Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care (2009)

"Dull to Pause" has Modest Mouse's "Float on" vibe to it when the beat really kicks in for microbes to dance while multiplying in the biosphere. Don't get me wrong though 'cause "Dull to Pause" sonically reverberates in another realm altogether.
In comparison to 2006's So This is Goodbye, Begone Dull Care has fuller beats and happier tunes. Convulsive beats of "Hazel" fit the awkward position of Jeremy Greenspan in fathoming a girl's feelings for him.
In "Bits & Pieces", Greenspan sings "I see you better when the lights are out". Either the rods of his retina function very well or it is a metaphor whereby he further understands something or someone as they get more intricate.
There's something very groovy in Begone Dull Care such as the immaculate synth riffs of "Parallel Lines", "Bits & Pieces", "The Animator" and "Hazel". Also, brief appearances of wind instrument in "What it's For" and "Bits & Pieces" would delight listeners.
"The Animator" captures the imagination of any sort of artist while you can sing "Like a Child"'s chorus over "What it's For"'s verse.
JB will soon have some of their Begone Dull Care songs remixed.

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Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)

Listeners would usually expect some sort of change from a new Animal Collective output. In Merriweather Post Pavillion, there are no cathartic Avey Tare screams that you get from "Grass" or "For Reverend Green" and there are minimal wordless hooks which are abundant in "Leaf House", "Did You See the Words", "Fireworks" or "Winter Wonder Land". Avey Tare and Panda Bear still have many hooks. Only this time, they are lyrical.

In the opening track, Avey Tare sings about wishing to be in two places at the same time so that he won't miss his lover when he's gone for weeks (on a tour I guess). Midway through, this song wonderfully explodes into confettis of celebration as if he has solved his dilemma. "Brother Sport" sounds like an advice to decide on your own and not be so narrow-minded. With lyrics in this album such as "Am I really all the things that are outside of me?" and "I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status", Panda Bear tries to debate about over-worldly possessions. "Bluish" suggests that Avey Tare is still struck by cupid's arrow. Its chorus replaces cupid's bow for a harp-like sound. That said, "Bluish", "Brother Sport" and the first two songs are my favourite so far.

MPP is a futuristic Pet Sounds. This will seem like another tiring Beach Boys comparison but Brian Wilson will be honoured to have inspired Avey Tare and Panda Bear. Listen how "Guys Eyes" is denser and more convoluted than "God Only Knows", vocal-wise. In parallel with the album's cover art, AC has produced some 3-dimensional soundscape.

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Some Favourite Songs of 2008

45. Coldplay - Yes!
The only thing to shout about this song is that somewhere midway through, it explodes into shoegaze-land.

44. Monkey - Confessions of a Pig
Sweet rhythm with desperate-like vox

43. She and Him - I Was Made for You
Nice beat to introduce an actress trying to convince her Mr. Right

42. Nachtmystium - Code Negative
Gilmourian solo but still effective in some ways

41. Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love for Planet Earth
The transition from tranquility to psychedelia is so apparent in this song.

40. The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit) - Hide and Seek
African flavour meets electronica platter

39. Weird Tapes - Summer of Worship
The feel good factor boosted this song.

38. Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run to
Zombie-gal-rock with a sprinkle of Beach Boys' pop

37. Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook
Such percussion transforms this song for the better.

36. Dj /Rupture - Homeboys feat. Max Normal_Mega Bo
Let's get high on this number.

35. Plants and Animals - Faerie Dance
A hippie epic of some sort. 'Nuff said.

34. Peter Bjorn and John - Barcelona
Just picture an Olympian accelerating while holding the Games' torch aloft.

33. TV on the Radio - Crying
Super funky groover in its otherwise overrated album

32. Thrice - Broken Lungs
And I thought alternative post-grunge music is dead.
It's merely clinging to a thread.

31. Wolf Parade - Language City
It somehow manages to excite me, with its highlight being a piano-led tempo change.

30. Snowman - Daniel Was a Timebomb
The vocalist sounds like Peter Garrett ranting away in a good fashion.

29. Memory Cassette - Asleep at a Party
Sweet serenade never sounded this mellow.

28. Of Montreal - Id Engager
Now some of us can celebrate promiscuity with elegance.

27. Why? - Song of the Sad Assassin
Abundant tunes and words for this dedication to Billy the Kid and Lee Harvey Oswald

26. Luomo - Love You All (with Sascha Ring)
A song that sounds like Junior Boys collaborating with Enrique Iglesias

25. Deerhunter - These Hands
The product of this simple shoegazing poppy track is worth more than its reactants.

24. Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
Easily a contender for the best final song of a 2008 album

23. Quiet Village - Broken Promises
Makes you wanna be in a vacation mood

22. My Morning Jacket - Thank You
Disaccharide melodies are galore here.

21. Lil Wayne - Dr Carter
Jazzy drumstyle and sleek horns assist Lil Wayne in confidently giving advice to artists especially in the music industry.

20. Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes
It contains one of the best choruses of 2008.

19. Gang Gang Dance - Vacuum
You can get high-octane music through this.

18. Beach House - All the Years
Watch out for its bridge 'cos it is deeply moving.

17. Friend - Secret (Demo)
What a beauty...combining hooks from Air France's "Collapsing at Your Doorstep" with Justice beat and bass.

16. Portishead - The Rip
Good song build-up and chord progression

15. No Age - Things I Did When I Was Dead
This is the song that made me start to like Nouns.

14. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (live at Letterman)
It's syrupy and it's live.

13. Tobacco - Street Trash
One of the finest quickies of this year

12. Last Shadow Puppets - Meeting Place
Can't seem to get enough of its cabaret vibe

11. M83 - Kim and Jessie
Amazing verse...The pterodactyl-like sound is worth noting.

10. Cut Copy - So Haunted
Neat riff to compliment "What's that you see? I see all these satellites orbiting/haunting you and me. Just one of these can change your life."

9. Air France - No Excuses
One good reason for you to dance or be in party mode

8. Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountain
A magical ride of fairy-tale music alongside their Sun Giant EP's "English House"

7. Dodos - Fools
Robust drumbeats with arguably this year's best wordless hook

6. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
It's compositions with crafty structures like this which makes Dan Rossen a songwriting force to be reckoned with.

5. Fucked Up - Black Albino Bones
An alt-core track dealing with life's irony

4. Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
Here is another example emphasizing the significance of electro music.

3. American Music Club - All My Love
A heart-wrenching vocal rendition accompanied by blissful sounds

2. Pattern is Movement - Sea Captain
If you think the intro and verse are the only good points of this song, check out the part before the drum outro.

1. Animal Collective - Water Curses
Behold the audio assault on your eardrums.
The best part is that it has a wide spectrum of sounds and is filled with bubbly pop elements.

Top 15 albums of 2008

15. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

14. Air France - No Way Down (EP)

13. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

12. Lil Wayne - The Carter III

11. No Age - Nouns

10. M83 - Saturdays=Youth

9. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

8. Animal Collective - Water Curses (EP)

7. Why? - Alopecia

6. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park

5. American Music Club - The Golden Age

4. Quiet Village - Silent Movie

3. Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

1. Beach House - Devotion

Songs in the Spirit of Beach Boys

a mini mixtape baby!

R.E.M. - near wild heaven

besnard lakes - disaster

grizzly bear - he hit me

vivian girls - where do you run to

teenage fanclub - cul de sac

panda bear - bros

fleet foxes - he doesn't know why

animal collective - did you see the words

deerhunter - moon witch cartridge

Man Hutan Returns Top 10 Albums of 2008

10 . M83: Saturday = Youth

9. Girl Talk : Feed the Animals

8. Vampire Weekend : Vampire Weekend

7. My Morning Jacket : Evil Urges

6.Department of Eagles : In Ear Park

5.Lil Wayne : Carter III

4.Deer Hunter : Micro Castle

3. PortisHead : Third

2. BeachHouse : Devotion

1. Fleet Foxes : Fleet Foxes

Music Review: American Music Club - The Golden Age (2008)

Places play a big role in most people's lives. It's not surprising that Mark Eitzel's hometown San Francisco is more often than not referred to in American Music Club's music including Golden Age.

"All My Love" is pleasantly gentle in every way. Mark Eitzel sings the words in this song with so much conviction. It has the same musical mood as "Fearless" from their 1994 LP San Francisco.
Golden Age contains some simple but noteworthy drumbeats that are heard in "The Sleeping Beauty", "Windows on the World" and "Decibels and the Little Pills". New drummer Steve Didelot surely made his presence felt here and there.

I find it perplexing that AMC manage to come up with ear-candy tunes such as San Francisco's "I Broke My Promise" and "Johnny Mathis' Feet" from the much darker Mercury. As for Golden Age, its gotta be "Who You Are".

When Mark sings 'Later on I said to Kid/Hey look at me' in "Windows on the World", he sounded more like Knopfler rather than Eitzel. Mark Eitzel quips 'Your magic power is to disappear before you leave me in your will/Is the only blessing that you don't fear the only prayer you know God is sure to fill?' in the engaging horn-accompanied "I Know that's Not Really You".

Every chorus from "On My Way" entails some psychedelic guitar. For me, this album ends with "On My Way". Final track "The Grand Duchess of San Francisco" could easily have been omitted.

AMC has a respectable longevity (entering their third decade in releasing albums) that may very well drown some senile musicians. Golden Age might hint at some wrinkles on their skin but it also signifies that AMC can age gracefully.

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