21st century soap-boxing

“I assure you that, with the help of God, I will attack you mightily. I will make war against you everywhere and in every way … I will take your wives and children, and I will make them slaves … I will take their property. I will do all the harm and damage to you that I can … I declare that the deaths and injuries that occur as a result of this would be your fault and not His Majesty’s, nor ours.”

-Requerimiento

Edict that was required to be read by Spanish conquistadors prior to the looting and pillaging of Aztec cities. Say what you will about the barbarism of such actions, you still have to admire just how honest and open they were. Far better than devastating a country under the guise of “creating democracy” or “liberating from tyranny.” The fellows at the American Enterprise Institute would do well to learn from history’s monsters. But then if the past five years have taught us anything, it is that the elites are incapable of even admitting to their misdeeds, let alone learning from them.

The following was written after a bottle of wine for my Writing 101 class (I am more than insulted that Pima does not offer a way of bypassing this 101 class). Insipid and boring? Yes. Definitely not the best piece of writing I have offered, but it gets the job done:

Now is a very interesting time to follow politics. Following on the heels of what has been inarguably the worst presidency in the 200 plus years of these United States, voters are anxious for a change and have been flocking to the polls in record numbers. Arizona set a record for Democratic voter turnout in its February 5 primary (“Report”), galvanized in part by the opportunity to participate in the historic event of nominating America’s first non-white male for President.

Barack Obama, the son of a white Kansan mother and a Muslim Kenyan farmer, and Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, have drawn voters to them in ways not seen since the heyday of the Kennedy dynasty and have kindled an interest in politics to voters who had perhaps given up hope on the system as hopelessly rigged to exclude their type of candidate. Obama offers voters the message of change, of being outside the typical run-of-the-mill Washington bureaucracy and better able to advance the causes of the average American rather than just the lobbyist elite yet still able to reach across the aisle to accomplish the compromises necessary to actually enact legislation. Clinton has been playing up her experience noting that she will be ready to lead from her first day in office and that “it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and it will take another Clinton for this one” (Fowler).

Both campaigns’ message has succeeded in wooing voters as Clinton and Obama have been locked in a statistical dead-heat in what has come to be the longest primary season in memory. With both candidates offering a clear change from the agonies of the Bush years, voters have to take a closer look at the two Democrats to see what the actual differences between them are.

As far as that perennial election year issue, healthcare, the two Dems have offered competing plans for extending coverage to the millions of Americans whose employers do not offer health insurance or who can not afford it. While both candidates require that all children are covered, it is only Clinton who extends this mandate to all adults. That is the sole difference between the two proposals. “The Obama proposal is optional under the theory that virtually all Americans want health insurance- and the obstacle is cost” writes Salon.com political reporter Walter Shapiro. “Clinton does a bit better with her pledge to offer a refundable tax credit to ‘prevent [health insurance] premiums from exceeding a percentage of family income” (Shapiro).

When looking at the foreign policy world, which most voters are chronically uninterested about, it seems that on face Clinton and Obama are remarkably similar. Yet looking at their Senate voting record it begins to appear that Clinton is the far more hawkish of the two. She voted in favor of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and has never admitted that she was wrong to do so. Obama, while still serving in the Illinois state senate at the time, was very vocally opposed to the invasion and has continued to be so since being elected to the US Senate. In a measure that many viewed as a step toward expanding the Iraq War to encompass its neighbor Iran, Clinton voted to designate the Iranian Republican Guard, the army of Iran, as a terrorist organization. “Clinton’s posture signals to much of the world that although she is smarter, more likable and far less threatening than Bush, U.S. foreign policy under her would continue to be one of arrogance and dominance” (Majd).

On the other hand, Obama has cast himself as the more conciliatory of the two. His record speaks strongly for him. He has been outspoken from the beginning on the Iraq War and has spoken about opening top-level negotiations with various “rogue” governments such as Iran and Syria claiming that it only benefits these antagonistic governments when the US refuses to speak with their leaders. It helps fuel an “us versus them” mentality that strengthens the ruling demagogues at the expense of democratic reformers within the country. It also stands to reason that, even though Obama is an outspoken Christian, he can use his Muslim background to the US’ advantage. Hooman Majd writes that “the basic perception, right or wrong, of him as someone with sympathies for oppressed people, and for Muslims in particular, will give him a tremendous negotiating advantage, whether with Palestinians, other Arabs or Iranians, for that matter, who largely view themselves as oppressed. There is a natural empathy in the Muslim world for anyone who carries a sacred Muslim name” such as Obama’s middle name, Hussein.

