Have you heard this band called The Beatles? I hear some people like their songs.

The Beatles are the most popular band ever. Probably. What makes them so good is that all their recordings of their songs were definitive versions, you can't really improve on them. With the Beatles, there's no rescuing a song from obscurity because everyone knows all their songs by heart. So what do you do when you want to cover the Beatles? Well, I compiled some of my favorite Beatles covers so you can see how to do it right, Mr. Theoretical Person Who Wants to Cover the Beatles.

I Want to Hold Your Hand- Sparks
Sparks have been around since 1970. They've done art rock, chamber pop, glam rock, disco, dance, and just about every other major popular music form to develop since their formation. For their cover of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," a bonus track from 1975's Indiscreet, Sparks turns in a gossamer orchestral version full of swooping strings and honeyed background vocals in the style of the Philadelphia Sound. Sparks turns a bouncy pop number into a slice of pure pre-rock gold. It's a sly joke on the band that changed rock music and you might just miss it because it sounds so beautiful.

Oh! Darling- George Benson
In 1969, Jazz guitarist and vocalist George Benson recorded a version of the Beatles' Abbey Road. Released only a few months after the original album, Benson reimagines the Beatles' final album as a sprawling jazz opus. His take on "Oh! Darling" begins quietly with brushed drums, bluesy electric pianos, and near whispered vocals. Benson starts the song restrained, but as the horns play, he lets his vocals take a more prominent role before giving his guitar a lyrical solo and ending the song in an aching falsetto. Props must also go the Replacements, who incorporated "Oh!Darling" into their roaring, punky "Mr. Whirly."

Hey Jude- The Temptations
By 1969, The Temptations were trying to fit the new sound of psychedelic rock into their Motown R&B. The intro to their version of "Hey Jude" begins with a ragtime piano and adds a few guitars before putting in literal bells and whistles. The Temptations add a little swing into the time signature but keeps the music very based in rock music. Playing lines off of each other, for most of the song, the Temptations let out a display of vocal interplay during the iconic "na na na na" refrain that sounds like doo wop on fire.

Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except for Me and My Monkey)- The Feelies
I don't know if the Feelies could play a song any other way but their way. So maybe their cover of "Everybody's God Something to Hide" is cheating. But The Feelies do turn the howling swagger of the Beatles' original into a nervous, fidgeting, light speed-spaz of a song. The Feelies' version of the song sounds like a paranoid fire station. But again, that's kind of how all their songs are.

Birthday feat. Esau Mwamwaya- The Ruby Suns
Last year, Malawi born British singer Esau Mwamwaya had a banner year. With the release of his mixtape with producer Radioclit as the Very Best, Mwamwaya reached international acclaim. This song, which is mostly a tropical, Panda Bear-esque, cover the verses with a new melody from Mwamwaya. There's a wide screen instrumental section before the first chorus and is truly great. If you ever need a song to soundtrack your birthday barbecue on a deserted island, this is that song.

You Can't Do That- Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson was John Lennon's favorite songwriter and the two were close friends. Shortly after the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Nilsson released this cheeky cover that references many other Beatles' songs in Nilsson's background vocals. The song is very relaxed allowing the joke to be played for maximum effect.

Here's some stuff guys

(via My Parents Were Awesome)

I've been listening to Destroyer's new EP Bay of Pigs a whole lot. The title track is unbelievably gorgeous. The song is very long so I'm not going to post it, but here's a video of it.

Destroyer - Bay of Pigs
Uploaded by 0take99. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

These are my three favorite Lamebook entries. It's amazing just what people think is appropriate for a public forum.
1
2
3






















This is from the the flickr pool. What I Wore Today. Every day, people draw pictures of what they wore. I guess I didn't need to explain it. It's a pretty cool thing I think.

