Foxes. They were solid, but no one at that show cared about them so it was a pretty boring, muted set. I imagine that when they’re featured they could put on a National-esque show, but that sure isn’t what I saw at the Greek a couple years ago.

I’ve been on a Radiohead kick lately. They could become...

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:00:40 -0700

I’ve been on a Radiohead kick lately. They could become the most popular band in the history of music and I still think they’d be underrated.

I mean, not statistically so. That wouldn’t make sense. It’s a figure of speech.

Also, contrast to Steve-in-high-school, who didn’t like Radiohead. At all.

Radiohead - “Give Up The Ghost”

Chance The Rapper is one of the Next Big Things in rap, so do...

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:00:25 -0700

Chance The Rapper is one of the Next Big Things in rap, so do yourself a favor and check out his new mixtape here.

Chance The Rapper feat. Childish Gambino - “Favorite Song”

#149/200: Cat Power - You Are Free One problem with listening...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:00:31 -0700

#149/200: Cat Power - You Are Free

One problem with listening to each of these albums once is that the growers don’t have a chance to grow on me. This seems like the kind of album that I would grow to love over time, but after one listen… all I can say is “bland.”

Makes you wonder, though— is something like this worth listening to repeatedly when there are thousands of other amazing albums that I haven’t heard yet?

#148/200: Tame Impala - Innerspeaker This is a solid entry into...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:00:27 -0700

#148/200: Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

This is a solid entry into the canon of psychedelic rock. But really, it’s almost too laid back.

#147/200: The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America I wish I...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:00:19 -0700

#147/200: The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America

I wish I had listened to The Hold Steady when I was in high school. I love this album, but it would have been life-changing to a younger, more impressionable Steve.
Oh my, this is the worst album art that I’ve ever seen.

The Hold Steady - “Stuck Between Stations”

#146/200: Passion Pit - Manners Or as I prefer to call them,...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:00:20 -0700

#146/200: Passion Pit - Manners

Or as I prefer to call them, “The Passion Pits.”

Manners, their breakout album, is infectious. It’s preteen-friendly music that 20-something hipsters don’t get made fun of for liking. I can get behind that.

Passion Pit - “Moth’s Wings”

#145/200: Caribou - Swim It’s an underwater dance record....

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:25 -0700

#145/200: Caribou - Swim

It’s an underwater dance record. Yep. Can’t argue with that.

Caribou - “Sun”

#144/200: The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:00:38 -0700

#144/200: The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone

I wish I had spent 2000-2004 listening to The Unicorns instead of whatever it was that I listened to between ages 11 and 15. Lots of Weird Al, probably. And Smash Mouth and Eve 6, and Third Eye Blind. Yikes.

The Unicorns - “Ghost Mountain”

#143/200: Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender The enigmatic...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:00:21 -0700

#143/200: Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender

The enigmatic Joanna Newsom really delivers with this one. It’s more approachable than Ys, if nothing else. Pitchfork’s and Pitchfork readers’ fascination with Joanna is equal parts adorable and frustrating. I think people are really attached to the idea of Joanna Newsom as opposed to the sometimes arduous task of actually listening to her records.

Kanye fans: make sure you check out “The...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:32 -0700

Kanye fans: make sure you check out “The Prerequisite,” a mixtape of some of Kanye’s early (pre-The College Dropout) work. I’d link to it, but it’s been removed from the site where I found it. To Google with you!

Here’s an early cut of “Home,” which is pretty fantastic sans Chris Martin.

Kanye West - “Home (Windy)”

This bodes well for Daft Punk’s new album. Holy catchy,...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:25:28 -0700

This bodes well for Daft Punk’s new album.

Holy catchy, Batman!

10 Covers of LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends"

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:19:31 -0700

10 Covers of LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends"

Thoughts on the 2013 Outside Lands lineup

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:07:00 -0700

The Outside Lands lineup was announced today, and it’s a great combination of bands I love now and bands I would have loved if I was 24 years old in 1995. Kidding.

The first set of bands are bands are those that I have either seen live before, or are very high on my want-to-see list. These bands also happen to be traditional Pitchfork darlings.

Phoenix
Grizzly Bear
The National
Vampire Weekend (would be more excited were I not already seeing them tomorrow night in Oakland)
Yeasayer
Smith Westerns
Foals

Then there’s the indie bands that I like in passing or have heard great things about.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Surfer Blood
Wavves
Matt & Kim
Youth Lagoon (saw at Treasure Island… sleeeeepy! Good, but sleepy.)
Chromatics
Jessie Ware
The Tallest Man On Earth
The Men
Kurt Vile

As always, there are bands that just aren’t for me. Or used to be for me, and aren’t anymore

Band of Horses (I can be persuaded again… their first two albums are excellent)
Dawes
Young The Giant
Willie Nelson
The Head and the Heart
Wild Belle

Beeps and wubs. Depends on my mood.

Kaskade
Pretty Lights
A-Trak
Zedd
Dillon Francis

Bands that I’m excited to see that I wouldn’t normally see, but that’s what festivals are for.

Paul McCartney
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Nine Inch Nails
Hall & Oates

??? (Includes almost the entire bottom third of the lineup… yikes! I have some listening to do!)

Emeli Sande
Trombone Shorty
Gary Clark Jr.
The Mother Hips
The Growlers
Rudimental (First listen: woah.)
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Camper Van Beethoven
Bombino
Fishbone
Milo Greene
Atlas Genius
Anuhea
Twenty One Pilots
The Heavy
Daughter
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk
King Tuff
The Lone Bellow
Ms Mr
Little Green Cars
James McCartney
the Soft White Sixties
Deap Vally
Midi Matilda
Kopecky Family Band
Houndmouth
Foy Vance
Bhi Bhiman
Locura
Naia Kete
The Easy Leaves

Should be fun. I’m playing it cool, but I’m really excited to finally see Phoenix and Grizzly Bear.