But, in truth, there is much that is still unknown about Obama. He does not have the years of experience that Clinton carries to the table, though the instances when he has gone on record speak well of his progressive background. Obama is a charismatic firebrand who has risen from obscurity to almost reach the supreme post of American politics. His oratorical abilities have motivated thousands to join an electoral process that many view as futile.

Yet it is far too soon to cast Hillary Clinton out of the race. For better or worse, she has faced the challenges inherent in the presidency and knows what she is up against. While her critics may compare her to the over-studious girl in high school who always knew the answer and was always prepared, this is not necessarily a negative. It is certainly better than having a president who is afraid of reading a book and who goes to bed at eight o’clock every night. As a nation we desperately need a President who will feverishly work through the night on whichever crisis has cropped up. Whoever is inaugurated in January of next year takes control of a nation that has been broken by two different wars and eight years of unchecked greed. Four years will not be long enough to fix the devastation wrought by the Bush presidency and whoever is elected must hit the ground running. Clinton’s hope is that voters recognize this fact and turn to her for the help that our country so desperately needs.

“Report: About half of presidential primary states have broken voter turnout records.” AZcentral.com. 7 Feb. 2008 .

Fowler, Mayhill. “Texas Dems’ Desire For Party Unity Shapes Clinton’s Strategy.” The Huffington Post. 22 Feb. 2008 .

Majd, Hooman. “A New Face for American diplomacy.” Salon.com. 21 Feb. 2008 .

Shapiro, Walter “The Quest for Universal Healthcare.” Salon.com. 21 Feb, 2008 .

Regular readers here at Soap-Boxing are well aware by now that I follow the wheelings and dealings of world politics as obsessively as Howard Hughes collected urine in jars. As such some of you may be surprised that I have yet to issue any diatribes about the state of the Presidential race. While I’ve certainly kept up with the horse race with increasing interest, ever since the only viable candidate who was at least close to my views on policies dropped out (sorry John Edwards it just wasn’t meant to be) I just don’t feel all that inspired to toss my $0.02 into the ether.

Sure, I still went out on Super Tuesday and filled in my bubble for Obama, not because I think his policies are in any way different from Clinton’s but because I think he has a better chance in a head-to-head fight against McCain. It was interesting, the first time I had actually gone to a polling place since my first primary in Idaho (If you ever want to be very lonely, try voting in a Democratic primary in North Idaho) and I have a lot clearer idea why more people my age don’t vote. It is a pain in the ass overly-bureaucratic exercise in futility that ranks up there with dealing with the DMV in terms of arduousness.

Apparently Arizona has a new voter ID law on the books in order to cut down on “voter fraud”, a ghastly specter trotted out every election cycle by Republicans as a means to clear voter rolls and disenfranchise minorities just as they use the bogey-man of gay marriage to fire up their own base and get them to the polls. The trouble with picture ID laws is that it makes it impossible for some people to vote. As strange as it may seem, there are still people out there who don’t have ID but who are nonetheless perfectly entitled to vote. The homeless have a hard enough time staying active in politics without piling on a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit to keep them away from polling places. Not to mention the senior citizens who don’t drive and don’t have valid IDs anymore. I personally saw three seniors turned away from the polls because they had their voter registration cards but no ID. I was nearly turned away because my driver’s license didn’t have my most recent address on it- it had my old apartment number (same street address as the current place). It was an extremely frustrating experience and I remembered why I always vote absentee. Well that and it’s a lot easier to remember to vote. Every state should emulate Oregon’s absentee ballot system. No wonder they constantly have some of the highest voter turnout in the country.

So we have the incessant headaches of the actual voting process. Then we have the two remaining Democratic candidates who are more interested in discussing the exigencies of their various minority status than in advancing the agendas of anything remotely liberal. I simply don’t understand the fixation on Obama’s race and Clinton’s femininity. Maybe I’m missing something in all of this but it seems that if we really want move toward a truly equal society then it seems to me to be counter-productive to constantly box these candidates into their respective minority identities rather than to have them stand on the merits of their record and policies. We shouldn’t be subjected to constant polls alluding to the fact that Obama is getting a lot of support from the black community and that Clinton’s largest voting block are white women. Personally, I care more about who is going to offer an exit strategy from Iraq, a sane and viable health care plan that doesn’t twist itself into uninvented yoga poses trying to suck off the pharmaceutical industry, and a plan for restructuring the economy into a more sustainable green entity in order to meet the threat of global warming (side note: there’s an absolutely fantastic article in this month’s National Geographic about the impending water shortages in the West that should be required reading for everyone).