This week on SNL, newcomer Jenny Slate performed in a skit she wrote. This is noteworthy because not only is it hard for new cast members to get sketches on the show but it is actually funny, which isn't the case for a lot of what gets put on that show.
Oh, also Miss Slate accidentally dropped an "f-bomb" during the sketch. Oops. Some people have noticed that.

Also in SNL news, Michaela Watkins is no longer on the show. That is disappointing.

Finally, here's an interesting article on symbolism in logos. It's cooler than I'm letting on.

Mr. Tom Waits Everybody

Frank's Wild Years- Tom Waits
Blind Love- Tom Waits
Table Top Joe- Tom Waits

a small bonus:
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis- Neko Case

I Am Still Me

Then Anthony, as if from a shrine, came forth initiated in the mysteries and filled with the Spirit of God. For the first time he was seen outside the fort by those who came to see him. And they, when they saw him, wondered at the sight, for he had the same habit of body as before, and was neither fat, like a man without exercise, nor lean from fasting and striving with the demons, but he was just the same as they had known him before his withdrawal.

from Athanasius's Life of Saint Anthony

Dazzle Ships Dock Forever

Dazzle camouflage did not hide a ship from enemies. Instead, it made it hard for enemies to gauge the speed of the ship as well as where it was heading. The purpose, therefore, was not to conceal but to confuse.I was asked to remove the files for these songs, so they link to YouTube videos of the songs. All are from OMD's album Dazzle Ships.
This is Helena- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Genetic Engineering- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Silent Running- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Mr. West Is in the Building, Swagger on a Hundred Thousand Trillion

In this time when tempers are high, it's important not to lose track of the music.
Kinda Like a Big Deal- Clipse Feat. Kanye West
Half Price- Kanye West
Alright- Twista Feat. Kanye West
Girls Girls Girls (Remix)- Jay-Z Feat. Kanye West
Late- Kanye West
Apologize- Kanye West

Tomorrow Morning

"We indulged in such luxuries as a baby and a trip to Europe, and always money seemed to come easier and easier with less and less effort, until we felt that with just a little more margin to come and go on, we could begin to save."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald in "How to Live on $36,000 a Year"

Nice Work if You Can Get It- Maxine Sullivan & Her Orchestra
Summer Wine- Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra
Modern Love- David Bowie

You Miss a Lot When You Don't Exist

"There's lots you don't know. All kinds of things...mostly they happened before we were born: that makes them seem to me much more real."

Truman Capote's Other Voices, Other Rooms

Do It Again- Jane Russell
Tennessee Waltz- Patsy Cline
Whatever Will Be, Will Be- Doris Day

Simon Smith is One Lucky Boy, Maybe

Gauls

"But Daru had been born here. Everywhere else, he felt exiled."

from Camus's "The Guest."

Cybele's Reverie- Stereolab
Mon Manhge A Moi- Edith Piaf
Chick Habit- April March

Alone & Dethroned 7" Single

This is a song I recorded in February and a remix of it I made a couple of days ago.
The A-side is suppose to be like listening to a New Order lullaby through a heavy blanket.
The B-side remix is equally inspired by Houston's DJ Screw and Cocteau Twins.
Track listing:
1. Alone & Dethroned
2. Alone & Dethroned (Remix)
Enjoy.

Update: Download a high quality version of this single with new cover art and a bonus track here.

Upcoming Tour Dates

The Fiery Furnaces: 08-23 Orlando, FL - The Social
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: 09-27 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
The Decemberists: 09-29 St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheater
Mayer Hawthorne: 10-07 Orlando, FL - The Social
David Bazan: 10-13 Orlando, FL - The Social
Leonard Cohen: 10-19 Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
AU and Why?: 11-03 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
The Mountain Goats and Final Fantasy: 11-24 St. Augustine, FL - Café 11

Les Paul is Dead

Today is a "Sad Day."

