The Rocket Summer has been on constant rotation on my computer since 2003.  The first album I listened to "Calendar Days" was one of those albums I related to.  I was young and I thought it was cool to listen to this album with my significant other to relay my feelings through the magic of song.  Yeah, it's extremely lame now that I look back at it, but it was just the start of a long, exciting journey with an incredible band. I've always been a fan of powerful vocals, so Bryce Avary, the lead singer and the main musician for the entire band, was an obvious favorite.  His voice has instant emotion with everything he sings.  Some of the songs have corny lyrics, but that is overshadowed by the way he gives each track everything he's got.  That is the main reason I chose to review "Do You Feel", The Rocket Summer's 3rd full-length album.  Believe me, the first two albums had a lot of great things about them, but "Do You Feel" has everything those previous albums had but with so much more.  This band fits so perfectly in the genre of pop/rock and no matter how much you deny it, everyone needs a little pop in their lives.  You'll find in the video below that Bryce is a bit effeminate which can be funny at times, but don't let that effect what he does musically. 

The overall theme of "Do You Feel" is to have fun, let go of your ego, and, to quote CSNY, "Love The One You're With".  The one thing that stands out on this album is that it is non stop.  You'll get a break here and there, but you will get TRS 100% of the time.  Still to this day, whenever I listen to this album my feet are moving and I'm unconsciously bouncing from side to side.  Listen the the song below and TRY not to move, even just a little bit.    

So many times I'll listen to this album and I'll get through the entire thing without realizing that I just did pretty much nothing for the past 50 minutes and that's ok.  That's how, personally, I know I really enjoyed a band.  I won't play video games, or run around on the World Wide Web. No, I sit there and zone out.  And who doesn't need to do that for an hour here and there?  For some of the people who visit this site, I wouldn't be surprised at all if TRS isn't your style of music, but the people who enjoy fun music and haven't heard of TRS, I think you'll instantly become a big fan.  It's really hard music not to enjoy, even if it is a guilty pleasure band for you.  

  There are hundreds of compilation albums, and 99% of them aren't really worth while.  Maybe a track or two will stand out, but the album as a whole is usually a big misfire.  That is what makes"Dark Was The Night" so special.  If you have listened to indie music, or paid attention to any music that has come out in the past 10 years, you will recognize a large majority of these artists. Some of the acts that can be found on this album are Ben Gibbard and Feist, Sufjan Stevens, Yeasayer, The National, and many more.  With so many varying artists you would think the album would not be cohesive, but besides for a few tracks, it really flows together quite beautifully.  When I saw the track list for this compilation I was more than excited.  I expected to hear something brand new from each artist, but that wasn't what I got.  Normally, that would be disappointing for me because I hold certain bands up to a somewhat unreachable standard, but not here.  Each song showcases each artists sound in a different way.  The Feist & Ben Gibbard effort is a perfect example here.  Separately, I can get into each singer, but together they sound fantastic while neither one does anything special vocally.  

Another track that made me love this album was a Bob Dylan song covered by Antony with Bryce Dessner called "I Was Young When I Left Home".  I've been a huge Antony and The Johnsons fan for a few years now and I've yet to hear a song by him that I did not like, and this song was as good as I expected it to be.  Antony has a way of making anything he sings sound like he put his entire soul into it.  I'll admit, his sound probably isn't for everyone, but it really hits home with me. 

 

I'm currently pursuing my lifelong dream of being a comedian.  After six weeks of nerve racking open mic performances, I have risen from the amateur rank of not-another-douche-bag-that-thinks-he's-funny to the slightly more revered not-this-unfunny-douche-again.  But, I'm learning.  The availability of an amateur stage is essential to the development of every performer.  Stage presence, telling a joke or singing a song, holding a microphone properly and captivating an audience's attention are seemingly fundamental lessons for entertainers.  But these things mean little if there isn’t any substance behind the act.

In rare fashion, I caught myself watching the hit television show, American Idol.  American Idol is a talent contest designed to springboard an amateur singer into fame and fortune.  Initial rounds of auditions before a panel of judges are followed by audience voting which determines a winner.