Hopefully that helps explain this strong sense of ennui that has gripped me and left this blog rather empty of my standard diatribes of late. All of this focus on a Presidential race that isn’t for another six months, but nary a mention in the press of the Senate’s complete capitulation to Bush’s demands for telecomm amnesty and the legalization of warrantless wiretaps. Have we learned nothing at all from perusing the records of Hoover’s old COINTELPRO? Who in their right minds would ever trust even a benevolent government with that much power, let alone the schizophrenic, authoritarian loving tyrants currently presiding over everything? A blank check for abuse like the one that the Senate just gave to Bush is something the likes of which Stalin and Mussolini would have had wet dreams over. Glenn Greenwald, as always, has the best analysis of this complete capitulation and a look at how far we’ve fallen since the days of the Church commission.

I know, I know, I know. I promised that I would write more often. Geez, you nag worse than the cliched image of an Eastern European grandmother. It’s not like I’ve intentionally been ignoring you. Life just has this way of picking you up in its currents and tossing you about. Today, January 29, is literally the first chance that I’ve had to step back from it all and take a breath.

I’m not kidding. Life has been a whirlwind that spun down on us starting December 1st with the frantic relocation to new digs (featuring expanded floor space, oh joy!) to better accommodate my new working-from-home lifestyle and the previous apartment just didn’t offer enough track space for the puppy to run around in. Yet not a week after trudging back and forth across the apartment complex carrying loads of books and sofas like some desert-dwelling Sherpa we were treated to the exceedingly rare event of a mainland visit from those perennial islanders, my mom and little brother. So while not crouched over my desk making sales calls we were out and about showing the lovely sights of Tucson and the Sonoran Desert. This also included a day trip down to Nogales, ostensibly so my brother could practice the Spanish that he’s been learning. Though how much Spanish you can really learn while living on an island where the majority of the population speaks Chamorro, English, or Tagalog and attending web-based classes is up for debate. Regardless, it was a fun day trip where I was treated to the unceasing joy of traveling with my family (there are few people I would more rather travel with) and I snapped a couple of decent pics with my new cell phone.

Following that delightful visit, the K@ and I loaded ourselves into the car and endured the 14 hour drive through California to visit her parents for Festivus (for the rest of us). Much joy was had by all, especially Marley, who was completely overwhelmed by that crazy little thing called grass and got to enjoy some time with our friends Matt and Michelle’s puppy, Bou. Yet all good things must come to an end and we endured another 14 hours back to Tucson and a temporary return to normalcy. Very temporary.

Four days later I found myself on a plane to Philadelphia (because EVERYONE wants to leave the abysmal Arizona winter for the joys of a Nor-Easter) to exhibit for my company at the American Library Association’s Mid-Winter meeting. Happily, it was not as trying as I was expecting it to be. We were across the street from the Reading Terminal Market which features a goodly amount of shops run by Amish and food of damn near every variety. Now, I rip on religious fundamentalists of all stripes, but I have got to say this: the Amish make the best damn pastries I have tasted. I saw god in my apple turnover. Then I ate it. On the return trip we were nearly stranded by what Chicago natives have told me is rather tame for their fair city. This does not look tame. This looks painful:

Fortunately we avoided any unnecessary delays and we sped back to far warmer climes- though not for long. Not two days after I finished unpacking my dirty clothes did my bag find itself repacked and the K@ and I winging our way North toward my former home-away-from home, Seattle. The great wet North hearkens and you listen. Plus, it was my birthday and who am I to turn down the chance to live it up in a different city? We arrived in Tacoma and spent the night with K@’s uncle who showed us around downtown Tacoma and a very decent pizza parlor/brewery. The next day we hit up the Pike’s Place Market and wandered around downtown Seattle (eating some awesome clam chowder) before meeting up with Tribal dude-about-town, Drew. We had some beers at the Elysian Brewery on Capitol Hill- nice and smoky Porter, good rich Stout, and a godlike IPA that more should have the chance to drink- before meeting up with some of K@’s brother’s friends, who are stellar individuals with impeccable musical taste. Grabbed a slice of pizza and then mosied down to Neumos for some more drinks and to see a band that had been recommended by Seattle’s alt-weekly, The Stranger, as being “delightfully irreverant.” They may or may not have been so, we didn’t stick around to find out as the spazzed-out rave atmosphere and length between opening act’s sets was interminable. I have never been so needlessly bombarded by a strobe light before.