Comedy is something you do with your body

Here are two examples of funny things.
Fig. 1 "Intervention Intervention" starring Fred Armisen

Intervention Intervention with Fred Armisen from Fred Armisen

Fig. 2 "Opening monolouge from July 21, 2009" by Craig Ferguson


Here is an example of something that isn't funny.
Fig. 1 "Joke about Vanessa Hudgens" by Dane Cook


Are there any questions?

This Was Made By Adults

What kind of world do we live in where two supposedly functioning professionals make something like this? The Suckman Cometh.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

This new trailer for Where the Wild Things Are is ridiculously beautiful. I already had high hopes for this movie, but now they're even higher. Spike Jones and Dave Eggers really understand childhood. Speaking of Eggers, a couple of weeks ago I saw Away We Go, a movie he wrote with his wife, Vendela Vida, and it was really good. It is extremely different from director Sam Mendes's other couple-with-children movie, last year's brutal Revolutionary Road, but they both share the same sensitive camera work and deliberate pacing.

Also, I've been meaning to turn you guys on to We Love You So. We Love You So is a gorgeous blog started by the production staff behind Where the Wild Things Are. It is a perfect blog and every time I go to it, I see something marvelous.

Become a Mad Man

When I watch Mad Men, a lot of the time I just admire their clothes. They just dress so nicely. Well, in preparation for its anticipated third season, the Mad Men website now has a feature so you can transform yourself into a character from the show. It's a really fun little thing and it is pretty cool to make yourself over in the fashions of the early '60s.
It's a lot cheaper than doing this in real life.

Pop No Pop

More here.

"Everyone should know nowadays the unimportance
of the photographic in art: that truth, life, or reality is an
organic thing which the poetic imagination can represent or suggest,
in essence, only through transformation, through changing
into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance."

-Tennessee Williams

The Light of Love- Music Go Music
Lay All Your Love on Me- ABBA
Bizarre Love Triangle- New Order
Borderline- Madonna

Magnetic Miss Perry

Mr. Merritt is a sucker for pretty pop songs and deadpan humor. Claudia Gonson, also of The Magnetic Fields, teases out a pretty rendition of Katy Perry's "Waking Up in Vegas," a thoroughly unremarkable piece of songwriting, while Merritt casts off his lines like someone who really is waking up from a rough night in Vegas, crank and not in the mood for this song.

Lonely Kids

(More here.)

Milkey Wave Goodbye- Memory Cassette

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times- The Beach Boys

In My Lonely Room- The Larks

Every nail, claw-scale and spur, every spike
and welt on the hand of that heathen brute
was like barbed steel. Everybody said
there was no honed iron hard enough
to pierce him through, no time proofed blade
that could cut his brutal blood caked claw

Petroleum- The Boo Radleys
Walkabout- Atlas Sound feat. Panda Bear

Michael and Michael Have Issues

I was too young to see MTV's sketch comedy show The State, but since it just came out on DVD, maybe I'll rectify that. However, I was old enough to watch and appreciate the work of Stella and Reno 911, two shows made up of State alumni as well as their movie, Wet Hot American Summer. Stella members Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, minus third Stella member (and my personal favorite, David Wain) have a new show on Comedy Central called Michael and Michael Have Issues.

Michael & Michael Have Issues	Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c
The Farting Butterfly Sketch
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

MMHI is a sketch comedy show with a narrative framework. That narrative framework is the behind the scenes adventures of a sketch comedy show called Michael and Michael Have Issues. The actual sketches on the show are shown from the show within the show and at times during episodes Michael and Michael address the live audience of the show within the show.

Last night, the second episode premiered and it was pretty good. So was the first episode. The show is pretty heavy on the behind the scenes stuff but it's just as funny as any of the real sketches. The comedy style is a little different from Stella, as Black and Showalter do not attempt to get laughs from poor acting and use less conceptual jokes.
This is the begining of episode two.