Take away the glitz and glamour of the competition, and the performers on American Idol are no different from me.  Just like me, the majority of contestants lack essential performance skills.  Because of this, the contestants are undeserving of the show's bounty.  Sure, these kids might be able to sing, but that's not the goal of the contest.  American Idol is out to cash in on an accomplished entertainer.  The end result is a skewed vision of what talent is.  They want a performer first and a singer second.

My concern is just how accurately the show’s formula reflects how “show business” works.  Industry producers and executives rely so heavily on an entertainer’s ability to perform, that talent can sometimes fall by the wayside.  Because of these operations, the "artist" the public is exposed to is a salesman for the music industry; in most cases he's a talentless, organ grinder’s monkey dancing on a street corner as part of a marketing campaign.  Think of any pop culture icons you’ve ever heard of and you get the idea.

It’s sad that many people who dream of becoming part of show business are forced to split time developing their talent while also working an audience.  Performers who cannot accomplish both of these requisites are left out of the limelight.  Unfortunately for fans of music and the arts in general, we miss out on a ton of talent.

I’m very thankful that there are opportunities for new artists to find a stage.  Open mics and other amateur shows allow people to show off their talents without the pressure of pleasing anyone.  It’s a showcase of raw talent.  And, actually, it’s a lot of fun to watch and perform.

Stage presence is one of the most important skills a performer can have, but it is not the most important.  The ability to act, sing, dance, tell a joke, throw a baton, etc. is essential.  In most cases, however, we’re not exposed to that.  Somewhere along the lines we exchanged intrinsic value for the pocket-lining monetary value.  In most cases, it's just not all that pleasing to listen to.

 

After the release of 2007's Eidolon, Rishloo quickly became one of the most exciting bands I follow.  I frequently found myself trying to temper my praise for the band and the 14 song accomplishment that is Eidolon.  However, after months of repeated listening, the power of that album was undeniable: without question an all-time great.  Naturally, expectations were uncomfortably high for their 2009 follow-up: Feathergun.  How could this album possibly match the musical an lyrical majesty of its predecessor?  So, again, I attempted to quell my expectations.  After a little over a month of listening to Feathergun, I can say with relative certainty that it is not as great of an album as Eidolon; however, it's fucking brilliant (that part I am sure of).

The Music Genome Project is one of the most fascinating innovations for the music industry.  The project designates a strand of attributes or genes to a particular music genre, band, song, etc.  The idea of "music genes" allow users of the interface, Pandora (and others), to effectively manage personalized playlists over a streaming radio feed.  I think the most incredible feature of this application is that the project can match a listener with music that he may have never heard before but fits his music gene.  This system is revolutionizing the way people listen to music.

This technology has been around for awhile; the project started ten years ago.  But the developments in the technology are drastically increasing the way the music industry makes money by marketing artists and their music.  The ability of this project to expose music to millions of people is astonishing.

Traditional methods of marketing musicians is quickly moving into the vast expanse of social media and digital sharing.  File sharing and pirating music has deeply cut into the profits of production companies.  The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2009, U.S. album sales dropped thirteen percent compared to 2008.  WSJ also reported that digital music sales were up forty percent (The Wall Street Journal, 2009).  Instead of fighting the loses, industry has begun to shift the way it sells music.

However proactive this seems, musicians have been taking advantage of these free media campaigns for years.  It is now easier and cheaper than ever for a band to build a brand and get music to listeners.  Through this exposure, bands are able to give out free samples in hopes that people will come back for more.  And it works.

Even if music fans don't buy the music, they still need a feeling of inclusion.  They spread the word using social media.  With outlets like Twitter, fans can have a first line of contact to their favorite bands.  More people listen in on the conversation and soon enough (barring the music is good), the bands gain ground.  They play shows to bigger crowds, make live appearances and have more products to sell.  They make money.

With innovations like the Music Genome Project aimed at spreading music and more media outlets to share music, the world is becoming a smaller place.  The community of music makers and listeners is more accessible than ever.  Joining the two is as easy as it has ever been and business is working the way it has for years.  The music business lets the community know it is there to provide a service and ensures that service is great.  Profits aren't shrinking, they're shifting.