The next day we went down to the Space Needle to scope out the Experience Music Project, housed in a stunningly beautiful Frank Gehry construction that, from above, looks like two mangled and destroyed guitars. The musical exhibits were interesting, I particularly enjoyed the retrospective of local Seattle music and wish it had been longer, but by far the awesome award had to go to the Science Fiction Museum housed in the same building. Covering damn near every facet of sci-fi history worth mentioning, from The Jetsons to Blade Runner and beyond, we walked out its doors barely realizing that we had spent nearly three hours among the exhibits. In all, the weekend was great and we had a blast hanging out with Drew and his friends. We returned to Tucson (after a plane snafu courtesy of Delta which left us stranded in LA overnight) Tuesday, though after the great time we had over the weekend we are now feverishly plotting a return to the NorthWest for a far longer duration- like permanent.

And now, your obligatory Space Needle pic:

While this week has been a non-stop whirlwind of rushing and waiting- what with the visiting friends, waiting for people to show up so we can eat, and general xmas fretting and franticness- I have also had ample time (but not ample bananas) to listen through all of the below albums one more time before setting them to the page and submitting them to the ether. Changes were made, albums were dropped, surprise additions were made- it was an epic battle for aural supremacy as adjudicated by a rigorous tribunal of musical minds. Granted all members of the tribunal were me, myself, and I- but I feel they were as fair and impartial as they could be. Many apologies to Menomena and Thurston Moore, there just wasn’t room for your awesomeness. Justice and the Klaxons? Yours are two of the most listened to albums of the year for me and have found your offerings as great late night dance party soundtrack. But as I said before there can be only 10- because I’m an arbitrary ass like that. Without further ado I present to you Lolo’s 10 favorite albums of 2007:

10. Deerhoof- Friend Opportunity
Until this album I have never been able to get into Deerhoof. I knew that they were tapping a vein of music that has been overlooked by the majority of their peers and formulating a truly unique sound, but there was just something about them that I couldn’t get into. Maybe it was the incongruity of Satomi Matsuzaki’s oddly playful vocals over the frantic and driving drums and guitar. Maybe it was the descents into the realm of free jazz that threw me off. But with Friend Opportunity this San Francisco trio won my regard. Anyone who can have one of the most rocking songs of the year, +81, while at the same time adding in a chorus that consists of “do-do-do-do beep-beep” is impressive just for their chutzpah. If you listened to this album once before putting it on the shelf and moving on, then I highly recommend pulling it down once more and letting the greatness wash over you. Recommended Tracks: The Perfect Me, +81, Believe E.S.P., Kidz Are So Small.

9. Apostle of Hustle- National Anthem of Nowhere
I’ve said it before, and I will likely say it many times again: I love Arts & Crafts. This Canadian label begun by members of Broken Social Scene consistently releases some of the best rock to grace these speakers. Yet I had never heard of Apostle of Hustle until one fateful night back in February when the K@ and I found ourselves all set to listen to Andrew Bird’s whimsical whistling and instead found ourselves so blown away by openers Apostle of Hustle that the rest of the show just fell flat. Formed by BSS lead guitarist Andrew Whiteman as an outlet for the Spanish flavors that he picked up while staying in Cuba, Apostle of Hustle could easily be written off with the almost derisive label “side project”. Make no mistake, this would be a travesty. With rousing drum beats and catchy melodies that sometimes remind me of Belle and Sebastian, National Anthem of Nowhere almost has me hoping that BSS don’t come back from hiatus just so I can hear more of these fellows.

8. Jens Lekman- Night Falls Over Kortedala
This album sat on my computer for nearly three months before I heard even one track off of it. This is very likely due to the fact that I loathed Lekman’s 2005 release Oh You’re So Silent Jens to an enormous degree. Yet one day I had the old iPod on Shuffle and the song “I am Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You” came on. Indie Pop so sweet and glistening you’d think that Krispy Kreme’s hot donut light was on but with some of the most biting and acerbic lyrics I have ever heard. I was hooked. Every track on this album is as good as that first. Narratives about posing as a lesbian’s boyfriend so as to not upset her father, why shy people are incredibly boring, or having an asthma attack while breaking up with someone- these are the things that great pop music should be made of. Recommended Tracks: A Postcard To Nina, I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You, If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This), Shirin.

7. Most Serene Republic- Population
Yet another offering from those label gods Arts & Crafts. This sophomore album from these Canadian rockers was often overlooked amid the torrential amount of great releases near year’s end but definitely bears deep listening. Building on the solid foundation of their first record, Underwater Cinematographer, with a bit more experience with which to craft their grand songscapes, The Most Serene Republic have released my favorite prog album of the year with sound layered atop sound into some grand mountain range of rock. Recommended Tracks: Humble Peasants, The Men Who Live Upstairs, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Solipsism Millionaires.

6. Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam
There is very little doubt in my mind that Animal Collective are one of the most vital acts in music today. Constantly pressing on that ever-finer line of what is music and what is simply cacophony, this quartet continues to improve upon their previous records. Strawberry Jam did not appeal to me on first listen as 2005’s Feels did- many of the songs lacked the pop simpleness that cracked Feels wide open for me. Yet the more the songs played, the more their mysteries were revealed, the more full the sound, and the wiser the musicians seemed. From the animal yowling of “For Reverend Green” to the airy and light instrumentation of “Fireworks” there is not a single song on the album that is more than tenuously related to another (or even their older work). Recommended Tracks: Peacebone, For Reverend Green, #1, Cuckoo Cuckoo

5. Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
There’s no way around it, 2007 was the year of the Underdog. Thank goodness Spoon was around to provide them with such a fitting soundtrack. With short whiplike songs that came on almost as fast as the album’s title (meant to be said like a machine gun sound), Austin’s favorite little rock group that could exploded from my, yours, and everyone else’s speakers all summer long. Not content to rely solely on the strength of excellent single “The Underdog” though, the boys also lined up another nine gems that make this one of the most fun albums of the year. From their surprisingly good take on a Clash-style reggae song, “Eddie’s Ragga” to more traditional Spoon tracks such as “Japanese Cigarette Case” the 35 minutes of tracks just fly by and leave you screaming for more. But don’t despair, there’s also a bonus disc. Recommended Tracks: Don’t Make Me A Target, You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb, The Underdog, Japanese Cigarette Case.

4. Battles- Mirrored
This album damn near overwhelms the casual listener. With big driving beats that pick up in the first track and don’t stop until 50 minutes later and the warped vocals of Tyondai Braxton that build incessantly as the album progresses, Mirrored can be a lot to process all at once. Not that I’d recommend a piecemeal listening either. Rather a proper approach would be strapping yourself in and just enjoying the whirlwind. The best way I’ve listened to it so far is at 3 A.M. yesterday morning while driving back from NorCal to Tucson. You feel as amped as Neil Cassady flying across the country at reckless (though also wreckless, luckily) speeds, but without being all hopped up on Benzedrine. This music is demented, twisted, incessant and damn near primal. It burrows like some carnivorous worm deep into your ear and lays its eggs and you can not help but love it. Recommended Tracks: Atlas, Ddiamondd, Leyendecker, TIJ.

3. The National- Boxer
I don’t know how, but somehow I missed The National when they released one of the best albums of 2005, Alligator. Thankfully I was not so obtuse this year and was finally exposed to them. It has been well-noted that I am not a big fan of lyrics. Few are the songs that grip me with their lyrical prowess and poetry. Yet the way the music plays on Boxer force you to actively listen to singer Matt Berninger’s lyrics and detect all of his angst about American identity (”We’re half awake in a fake empire”) and hipster yuppies (”Underline everything, I’m a professional in my beloved white shirt”)- or maybe it’s all the times he tends to repeat them. This is not to say the music is at all negligible. The last 30 seconds of “Fake Empire” turns into a rousing horn/drum-off and the drums on “Squalor Victoria” seem to propel the listener through the song and on into “Green Gloves”. Recommended Tracks: Fake Empire, Squalor Victoria, Start A War, Ada

2. Of Montreal- Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
This album leaked even before the end of 2006 and has since steadily appeared on every playlist I have made. Perhaps the two fantastic performances that the K@ and I managed to catch had something to do with it. Perhaps we were just feeling the sound of Kevin Barnes’ complete nervous breakdown and reconstruction as offered up by his Georgie Fruit alter ego in one of the best homages to David Bowie ever. Or maybe it’s the simple truth that this is one of the most danceable and complex pop albums in years. I tend to think it’s an amalgamation of all of the above. Regardless, from the synth-poppy plea for chemical equilibrium on “Heimdelsgate Like A Promethean Curse” to the twisted harmonics and funky beat of Barnes’ hermit-like pondering of god and religions on “Gronlandic Edit”, Hissing Fauna… is like a candy-coated punch in the face- both brutal and tempting. Judging by the new tracks that Of Montreal played when they came through Tucson in November, 2008 will likely offer another even more succulent offering for us to drool over. Recommended Tracks: Gronlandic Edit, Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider, Faberge Falls For Shuggie, She’s A Rejector.