Michael & Michael Have Issues	Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c
Preview - Biederman's Birthday Present
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

I think Michael and Michael has a lot of promise. However, not every piece is excellent. One of the big sketches this week, Gift Giving through History, was kind of meh while the other, Bill the Quiet Weatherman, was really good. The narrative plots are also amusing, though none of the jokes from those sections of the show have made me laugh very hard. MMHI still has five more episodes left in its first season and I have high hopes for it.
Michael and Michael airs on Comedy Central Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. Black twitters here and Showalter twitters here.

Downtown Disco Breakdown

More here

Fullness of Wind- Brian Eno

Rufus Wainwright Documentary

The BBC produced a documentary about Rufus Wainwright and his new opera Prima Donna. Wainwright's music is full of clear, soaring melodies that seem just as suited for opera as they are for pop music.

New Old Kanye West Video

This is a video for Kanye West's "Two Words" from The College Dropout. West says the video was never aired on TV because of it was modeled to resemble the closing of a TV show.

Eff Yes!

The Spike Jonze Where the Wild Things Are adaptation has had a troubled and well documented production, but it finally has a trailer, which means it is for real coming out! The fact that it looks awesome is great news as well. View the trailer (and download it for your iPod to show random strangers on the street) here.

Also, I want to share with you King Khan and the Shrines. King Khan is a real wild thing (see what I did there?) who plays a Velvet Underground and James Brown influenced garage-soul that is totally rad and infectious. There last album came out in Germany a few years ago and it's finally getting an American release pretty soon. I saw these guys live a little bit ago and they were absolutely phenomenal. Here's some songs:
I Wanna Be a Girl- this is my very favorite song on the album. It's kind of an anthem for guys who really really admire women.
Welfare Bread- Another great song. Khan wants you to chill out and relax. The government's going to take care of everything.
69 Faces of Love- This is a love song. This is a love song? It sure is pretty, and a little swoony even. Khan even works in some real '60s-styled psychedelia for good measure.

Dead Mellotron

Dead Mellotron is this kid from Louisiana who makes pretty great pseudo-psychadelic ambient pop music. Waves of distortion and reverb and pretty melodies buried under this mountain of sound. He reminds me a little of Atlas Sound covering Jesus and Mary Chain (this is lazy critisism). You can download his ep which includes a cover of my beloved Beach House's "Salt Water" at his MySpace. It's worth it.

Guess What Guys?

I've been thinking a lot about Meredith Vieira again, folks. I think it started when she was on the last part of 30 Rock last week when it hit me; I just don't hate her the same way I used to. It's not that she's changed, I just think we've both done some growing up and we're growing apart. It's not like I still won't be overtaken by a rage every time I see her, but things aren't the same between us anymore. I just feel like I need to move on to someone new, someone who fits my life, who reflects where I am now as a person.
So I am hereby moving my irrational anger onto another pop culture figure...DJ Khaled (real name. Khaled Khaled), the man most well known for taking those annoying DJ shoutouts from free mixtapes and putting them all over his albums that feature more than his fair share of moderately popular hip-hop figure.
I guess I could live with that if he produced all the songs on his album, I mean that's what DJs do right? Instead, he just puts on a couple of his own decent beats and then shoves a bunch of generic numbers from other producers and before letting his famous friends rap all over them. He doesn't do anything but shout, right? Which is really annoying, right? He keeps saying he's the best, but he's pretty much the worst. Here's some videos so I don't end up yelling on a steet corner:


Notice how Khaled does pretty much nothing on these songs but shout at the beginning. I checked Wikipedia, and he produces neither of these songs. So why are they his songs? Why is he mugging all over the videos? Why does he include himself in "We the Best?" Shouldn't he be saying, "they the best?" Because he isn't doing anything to be included in bestness. Yet his ego is huge. Therefore I hate him. I'm sorry Meredith, I hope things work out for you in the end.
No I don't.
I didn't know how much I'd miss her till she was gone...
Oh well, life goes on.

