All the Saints

All the Saints

Fire on Corridor X

Touch & Go, 2009

www.myspace.com/allthesaints

www.tgrec.com

Seriously. I have found my new favorite band. For the moment. I first heard this band on a split with These Arms are Snakes and thought, "Hmmm...maybeee..". Then I bought Corridor X. Well played, sir. It's dark and slightly scary, but not in a nerdy way. It's more like if Washington Irving or Flannery O'Connor had played in a f***ing rad rock band. Okay so maybe that's not the best argument against being nerdy. But it's true, and holy s**t, it works. It's got a touch of American Gothic to it (or maybe that's just because I was driving through bumf**k Virginia when I first listened to it). They bill themselves as psychedelic rock, but don't let that fool you. This reminds me slightly of TAAS, but a bit more laid back and just straight forward rock. It's really impossible to explain so I'm just going to stop now. This is killer.

Kid Sister

Kid Sister

Ultraviolet

Downtown, 2009

http://www.kidsistermusic.com/

http://www.downtownmusic.com/

This is what Amanda Blank's I Love You should have sounded like. This record falls into the category of music that is self-indulgent, fun and should never be taken seriously. Kind of like Annie was back in 2005 and Gucci Mane now.

Every conceivable studio trick known was tossed onto this album and it totally works. I even like the Kanye song "Pro Nails". The record is a mix of club beats and old school hip hop and KS pulls off the MC work pretty well. Nothing fancy, but totally addictive.

Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr.

Farm

Jagjaguwar, 2009

www.dinosaurjr.com

www.jagjaguwar.com

I never really listened to Dinosaur Jr. growing up. I was too young to to be turned on to them when they were at their peak, and when I did really get into music I never really payed them much attention. I understood how influential they were on other very influential bands, but that was about it. At one point when I was in middle school I bought Without a Sound because I liked the Spike Jonze video for "Feel the Pain." Yes, that was back when music videos were an art form. I wasn't impressed with the rest of the record and figured this Dinosaur Jr. band wasn't for me.

It wasn't until I was older that I began to fully appreciate the band, their members, and the music. If I had heard Farm when I was younger, I would have hated it. Probably because it doesn't sound like Fugazi. But now that I'm older and questionably wiser, I take great satisfaction in listening to this. This is truly "alternative" rock in all the best ways possible.

Mascis' guitar work is as on point as ever and the record seems to be kind of a throwback to their heavier sound (which I love). Pretty much all of the songs are winners to me, but "Said the People" stands out. It's got a Built to Spill feel but has a chorus that would make even Doug Martsch envious.

All in all, I like this record a lot. If only I could go back in time and buy You're Living All Over Me instead..

P.O.S

P.O.S

Never Better

Rhymesayers, 2009

www.myspace.com/pos

www.rhymesayers.com

This record sort of took me by surprise. At first I didn't really like it. I thought that unfortunately some of the songs sounded more like P.O.D. But after a few listens, I was a fan. P.O.S aka Stefan Alexander, started his musical career in a punk band before switching to hip hop. I guess that kind of explains the distorted guitars and feedback present in a lot of the songs here. The beats are hit or miss, sometimes just drum rolls and other times they're more traditional. However, it's the more experimental ones that work the best here.

P.O.S is a decent MC and this is worth picking up if you're looking for something a little different.

Moka Only

Moka Only

Lowdown Suite 2: The Box

Feelin' Music, 2009

www.myspace.com/mokaonly

http://www.feelinmusic.ch/

Daniel Denton, aka Moka Only, probably best known for his on again/off again relationship with Swollen Members, sounds like MF Doom to me. Not in the voice or anything, but his rhyme style. But that doesn't bother me. In fact, I like his laid-back, nonchalant style. It sounds like he could be making a sandwich or reading a magazine while he flows. Not a bad thing, it's just his style. This style carries over into his beats. They are at the same time minimal and atmospheric. At times there's even a hint of J Dilla in there, who Moka collabed with in the past. He's a prolific and well-respected artist for good reason. This is an addictive album and one of his best. It's a perfect summertime record too. Oh, and the ladies love it.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Slumberland, 2009

www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com

www.slumberlandrecords.com

I like this music. But then again, I liked it when The Cure and Joy Division did it. Then I liked it when The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine did it. But I'm not going to complain that this band is totally unoriginal and sound like countless 80's and early 90's college radio bands. This is legitimately good. It's one of those records where you anticipate every chord change ahead of time, because they go with the obvious catchy progressions. But I'm a sucker for a catchy song. And this is nothing if not catchy. I give it a "C" for catchy, in fact. Nice album art too. Way better than Wild Nothing..