1. M.I.A.- Kala
I really don’t know what to say about this record that hasn’t been said more often by many more talented scribes than I. Moving on from her partnership with Diplo, who produced much of 2005’s stellar Arular, and unable to reach US shores due to unending visa problems, M.I.A. tapped a little known DJ by the name of Switch to co-produce her new record and set off around the world to visit the various slums and ghettos that normally lie far from the beaten path of any tourist or camera crew. Along the way she also found time to make the best album of the year, if not the new millennium. Near the end of New Order/Pixies-riffing standout “World Town”, M.I.A. claims to “put people on the map that ain’t never seen a map” and a listen to the album is easy to see why with guest spots from a charming group of Australian Aborigine kids, The Wilcannia Mob, and Afrikan Boy. With the video for the first single, “Bird Flu”, shot in Trenchtown, I can only salivate at the thought of what her passport looks like now. The album itself is a mixing pot of world beats and rock samples such as the aforementioned “World Town” or “Paper Planes”, which samples the Clash’s “Straight to Hell” and tosses in the most fantastic chorus of children’s voices and gunshots. In spite of all the negative publicity (or maybe because of) she’s dealt with in light of her personal politics and her father’s role in the Tamil Tigers, Maya Arulpragasam released an album that draws together all the alien and unheard voices of the globe into a fantastic collage of sound that overcomes even the worst hater’s preconceived notions. Recommended Tracks: Hussel, 20 Dollar, World Town, XR2, Paper Planes

Alternate Post Title: The albums that are required to be on a list but aren’t because there’s just too much good music this year and I don’t want this to too closely resemble the ballot for the Plug Awards.

I knew that 2007 was going to be a great year for my ears the moment I heard that Radiohead was toiling away in the studio and the new Shins album leaked. Yet I never had any idea that it was going to be this good. The only way this year could have gotten any better would be for a new TV on the Radio album to come out on Christmas Day. It’s just been that amazing.

These five albums were going to be good from the moment their existence was first whispered about on the nether reaches of the web. The truth is, these acts are such favorites of mine that you could record them practicing synchronized farting and I would likely crow over their fantastic achievements. As such, they have been removed from consideration. Finalized Top 10 will be up before New Years- internet access depending.

5. The Shins- Wincing The Night Away

4. Modest Mouse- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

3. Radiohead- In Rainbows

2. New Pornographers- Challengers

1. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

There is just no getting around it: 2007 was a banner year for music. Like some sort of primeval torrent it just never stopped bombarding my ears. It was just impossible to walk down the street without being assaulted out of the blue by some sort of sonic mugger demanding your attention and wallet. There was just so much good music that I feel that it’s just too damned hard for me to limit to only the top 10 of the past 365 days. How do you cull the best from nearly a hundred fantastic aural offerings, all good in their own way? Do I go for the gimme albums? Those offerings from well established modern Mozarts who continue to crank out hit after hit? Or do I instead use this platform, as limited as its reach is, to promote those lesser known artists who made significant breakthroughs this year?

Those personally acquainted with me know that I am loathe to make a decision when it comes down to the exclusion of others. So instead I’ve broken with last year’s formula and broken down the list thusly: my top “Gimme Albums” of the year (i.e. those recordings that everyone has known were going to be good since word of their existence first crept forth from the primordial ooze), my top 10 albums of the year (once the “Gimme Albums” were removed from consideration), and, the subject of this entry: my 5 favorite EP’s of the year.

Now EP may seem like an anachronistic phrase in this era of digital downloads nearly twenty years after the death of vinyl as a popular listening format and the relegation of 7″ to the dustbins of vintage stores. Music that has been left in the scrap heap of history, remembered only by vinyl hounds and crate diggers. While all that may well be true, the term has lived on into the cyber-age and now connotes recordings that are longer than a single (i.e. more than 2-3 tracks) but are not quite as long as a full-length player. These shorter recordings are the purview of newly formed bands struggling to make a name for themselves (such as the Cold War Kids and Voxtrot managed to do) and the scrapheap that established groups toss either their more experimental cuts or those that weren’t quite deemed album-worthy (a la Sonic Youth’s SYR series).