J Dilla

This month marks the third anniversary of the death of James Yancey. Known as Jay Dee or J Dilla, Yancey was a prominent hip-hop producer from Detroit. Considered one of the greatest producers of all time, Yancey left behind an exceptional body of work. To me, Yancey represents the transcendence of listening to music. He was a great musician-- consistently inventive and all-around impressive.
Here is a nice essay about Yancey from last year.
Some of my favorite Dilla produced tracks:
1. "Runnin'" by the Pharcyde
This is an extended mix of a song from the Labcabincalifornia album and was one of Dilla's first big songs. The introduction of horns late in the song just really makes it.
2. "Can't You See" by J Dilla
Dilla's probably best known for flipping old samples to make amazing beats, and he strikes absolute gold on this song from the mini-album Jay Love Japan. Dilla breathes new life into an old soul song and it's just beautiful.
3. "Wild" by J Dilla
This song is a bonus track from the re-release of the EP Ruff Draft. Released shortly after Dilla was dropped by MCA and originally released on a small German label only on vinyl, this EP is probably one of the best things he ever released. Made to sound like it was recorded on cassette tape, the album has a wholey unique feeling that created an almost grimey atmosphere. The song wild itself is built on a sample of a kid singing the Slade song "Cum on Feel the Noise" and utilizes bizzare, off-tempo drums. Dilla was hardly as good an emcee as producer, but his music is so good that all a rapper really has to do is ride the beat to make the song enjoyable.
4. "Think Twice" by Jay Dee
This song comes from Dilla's first solo album, Welcome 2 Detroit which functioned as a showcase for his hometown talent. The album was released before he changed his name to J Dilla in order to avoid being confused with Jermaine Dupri, which is something no one wants. The song has a short vocal part before segueing into an extended intstrumental section that creates an exceptional groove. And then there's a shoot out. I guess that's just Detroit for you.
5. "Hold Tight (Featuring Q-Tip)" by Slum Village
Now here's the previously mentioned Slum Village. Dilla joined Slum Village while he was still in high school and functioned as their producer as well as an emcee. The production is warm and tight, but the rapping is sub-par, even my beloved Q-Tip isn't entirely on point. But like I've said, the rapping doesn't even matter that much when the beat's from J Dilla.
6. "Time: The Donut of the Heart" by J Dilla
This instrumental comes from my favorite Dilla release, Donuts. Released three days after his death, Donuts is Dilla's masterpiece. Every beat on the album is perfect and this is just one I like a whole bunch.
7. "The Red" by Jaylib
Jaylib's Champion Sound is a collaborative album between Dilla and producer/rapper Madlib. For the album, Dilla and Madlib rapped over each other's beats. "The Red" is one of the stand outs mostly due to Dilla's superb production.
8. "Whip You with a Strap" by Ghostface Killah
From Ghost's album Fishscale, "Whip You with a Strap" is based off of the Donuts track "One for Ghost." Ghost does a really good job on this track and whole thing just comes together perfectly with Ghost rapping about his childhood to a nostalgia-tinged beat that's textbook melancholy.
9. "Untitled Instrumental" by Jay Dee
This unreleased beat takes a sample from James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." Dilla characteristically takes this it and turns it into something that only he could: a completely independent and satisfying beat.
10. "Fall in Love" by Slum Village
"Fall in Love," from the the Fantastic, Vol. 2 album, is just an amazing song. The warm, crackling production sounds alot like being in love, the Village stays subdued and just rides Dilla's great, almost sentimental beat all the way to heaven.
11. "Lightworks (Featuring Q-Tip and Talib Kweli)" by Busta Rhymes
This song comes from the mixtape Dilligence on which Busta Rhymes raps over exclusively Dilla beat. "Lightworks" is a beat that comes, again, from Donuts. Tip is passable and Talib is pretty great, but Busta's verse is nuts, it's just hand's down great. This beat's great because it takes probably the most out of nowhere sample and makes it amazingly infectious. MF Doom (now known as DOOM) is using this same beat for a song on his new album, however it's just not as good as Busta's stream of consciousness riffing and his creepy, creepy laugh.