Fashawn

Fashawn
Boy Meets World
One Records, 2009
http://www.fashawn.net/

Here at mxmcty, we love hip hop. When people say "Real hip hop is dead", it makes us sad. If hip hop is dead, then I guarantee you Gucci Mane killed it and its decomposing carcass is buried in his basement. But of course, hip hop isn't dead. You just have to know where to find it. It's obviously not on BET or your local "Hip Hop and R&B" station. Sure, maybe a legit artist like Talib Kweli or Atmosphere will bubble up in the mainstream for a minute, but most of the time we have to deal with garbage. But if you like real hip hop, do you listen to the radio anyway? If you like real rock or any other genre for that matter, do you turn to MTV or the radio? Of course not.

You can say that Fashawn is "saving" hip hop or "bringing it back", but it never went anywhere. If anything, he'll bring it to the general masses and then possibly sell out like countless other talented MC's (come on EM, Recovery?). But who knows. What is glaringly apparent at the moment though is that this kid is crazy talented. He raps with the same hunger that Nas did on Illmatic and he slays every single track. Right from the intro you know this is going to be good.

Combine that with some of the best production I've heard in years, compliments of Exile, and you have a really good record. Exile is one of those producers who doesn't make beats, he makes songs. Anyone with a computer or MPC can make beats these days. There's way too many cooks in the kitchen. Not everyone can make a real song. Each track stands on it's own. I could listen to the rhymes accapella, but I could also just listen to the instrumentals and not get bored. This was a perfect collaboration. This is honestly the best hip hop record I've heard in years, and definitely the best of 2009.

Fashawn is only 21, and with this kind of talent he's going to be f***ing huge. Whether he will remain to be a credible artist or become just another product being relentlessly pushed by the commercial media is anyone's guess. But for right now, I recommend you do what he says on his intro. "Watch me."

Son Volt

Son Volt
American Central Dust
Rounder/Umgd, 2009
www.sonvolt.net
www.rounder.com

I hate the term "alt-country". It's just a catch-all genre for anything that's not quite traditional rock, but not quite squeeky-clean enough to be peddled as "new country" to the majority of Americans . To me, bands that are considered "alt-country", such as Rodney Crowell, Son Volt, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Tift Merritt, Steve Earle, Scott Miller, Old 97's, Hayes Carll and, of course, Lucinda Williams, are the rightful inheritants of the true country music of Cash, Jones, Cline, Haggard, Jennings, Lynn and Coe.
The bile that's spewed from Nashville these days is hardly "country". It's more like brain-dead-pop music for people who don't like music to begin with. I myself would have to be about a case-deep in Milwaukee's Best Ice with an ice pick firmly inserted in my frontal lobe in order to even attempt to make it through a Rascal Flatts or Trace Adkins record. Even then, I would probably question it's authenticity.
Son Volt is one of those bands that I love, then I forget about, then rediscover all over again. Their 1995 album Trace was truly a classic "alt-country" (vomit) record, and these guys have rarely let me down since.
My only hangup (there's always one) is that Jay Farrar's voice is a bit monotone, and sometimes I think it holds the band back a bit. I always liked Volt's music more than Wilco, but I like Jeff Tweedy's vocals more than Farrar's. If only they could join up to form another band sans the Uncle Tupelo sound. I despised that band. But the chance of that happening is about the same as me ever putting money on the Celtics to win another championship game.
A highlight here is "Cocaine & Ashes". Farrar is able to sing a song about Keith Richards' infamous drug-fueled salute to his dad, true or not, in which he snorted a line of coke cut with his father's ashes. The thing is, Farrar is able to make it sound endearing. In fact, it's down right touching.
Now if that's not country, I don't know what is. Great album.

Superchunk

Superchunk
Leaves in the Gutter EP
Merge, 2009
http://www.superchunk.com/
http://www.mergerecords.com/

My first encounter with indie rock came when I was in the 8th grade. I was at the local used CD store and took a chance on an album by a band named Superchunk called "Incidental Music: 1991-1995". Sometimes taking chances is bad and it doesn't pay off. Like NBA players putting out hip hop records (Shaq, Ron Artest). Or choosing a career as a killer whale "trainer" at Sea World. They didn't earn that name by being friendly. However, on that day back in 1995, the chance that I took with my hardly-earned money paid off in spades, and I would love to thank the scrub who probably traded that CD for a Veruca Salt record.
To me, Superchunk along with Pavement are the quintessential indie rock bands. Superchunk is by far the best and most important band to ever come out of North Carolina and I don't foresee anyone taking that title from them anytime soon. If you disagree, feel free to email your argument and/or opinion to me at blahblahblah@noisenoisenoise.com. I will only view submissions that follow official MLA guidelines. And please, include proper citation.