This year there were varieties of both to choose from, from the Hold Steady’s acoustic ramblings recorded to benefit independent record stores to Emily Haines’ languid piano ballads that succeed on a level far higher than anything Metric has ever done. Yet there were only 5 that could be chosen (because I am an arbitrary ass like that) and those five are as follows:

5. The Cool Kids- Totally Flossed Out

This was not a year for the hip-hop lover in me, for some reason the beats fell flat and the lyrics all struck me as uninspired. Yet when I came across the above EP, I was floored. These kids from Chicago put together a nine track recording with simple bass-heavy beats that take things back to the “golden age” of hip-hop, the late 80s, before DJ Shadow felt the need to tell us why hip-hop sucked in ‘96. Consciously striving to evoke the sound and thrill of those days gone by, as evinced by the cut “88″, The Cool Kids succeed beyond all expectations. With fun lyrics about tagging rooftops and and riding their BMX bikes, these two have crafted one of the most fun albums of the year with only 5 simple songs that serve as a sure sign that Chicago’s musical potential has yet to be tapped.

4. Flight of the Conchords- The Distant Future

This has been a fantastic year for these two lads from New Zealand. First, they had their wildly hilarious eponymous HBO series and then they get signed to Sub Pop, easily one of my favorite labels, and release this hilarious EP. While the opening track, “Business Time”, is familiar to anyone who has had their original HBO 30 minute comedy special favorited on YouTube for the past two years, it still manages to crack me up at every turn. More exciting are the new tracks culled from the new series including “If You’re Into It”, a live extended version of “Robots”, tragicomic ballad “I’m Not Crying”, and a live recording of a serious contender for best song of the year “Most Beautiful Girl in the Room”. With lyrics such as “Looking at the room, I can tell that you/Are the most beautiful girl in the…room/(In the whole wide room)/And when you’re on the street, depending on the street/I bet you are definitely in the top 3/Good lookin girls on the street/(Depending on the streets)” its genius is rather obvious, but should you have any doubt as to the excellence of the song, just click the above link and watch the video. While it’s not my ideal Flight of the Conchords album (that would have to feature such gems as “Sello Tape”, “Jenny”, “Inner City Pressure”, “Foux Da Fa Fa”, and “Ladies of the World”) perhaps they’re saving the best of Season 1 for a full length, which I would pick up in a heartbeat. Regardless, these are a great holdover while waiting for either Season 2 of the smartest series on television, or the aforementioned full length player.

3. The Black Kids- Wizard of Ahhhs

I don’t know about everyone else, but when I think about bastions of fantastic Indie Rock goodness, Florida is not the first place I think of. If anything I think of retirees and Miami Bass, but definitely not rock of any sort. Yet barely six months after self-releasing their own EP, this quintet is poised to break big based on the strength of the four simple songs featured here. Simple indie rock tunes that sound as though they “were handed the indie rock rulebook and they memorized it page for page,” as Anna Apocalypse so aptly put it. But more than just repeating oft-used tropes and borrowing from their betters, these kids have the benefit of actually writing smart lyrics imbued with a youthful vigor missing from a lot of modern music. Almost retro-sounding pop riffs with always enjoyable backing “Ooooos” frame lyrics about heartache and dancing- sometimes in the same song as in the case of “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”- that make any listener want to bop around their apartment or out into the street. While they’ve generated enough buzz to show up on Rolling Stone’s radar, which can be either a blessing or the kiss of death for a band, we’re all going to be sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for a long player from these kids.

2. Los Campesinos- Sticking Fingers Into Sockets

There’s something about the Welsh. While they may be lightly mocked for their sheep-loving ways in the wink-wink-nudge-nudge way that those in the US like to mock the state of Montana (sorry Alex, you know I don’t have it in me to resist a good sheep-shagging dig), they also have a long-standing reputation of churning out some of the best indie pop outside of Scandinavia. This reputation is even further solidified by these new darlings of Twee, Los Campesinos. Sticking Fingers Into Sockets takes a wry look at those themes which so overwhelmed us in middle school- dancing, parties, and heartbreak- such as with “You! Me! Dancing!” which has the best chorus of the year when the septet sings “If there’s one thing I could never confess, it’s that I could never dance a single step” while also featuring a very danceable guitar and drum line. They also move beyond the very well tread road that most pop music of this sort embodies with the winking addition of a little mass murder like that in opener “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives.” With music this fun and sugary, Los Campesinos have a good chance of getting indie kids to maybe do a bit more than the occasional off-rhythm head nod or pogoing. People should dance, no matter how ridiculous they look, and with Los Campesinos’ full length coming out in February of next year, perhaps the kids will finally start again. Note: I must also give major kudos to this group for their other EP, International Tweexcore Underground, if only for the opening track’s the hilarious line “…and I never cared about Henry Rollins”, and whose greatness is compounded when they go on to cover Black Flag’s “Police Story”.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Is Is

