Songs from 2011 - Part 5 - Doughnut for a Snowman

Could it be that all Robert Pollard needs to make another stellar lp is the name Guided By Voices? The solo work since 2006's From a Compound Eye has been marginal, at best. Boston Spaceships were sorta cool, but I'm still listening to Alien Lanes when push comes to shove.

"Doughnut for a Snowman" is the second mp3 from the new album Let's Go Eat the Factory. The first was "The Unsinkable Fats Domino." Whereas that sounded like a wack solo-Pollard deep cut, "Doughnut" is the best song he's put out since songs from FACE. That record is phenomenal, in case you couldn't tell, and so is "Doughnut." It's not "classic" in most senses; it's a mid-fi, mid-tempo Pollard vehicle that sounds like a solo cut. But it's the flourishes that make GBV records from Pollard songs, and this one's got loads: the bizarre pan flute intro, the subtle orchestration, and the abstract lyrics.

The hammer, of course, is Tobin Sprout. As usual, his backing vocals complete the song. His entrance at the second verse is so welcomed, and before we can tire of "Doughnut," GBV ends it. Now that's classic.

"When everything goes right for her, when everything goes wroooonggg."

My week in media: October

Fake NPR piece for creative writing 101.

There has never been a better time to drink beer in America, and with the economy in shambles, it’s tempting to reach for the cheapest option on the menu, but savvy drinkers turn to craft beers for superior tastes and experiences.

My story begins at 2:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning in October, which is when my friend Marc rouses me from sleep. We drowsily get in the car, merge onto the highway, and embark on a three-hour car ride to Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1997, Founders brews some of America’s finest craft beers including Cerise Cherry-Fermented Ale and Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale. As we careen toward The Great Lakes State, only one thing comes to mind: Canadian Breakfast Stout, or CBS, for short.

CBS has a legendary reputation in craft beer circles. It is a double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout aged in bourbon and maple syrup barrels. It pours dark as oil, caresses the palate like fine wine, and commands a rabid following. When we arrive at the brewery at 7:30 A.M., a line of 300 has already formed. We take our spot at the end and wait.

The local temperature hovers at fifty degrees. The sun refuses to peak. Antsy connoisseurs jog in place to stay warm, and the smart ones drink beer. Marc and I have forgotten our stash, and so we endure the wait soberly.

At 11 A.M., after three-plus hours of waiting, of paying our dues, the line moves. It takes another hour to get to the front. There, we buy two bottles apiece at eighteen dollars a bottle. Each bottle holds 750 mL of beer, and since there are fewer than 2000 bottles total, the investment is wise. We now own one of the rarest beers in America.

In the tap room where glasses clink, Marc and I get our first taste of CBS, and it is impeccable. It goes down smooth and wows me with each sip. It is dessert. It is liqueur. No, it is beer, and it is one of the finer beers I have tried, and likely will try.

When we return home, bottles have already hit eBay. They will fetch upwards of one-hundred dollars. I list one of my bottles, and it sells for eighty-two, a return of sixty-four dollars and enough money to cover that weekend’s expenses. Leave it to Americans to buy extra beer to flip on the internet for 500% profit.

The American craft beer scene is having a moment right now. Lifelong beer drinkers have new options at the local tavern. When I drink a Miller or Bud, I mourn the people who won’t get to or don’t care to sample something better. But then I smile because artisans like the brewmasters at Founders stand up to corporate brewers and show them we can do it better. They embody the American entrepreneurial spirit. Cheers to them.

Songs from 2011 - Part 4 - Jamie Marie

If tonight's sold-out show at Lincoln Hall is any indication, the hype surrounding San Francisco's Girls is outta control. I watched a 20 minute interview they did with John Norris, fer Chrissake. On the other hand, they deserve the hype because the record is terrific. It's the best to come out this year, and I am obsessed with it.

Here's the cut that the hypebeasts keep missing. It's "Jamie Marie," and it closes Father, Son, Holy Ghost. I guess it's easy to ignore a song when the full band doesn't participate, but check out these lyrics. Goddamnit, those are some poignant break-up lyrics. Almost wanna break up to wallow in them all the way. Crystal-clear electric guitar playing from my savior Chris Owens, followed by the thrilling full-band organ-solo drop-in take this shit into the next stratosphere, and also to the top of my carefully monitored top 25 on iTunes and last.fm. In case there was any doubt about whether or not I really like the music I post.

The Friend Zone - Double Standards We Like

Here's the latest offering from my band, The Friend Zone. This 4-song EP spent a long time in development, and I'm glad it's finally here to pass around. Sonically, I prefer it to our first EP---louder music and vocals that echo way back in the mix. Songwriting-wise, you'll hear the influence/worship/plagiarism of Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Lemonheads, and The Strokes. The usual suspects (GBV, The Beach Boys, Jay Reatard) also appear.

Please follow the official tumblr. You'll notice that the presentation of the EP looks different there, as I assume only my friends will care about the nitty-gritty in this post. Jah bless.

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Songs from 2011 - Part 3 - Believer

A friend recommended John Maus's Heaven is Real to me years ago on the strength of the song "Do Your Best." I loved that record then, but it took Maus four years to follow it up and I forgot about him.

"Believer" is Maus's best song yet. Like "Do Your Best," "Believer" relies on bass drum on the 2s and 4s and a plodding bass line keep the pulsing, antiquated synths in check, and when he sings they call me the believer! I must take his word for it. "Believer" is a song from another time and place---maybe space, maybe the future, or maybe the past. It's just about the finest thing I've heard this year. I'm especially fond of the bridge and final choruses. You'll see this one on year-end lists, believe me.

Songs from 2011 - Part 2 - Out of the Eye

In 2009, Woods damaged the flow of their new LP Songs of Shame by slotting "September With Pete" fourth. Normally I approve of risky decisions like this, but the song is bad. And long. I skip it, and you probably do too. Check the play count on iTunes.
And it's a shame because Woods can create memorable experimental sounds. When they performed at Pitchfork Fest 2011, their jams weren't the best part, but they weren't bad either, not like "September" is.

The new album Sun and Shade is good. "Pushing Onlys" and "Who Do I Think I Am?" probably should be my songs of 2011, but here's "Out of the Eye," in which Woods uses their homemade sonics to write a Neu! song. Motorik drumming, psych guitar, and that distant echo-y noise thing that only Woods' weirdo with the headset can make. It's like we're back in '77. Not as thrilling as "Negativland" but what is? Sun and Shade has one other long song, and while not as memorable, it also doesn't point so obviously to one genre or musical movement like "Out of the Eye". This might appeal to you, oh dear listener. Woods in 2k11: writing the complete LP.

Songs from 2011 - Part 1 - If You Leave...

Last year, I started talking about my favorite songs in September, but mostly in December when everyone else was talking about them. I denied my readers access to great music because of it, and I apologize---oh my god---I'm sorry. You could have been downloading instead of carrying on with your lives.

Anyway, it's useful to talk about these things now, so here goes.

The Men nearly de-mapped you last year with songs like "Lazarus" from their lp Immaculada. This year, they're back with Leave Home, a ripper on Sacred Bones (check out their offerings). As with "Lazarus," "If You Leave..." opens with noise/ feedback/ fuzz/ a preview of the noisy music to come, and then launches into a delayed, reverb-y shoegaze jam. The rest of the record is mean.

I only mention it because they're playing in Chicago next Friday. How come Googling "The Men Show Chicago" didn't turn up what I wanted? (Got weirder when I included "hardcore").