So these songs are just an introduction to the rewarding work of James Yancey, if you like them keep digging deeper.

My Favorite Song From 2008

Grouper- Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping

OMG! Christian Bale Freaks Out! Again!

So I guess you guys remember when Christian Bale was arrested for yelling at his mother and sister? Right? It was kind of a big deal because the Dark Knight was coming out. Remember how everyone was all like, "What? You can get arrested in the UK for yelling at someone? That's insane!"? Or was that just me? It might have been just me.
Anyway, this audio of Bale on the set of the new Terminator movie has been making the rounds and if he freaked on his mom and sister like this, then gosh, maybe he should have gone to jail.

So that's pretty crazy, right? I know! And what's up with that wacky "accent" when he speaks all angry like that?
Now that that's out of the way, I can get to what makes this the best thing ever (part 453):
The dance remix!

[via the Hater]
Genius! Pure, unadulterated genius! This is why Web 2.0 was a good idea. Yeah there are a lot of bad Sufjan Stevens covers, but this totally makes up for all that.
Also, there is an mp3.
Lucian Piane- Christian Bale Freaks Out (The Techno Jock Jamz Remix 4 Life!)

Casting a Pall Over the Last Few Weeks

The Silver Jews broke up. This is really sad. They are/were so great. I wil memorialize this the only way I know how:
:(<-that is as big as blogger lets me put the text. Otherwise, that frown emoticon would be fifty times bigger. This is a video of them playing "Smith and Jones Forever" from their last show ever at the Cumberland Caverns (that's right, in a cave) :
The Silver Jews are dead, long live the Silver Jews!

RPM 2009

This month is Record Production Month. During the month of February, people all over the world will be recording their own albums.
From the official site:

• Ten songs or 35 minutes of recorded material, on a CD, mailed or hand-delivered by noon on March 1 (since March 1 is a Sunday, items mailed on March 1 will receive a March 2 postmark, which is acceptable). Make at least two copies, one to send to RPM HQ here:

RPM HQ
10 Vaughan Mall, Suite 1
Portsmouth, NH 03801
USA

...and then the second copy is for your regional listening party, if you plan to attend one. Listening party details will be announced soon!

• Recording can only be done in the month of February – no prerecorded songs.

• All material must be previously unreleased, and we encourage you to write the material during February too.

So, if you're so inclined, you should probably do this. I may post mine at the end of the month, but it's up in the air. Remember, it's ten songs OR 35 minutes, so you could do a bunch of really short things. Or you could just record some stories and not even bother with music (this is called spoken word). Really, it's whatever you want to do. You can sign up at the site.

Family Fun Video Time

Family Fun Video Time is a feature here at The Art Retard where I post two videos that are so for the kids. So gather the family around the computer and push play.

Greetings everyone! And welcome to another installment of Family Fun Video Time, the Art Retard feature that is totally for the children, much like the Wu-Tang Clan. In this edition, we'll be looking at two video that have to do with having fun and playing around with your friends.

The first video is a trailer for a new movie by Sal Lupo that looks like it's going to be the big family blockbuster event of the year. Pop some popcorn, get some Kool-Aid Jammers, and push the happy sideways triangle!

Doesn't that just look heartwarming?
Our next video is about brothers and sisters and jealousy. Have you ever been jealous of your sibling? It's normal to feel jealous when others get the attention we seek, but it's important not to act out and lash out in anger. This video deals with a constructive way for you to let out your frustration with no longer being the center of attention.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed this week's Family Fun Video Time. Be sure to come around next week for more wholesome stories of love and friendship. In the meantime, have some great adventures!

This New Julie Doiron Song is Great

This is the first song to be released from Julie Doiron's new solo album I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day. I've been listening to it for a while, and I just can't get enough of it. Doiron is lyrically on point and the harmonies are super catchy and addictive. Also, fuzz bass!
Julie Doiron- Consolation Prize
I Can Wonder What You Did With Yoyr Day comes out March 10th on Jagjaguwar.