This EP features a few new songs as well as "Misfits & Mistakes". All the songs are fantastic, but I can take or leave the acoustic version of "Learned to Surf." I guess it's cool to hear what a song sounds like without everything that makes it great... Leaves in the Gutter also shows that this band has only become better with age. Therefore, I am now replacing the metaphorical "wine" with "Superchunk". For example: "Wine is like Superchunk. It only gets better with age." Or even: "Johnny Depp is very much unlike Superchunk. His choice in roles as of late has transformed him into an unlikeable, living cartoon. He's kind of like Judge Doom in the 1988 cinematic masterpiece Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and I can't believe this is the same guy who made What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Libertine." Responses to that one can be forwarded to the same email address listed above.
But getting back on topic. Leaves in the Gutter reminds me of the Superchunk that I discovered and immediately loved when I was young, and they've managed to stay more than merely relevant. As far as EP's go, this is totally worth your money and proves again why Superchunk is such an important and influential band.

Pick up Superchunk's new album Majesty Shredding on 9/14.

The xx

The xx

xx

XL, 2009

http://thexx.info/

www.xlrecordings.com

Man, this is a love-making record. That's the first thing I thought when I heard this album. I don't know if that's what they were aiming for, but that's what this is. It's not the kind of music that's overtly sexual or even intended to be so. Such as D'Angelo. Or Danzig. And it's not sexy in a creepy, slightly unsettling way like Portishead or Massive Attack either. It's just.. sexy.

I like xx because it's a "less is more" record. Many similiar bands that use programmed drums and sequencers make the mistake of going overboard with it. You give them Reason or Sound Forge and all of a sudden they think they're James Murphy. The xx seem to understand the simple effectiveness of a few well-placed kick drums or hand claps and the occasional breakbeat. On top of that, the vocals are great and Croft and Sims have the sullen, nonchalant, British croon down.

Unfortunately, I can see why network TV and corporations have picked up on The xx and used their songs. This album is loaded with accessible singles and it's got major mainstream appeal. But hey, good music is good music.

Between the reverb-soaked guitar, sparse drums, low bass hum and sultry vocals, this is a bedroom winner for sure. Seriously, if you can't make babies to this then you may quite possibly be dead. Or maybe the other person is.

Gross.

The Horrors

The Horrors

Primary Colours

XL, 2009

http://www.thehorrors.co.uk

http://www.xlrecordings.com

I slept on these guys at first. I remember hearing a song or two from their 2007 album Strange House and not being very impressed. Then I gave them another chance last year when Primary Colours was released. They sounded like a completely different band. I had to admit, this s**t is brilliant.

They're a punk band that's not afraid to utilize all technology at their disposal. The freakish sounds that Tom Cowan and Joshua Hayward get out of their synths and guitar are at the same time terrifying and beautiful. They worked with three separate producers on this album, including Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Chris Cunningham (yes, THAT Chris Cunningham). That should give you a basic idea of the sort of wonderfully menacing tunes that await you. This album sounds like it was recorded in some godforsaken and long forgotten portion of the London Tube or something. Creepy.

This was my favorite album from last year and I still listen to it constantly. Primary Colours is an ablum that will totally intimidate you and have you tapping your foot at the same time. Excellent.

Gringo Star

Gringo Star
All Yall
Gringo Star, 2009
www.gringostar.net

Wow, what a horrible name. Seriously. It's wretched. It sounds like a pun your dad would come up with or something. But if you're able to swallow that spoonful of awfulness down and get to the music, it's probably worth it. I know some people compare them to The Animals and garage bands of the past, and I think that's valid. They definitely have a quirky retro sound. However, they're way too musical and versatile to be thrown in with other more straightforward garage acts like fellow Atlanta band Black Lips. First of all, they're better than Black Lips. Not that it's a huge achievement to be better than a band that's mediocre on their best day or anything. Gringo Star sound more like The Brian Jonestown Massacre minus the heroin and if Anton Newcombe had been listening to Sweetheart of the Rodeo and The Shins. I promise I mean that in a good way.
It's definitely catchy, poppy stuff but there's enough songwriting talent here to make these guys legit. I don't know many people who don't like this band (except L) and it's easy to see why. There's not a whole lot of depth there. It's just good energetic stuff. But the name..

E says: Good in small doses.

L says: Mmm, not really.