President Obama's Been Coming Up With Some Awesome Band Names Lately

Composite Girlfriend

Cow Pie of Distortion

Delicious Pitbulls

Polish Death Camp

Gay Bundlers



(Photo: politico.com)

Music I Actually Liked in 2011

Writing the last post got me to thinking: I wrote so much about music that I don't like or that just annoys me ... but what new music did I actually like this year? There just aren't that many artists making music that I would bother to download right now, but there were still some sweet droplets in the current musical drought.

2011 seemed to be the Year of Adele, and I enjoyed her singles from 21: "Rolling In The Deep," "Someone Like You," and "Rumour Has It" (as well as her cover of The Cure's "Lovesong").

The band of the moment seems to be Foster the People, thanks in large part to "Pumped Up Kicks," which contains the year's most addictive chorus (you probably know how it goes so I won't link it), and that bassline is no slouch either.

Fleet Foxes is one of the few new bands that I've gotten into in the last five years. They're real musicians, and generally live up to their hype. I recommend the title track from their second album Helplessness Blues, and "Grown Ocean," "The Plains/Bitter Dancer," and "Sim Sala Bim." (This song has the best lyrics I heard all year: I was raised up believing/I was somehow unique/A snowflake distinct among snowflakes)

Speaking of artists I've gotten into recently, Ryan Adams put out a new album, Ashes & Fire. I really like "Lucky Now" and "Do I Wait."

"The Fellowship" is not a great Smashing Pumpkins track and it kind of sounds like it's trying to imitate Muse, but I'll be danged if I can get it out of my head.

Radiohead put out a good (mini-) album, The King of Limbs. There was not much surprising or innovative about this album compared to their previous ones, but they put you into a pleasant trance with songs like "Codex," "Give Up The Ghost," and "Separator."

R.E.M. put out their most listenable album in many years and then, a few months later, broke up. (I wrote more about them here.)

On the country side of things, I liked "You Lie" by The Band Perry; I think the album came out in 2010 but the single was released this year.

Get More: You Lie, The Band Perry, The Band Perry Videos

And while it's not "new" music, the Beach Boys officially released their legendary, long-lost Smile Sessions. It's a complex album that should be heard in full, but I'm particularly enjoying "Cabin Essence" and the "Backing Vocals Montage" tracks. Of course, other classics like "Good Vibrations," "Heroes & Villains," and "Surf's Up" are also on it. Anyone who appreciates sophisticated pop should explore Smile.



These bright spots aside, I hope 2012 is a better year for rock and pop music ... Beck, I hope you're listening!

R.E.M.'s Swan (Swan H) Song

R.E.M. finally broke up today after 30-odd years. I've followed the band very casually for the last decade, but was very into them during the mid- to late-90s and saw them live in 1999. To a lot of their fans, the band really ended in 1997 when drummer Bill Berry quit near the peak of the band's popularity(he'd suffered an aneurysm during a concert performance in 1995). But R.E.M. carried on, and while they'd lost some of their magic, they still had some strong moments. In honor of their career, here are my favorite tracks from each of their albums.


Chronic Town: "Wolves, Lower" (This was an EP, not a full album.)


Murmur: "Sitting Still"

Reckoning: "Pretty Persuasion"


Fables of the Reconstruction: "Feeling Gravity's Pull"


Lifes Rich Pageant: "Cuyahoga" (I think this is my favorite R.E.M. song, musically.)

Document: "The One I Love"


Green: "Get Up"


Out of Time: "Texarkana" (One purdy tune. Bassist/keyboardist Mike Mills sang the lead on this one.)



Automatic For The People: Tie between "Man on the Moon" and "Find the River" (This is their best album overall, although it's not representative of their 'classic' sound. "Try Not to Breathe" is also a real stunner.)

Monster: "Bang and Blame"


New Adventures in Hi-Fi: "Bittersweet Me" (Sonically, this is one of my favorite albums by any band. It sounded more raw and open than their other records to that point, and the music hit a sweet spot between their folk-rock and hard-rock sides.)


Up: "Daysleeper"


Reveal: "Imitation of Life"

Around The Sun: "I Wanted To Be Wrong" (This is their worst album. It's actually hard to pick a favorite off this one. I only like this track musically; the lyrics are irritating.)


Accelerate: "Hollow Man"


Collapse Into Now: "Discoverer" (This came out only six months before they announced they were disbanding. Somewhat of a 'return to form.')

Of Cake & Tea

I recently stopped following the band Cake's Facebook updates because most of them sounded like lame leftist talking points. (What is it with people getting all political on Facebook, anyway?) That's why I find it ironic that the opening song on their recent album, "Federal Funding," sounds almost like it could be a tea party anthem. Maybe it's the deep sarcasm in singer John McCrea's voice, but it seems like a critique of over-the-top government spending. The video as you can see is a critique of big business/overdevelopment/capitalism, as if to offset the lyrical message.

Anyway, stick to the music, Cake, and I might just unblock you on my Facebook wall.

Free Rock Tracks: The Fission

This is my little brother's band. They just released their self-produced debut album this summer. And they rock.

Lots of good Radiohead and Muse influence in their sound, with some of the rawness of The White Stripes. I was really into grunge back in the 90s, and there aren't too many new rock bands lately that float my boat. But The Fission is great, and I don't just say that because my brother is the lead singer, guitarist, and all-around maestro.

Download The Fission's album After the Flood here ...

(P.S. My other brother designed the album artwork.)