Kanye West Louis Vuitton Shoe!

This is a shoe Kanye West designed for Louis Vuitton. West says that it was inspired by the movie Dune. I think it's pretty nice, but I prefer the blue ones.

Everybody's Talkin'

(American Elf)

Smog- You Moved In
Spacemen 3- Walkin' with Jesus

Should I See Benjamin Button?

Have you guys heard of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I think it used to be a TV show or something, man Hollywood doesn't have any original ideas, am I right? Anyway, it just got a metric butt load of Oscar nominations, so I guess that means it's amazing, right? So I should see it right? Then I saw this video and I was convinced that it has to be the Movie of Our Time.

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

New Andrew Kenny

Andrew Kenny, the songwriter behind Austin, Texas's amazing American Analog Set, has a new band called the Wooden Birds. Of course, they sound a lot like AmAnSet. However, gone are the farfisa organs, the vibraphones, extended drones, and space echo guitar. The Wooden Birds are more acoustic and percussive. But it's Andrew Kenny, so feel lucky that you're getting it because the man is gold.
Visit their myspace here.

Sup?

Hey Y'all, been a while, hasn't it? During the holidays I went a little crazy and after my mom coaxed me off the roof, I decided to give the blog a break. The writing just wasn't up to snuff for a blog with the audience of at most two people. Either I have to go big, or I have to go back to posting the same post on the walls of everyone of my facebook friends.
If you're reading this, I want to thank you because instead of doing something constructive with your time, or at least reading Stereogum, you've chosen to read this self indulgent apology, so big ups to you!

That said, almost a month ago I promised to tell you what I thought the album of 2008 was. Now this is not "the best" or "the most successful" or "my favorite". This the album that I feel encapsulates the year that was the best. That said, this is definitely in my top five for the year.
So without further delay, my pick for the album of the year is....

...Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak.
First, I don't care that the whole thing is sung in autotune. People care way too much about autotune anyway. Autotune works amazingly well on the album.
West created one of the most emotionally vulnerable albums of the year full of messy emotions and then put it to the most robotic and unsympathetic music of his career. On top of that, he has obscured his voice with autotune, reverb, and distortion. It's as if West is using autotune to metaphorically fix all the sloppy experiences of the past year simply by fixing his voice. It's as if he wants to become a robot so he can purge himself of his emotions. West uses autotune as a way of numbing the sentiment and distancing himself from the events that inspired the album.
This would all be unimportant if the production wasn't pretty much spotless and the songs for the most part were pretty good. "Streetlights" and "Paranoid" do stand out as the best. "Bad News," "Say You Will," "Coldest Winter," and "Welcome to Heartbreak" can also be considered successful to some degree or another. These songs are all able to evocatively evoke West's depression without ever falling into cliche. However the singles, though catchy, don't really hold as much weight on the album. And on an album that is so singularly West's, the guest verses from Young Jeezy and Lil' Wayne drag down their respective songs. Neither one of them can muster anything that nears the universality of West's. The only song on the album though that could be considered completely unsuccessful is "RoboCop." I don't even want to write about that song. Though it's much better than an earlier leaked version, the strings on the verses and the extended outro are completely unnecessary. This song does incapsilate some of the albums themes-- 80s referencing production and an emotionless "robotic" subject.
With all this said, every time I listen to this song, I'm completely lost in this little world of ice West has built. Past all the bravado, past the materialism, the leering, the "I am voice of this or that," is a sensitive young man who has put together the most emotionally rich album of his career, if not the best.
Released in the midst of an extended national hangover, with so many people feeling pinched economically and apprihesive about the future, 808s and Heartbreak may be one man's story emotional breakdown, but it serves as the soundtrack of a wider national meltdown that effects every one of us.
This is why I have chosen it as the album of the year for 2008.