For being an EP of remainders and album rejects, “Is Is” turned out to be the sophomore album that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs should have made. Where “Show Your Bones” felt kind of brittle and flat, “Is Is” has all the scuzzy guitar and sheer primal sexuality that we have come to expect (read: salivate over) from Karen O. Yowling careening vocals topped off by an echoing “Hey” make up the opening track “Rockers To Swallow” which lets you know that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back to the sound that elevated them to superstar status. “Down Boy” slows things down somewhat, while Karen O cooing sweet nothings to your ear before segueing into “Kiss Kiss” which highlights guitarist Nick Zinner in one of the most driving songs on the record. This is all just icing on the cake that are the album closers, title track “Is Is” and finale “10x10″ which are all brass hard-edged sound. Had I not separated out the EPs from the full-lengths in making these interminable lists, then “Is Is” would more than likely have a place in the top 10 of the year. Regardless, it’s got me excited about this band once more and very much looking forward to their next record.

Now, I am normally not one for the wanton destruction of books. The sight of the Bebelplatz in Berlin is still one of the most haunting things that I have ever seen. But these cut-ups or book autopsies as Brian Dettmer, the artist, refers to them are simply breath-taking. The complexity of all the various layers is just astounding and I can’t even fathom the time it would take to so meticulously dissect each page. If anyone happens to have come into a load of money and is wondering what would fit perfectly in my stocking this year, one of these treats would absolutely blow me away:

Brian Dettmer’s works are exhibited at the following galleries:
*Link: Haydee Rovirosa Gallery
*Link: Toomey-Tourell Gallery
*Link: Aron Packer Gallery

(h/t willpie)

So I was surfing Gorilla Vs. Bear a little earlier and came across this fantastic fan video for “All I Need” from the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows. Composed of scenes cut together from the stellar 1996 documentary Microcosmos (which is worth seeing on its own merits, particularly the snail mating scene which you can catch a glimpse of in this fanvid), the video was put together by J. Tyler Helms who has now made my two favorite videos of 2007, the first of which is a video for Arcade Fire’s “My Body Is A Cage” composed of scenes from Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time in the West and found below. To me, these videos are proof positive of the liberating potential of the internet. Were it not for YouTube and the various and sundry music blogs these wonderful creations would never have come to my attention.

Radiohead/Microcosmos- All I Need:

Arcade Fire/Sergio Leone- My Body Is A Cage:

I know that I posted this a couple years ago, but I enjoy it so much that I felt like reposting it. Burroughs is by far my favorite of the Beat authors and this is easily one of my favorite works of his.

A Thanksgiving Poem by William S. Burroughs

For John Dillinger
In hope he is still alive
Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986

Thanks for the wild turkey and the Passenger Pigeons, destined to be shit out through wholesome American guts

thanks for a Continent to despoil and poison —

thanks for Indians to provide a modicum of challenge and danger —

thanks for vast herds of bison to kill and skin, leaving the carcass to rot —

thanks for bounties on wolves and coyotes —

thanks for the AMERICAN DREAM to vulgarize and falsify until the bare lies shine through —

thanks for the KKK, for nigger-killing lawmen feeling their notches, for decent church-going women with their mean, pinched, bitter, evil faces —

thanks for “Kill a Queer for Christ” stickers —

thanks for laboratory AIDS —

thanks for Prohibition and the War Against Drugs —

thanks for a country where nobody is allowed to mind his own business —

thanks for a nation of finks — yes, thanks for all the memories… all right, let’s see your arms… you always were a headache and you always were a bore —

thanks for the last and greatest betrayal of the last and greatest of human dreams.
___
I’ve also found an audio recording of Burroughs reading the above poem, which you should listen to here. I love Burroughs’ voice, sounding like it’s been marinated in whiskey and cigarettes for years on end. It sounds like Moses would if, after leading the Jews to freedom, he had embarked on a 60 year bender of debauchery and vice before ending life embittered and alone. Really, you could do no wrong by purchasing, or finding a good pirated version, of Burroughs’ 1990 spoken word album “Dead City Radio” featuring background music/sounds by such luminaries as Sonic Youth and John Cale and some of the most acerbic biting commentary of the past century. From the above “Thanksgiving Prayer” to his political musings on “No More Stalins, No More Hitlers” and “Love Your Enemies” Burroughs offers an aural treat. He even manages to breathe life into the most stilted and overused tropes in Christiandom- the “Sermon on the Mount” and “The Lord’s Prayer”- which take on a haunting personality when pushed through Burroughs’ mangled vocal chords.