Matthew Berlyant’s Top Ten — February 10

by Matthew Berlyant
10 February 2008

1. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL)

   I ignored this band for a while because of all the hype (it debuted at #18 last week) as well as other superficial reasons, but I decided to give this album a chance anyway and I’m glad I did because it’s great. Much has been made of this band’s Afro-pop tendencies as well as the obvious influence of Graceland-era PAUL SIMON and Remain in Light-era TALKING HEADS. While this is true, I also hear a lot of early XTC and THE POLICE (especially in EZRA KOENIG’s STING-like vocals), not to mention bits of orchestral pop (several songs have what sound like direct homages to songs from THE ZOMBIES’ immortal Odessey and Oracle). While on paper this may sound like they’re trying on too many styles, it clearly works and boy is it a grower. If songs like “Mansard Roof,” “A-Punk,” “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and especially “Oxford Comma” and “Walcott” don’t connect on first listen, they will on the third or fourth until you’ll be playing this every day. And yes, they’re right out of college and the lyrics can be juvenile, though yet oddly clever at the same time. I can’t decide and I don’t know if they can survive the hype, but I do know that right now, this is probably my favorite album of the moment.

2. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark (Astralwerks)

   I liked their last album The Warning, but often times I would just gravitate towards its best songs, the excellent singles “Over and Over” and “Boy from School”. On Made in the Dark, however, they take the template set forth by their last album and make an even better album that’s listenable from start to finish. The highlight is “Ready for the Floor”, which is one of my favorite tracks of the year so far.

3. The Undertones – Positive Touch (Ardeck/Sanctuary)

   When most fans talk about this great Northern Irish band, they usually cite either their first, self-titled album or its follow-up, 1980’s great Hypnotised, as the band’s best album. While I love those records and consider them to be amongst the best pop-punk and power-pop records of all-time, respectively, my favorite album of theirs is this one. Their third album, it was originally released in 1981 with ROGER BECHIRIAN (also noted for his work with ELVIS COSTELLO and SQUEEZE) once again producing. However, instead of the full, rich textures of the first few albums, this album felt intentionally muted and compressed and not coincidentally similar-sounding to THE ROLLING STONES mid’ 60s records like Aftermath. The overall sound is more indebted to mid ‘60s garage and psychedelic rock, but it’s all over the map really. “Fascination” sounds like an early ‘70s outtake by THE WHO with ADAM AND THE ANTS style African percussion on top of it. “It’s Going to Happen” could pass for a Squeeze song from the same time period. “His Good-Looking Girlfriend”, with its horn section, predates their use of horns on their underrated 1983 album The Sin of Pride. Perhaps the most stunning moment, however, is the closing track “Forever Paradise”. A tender ballad, it quiets down until you think it’s over, but then some backwards tape manipulation settles in, tricking the listener until it concludes properly. It’s a shame that unlike its contemporaries, this band was never allowed to grow up by the UK record-buying public and this record was not only a flop, but still underrated today. The matrix on the inside of the record (i.e. the vinyl) says “the little boys grow up”. I can’t think of a better way to describe this record.

4. Times New Viking – Rip It Off (Matador)
   I saw this band open for THE CLEAN a few months ago and their mix of synth-punk and scuzzy noise-rock caught my ears. I’m glad to report that on record, they’re just as raw, noisy and twisted as they are live. In fact this is only slightly more hi-fi than their previous records for the Slitbreeze label. I can’t wait to see them live when they play here later this month!

5. Building a Broken Mousetrap (Not Rated)

   Easily one of the best concert films I’ve ever seen, this chronicles the amazing Dutch band THE EX’s show at Knitting Factory in New York in 2004, right after the Republican National Convention was held there that year. Directed by JEM COHEN (the filmmaker also behind the great FUGAZI documentary Instrument)he footage focuses mainly on the band and the performance, but it also juxtaposes images of the show with that of scenes on the street and in random electronic stores along with footage from the aforementioned convention and billboards along Times Square and what not.

   The important thing here is that the sound mix is great and the music absolutely jaw-dropping, like THE FALL if they were into radical politics, Afro-beat and even more indebted to CAPTAIN BEEFHEART and minimalist composers of modern classical music like KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN, JOHN CAGE and STEVE REICH.

6. Vampire Weekend with Sam Rosen – First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) – February 7, 2008

   This was the most packed I’d seen the First Unitarian Church for quite some time and for all the hype, the show (which sold out weeks in advance) didn’t disappoint. They played virtually the entire album save for one or two tracks as well as one untitled new song.

7. Naked Raygun – Understand? (Caroline/Quarterstick)

   Initially released in 1988 on Caroline and reissued by Quarterstick (along with the rest of their catalog) in 1999, this is my favorite Naked Raygun album, though I know most would probably disagree with me there. Perhaps I’m more partial to it than most since after the also great Jettison, this was the one I heard first. The last album with JOHN HAGGERTY on guitar, the highlights are the opener “Treason” as well as “Entrapment,” “OK Wait” and the amazing “Too Much of You”.

8. Zero Boys – Vicious Circle (Lookout/Panic Button)

   One of the greatest records to come out of the amazing, creative and vibrant Midwest punk scene of the early ‘80s, the onslaught of speed, hooks, passionate singing and at times amazing lyrics has rarely been topped. Plus, this reissue features great liner notes from our own JACK RABID. Because of Lookout’s dissolution in the last few years, this is woefully out-of-print, but hopefully it’ll get reissued soon.

9. Various Artists – Juno: Official Soundtrack (Rhino)

   Yes I know that this soundtrack is huge right now and will be referenced as much as the one for the similarly-inclined movie Garden State almost four years ago. Unlike some, however, I don’t think of this as a bad thing. For music so idiosyncratic, individualistic, uncompromising and plain old great to be heard by hundreds of thousands is an unmitigated triumph! I’m not only talking about the great KIMYA DAWSON tracks here, but the other selections as well, which include well-chosen selections by THE KINKS, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, SONIC YOUTH and others. Plus, the songs fit in with the movie and add to its sensibility, so this isn’t just a bunch of random tunes thrown together, as is the case with too many soundtracks.

10. Keren Ann – Keren Ann (Blue Note)

    Released last year (though I missed it then), this is her first release for the legendary jazz label Blue Note. This self-titled record, her first album sung exclusively in English, actually finds her moving away (though ever so slightly) from the quiet, hushed sounds of her previous records and more into full-band mode. The first track, “It’s All a Lie”, sounds like NICO fronting the 1985 version of THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, and a few others follow suit. Given that it’s a Keren Ann record, however, it’s not noise-pop. Thus, old fans shouldn’t worry too much. Much of the album, interestingly, also reminds me of CAT POWER’s recent album The Greatest. Regardless, I think this is her greatest yet as well.