3. Telefon  Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself

Wholesome. That's what I would call this album compared to their previous two. There's even more layers but the songs seem more clear... it's weird. These guys are great at presenting melodies in the background, that many times slowly pulse their way to the forefront. Their vocals are well done and somewhat haunting.

2. The Mars Volta - Octahedron

I'm going to copy/paste an email I sent to a few friends on July 1st because I think it describes how I feel about the album, and The Mars Volta as a whole, rather well.

After Octahedron, I like The Mars Volta a lot more now than I used to. I felt as though I needed this album from them badly. To keep them in the "10 bands' albums I'd bring to a desert island with me" category.

You may remember an email I wrote about the band following seeing them live. I was in the midst of a very strained relationship with them. A period of great uncertainty. I complained of basically auditory overload, too much going on, too jam-bandy, too much annoying "noise," (and I like "noise") etc. Sometimes in the large wall of unstructured sound/chaos I can lose any sort of connection I've got going on. Their musicianship is amazing, admirable, wild, and intense. I wouldn't use all those words to describe Octahedron.

Octahedron isn't overpowering in any way. More relaxing. Flowy. I'm making more sense of a lot of these lyrics; finding them more pertinent to me. This album rounds out my Mars Volta experience and now I have balance. I have achieved TMV zen. Looking back on their collection this album will be as important to the whole scheme of things as any other. Well, maybe not De-Loused. This reminds me of NIN's With Teeth in a way.

1. Metric - Fantasies

My favorite of 2009! I had zero idea who this band was before I read this blog post from Topspin Media. I pre-ordered it immediately and never could have predicted how much I'd listen to it. Every single song is gold. While the songwriting is really strong, this band wouldn't be much without Emily Haines. Certain people have that special something and she's got it. And she's absolutely amazing on-stage.

I probably shouldn't be doing this.

First of all, a 100 greatest albums of the decade seems a little played. In fact, my beloved 67dB already has something like it, and the last time I tried to send it, I crashed my apartment's internet. Besides, who am I to say which albums are great?

I justify doing it now for 4 reasons:

A. It's almost New Years, so it's now or never.

B. I did have the list saved in word.

C. My opinions, as different as they are, might help introduce people to new music, and that's always good.

D. Making lists is surprisingly therapeutic.

So, here they are... in no particular order... besides the one I gave them...

 

1. Eels - Daisies of the Galaxy

2. Radiohead - Kid A

3. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

4. The Postal Service - Give Up

5. Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

6. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms

7. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer

8. Gorillaz - Gorillaz

9. Deathcab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

10. NIN - The Slip

 

11. Eels - Hombre Lobo

12. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust

13. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords

14. The Arcade Fire - Funeral

15. The Dresden Dolls - Yes Virginia

16. The Dresden Dolls - No Virginia

17. Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself

18. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

19. System of a Down - Toxicity

20. Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists

 

21. Damien Rice - O

22. Eels – Soul Jacker

23. Gnarls Barkly - St. Elsewhere

24. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

25. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Once Soundtrack

26. T.V. on the Radio - Dear Science

27. Ben Folds - Ben Folds Live

28. Peter Gabriel - Up

29. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

30. NIN - With Teeth

 

31. Submarines – Declare a New State

32. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright

33. Sigur Ros - Takk...

34. Ben Folds - Rockin the Suburbs

35. Eels – Shootenany

36. The White Stripes - Elephant

37. Tool – Lateralus

38. Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep

39. Radiohead - Amnesiac

40. The Magic Numbers - Those The Brokes

 

41. Tenacious D - Tenacious D

42. Saul Williams – Saul Williams

43. The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations

44. Lifehouse – No Name Face

45. A Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step

46. Jimmy Eat World – Jimmy Eat World

47. Silversun Pickups – Carnavas

48. Ben Harper – Both Sides of the Gun

49. Weezer – (Green Album)

50. Bad Astronaut – Houston, We Have A Drinking Problem

 

51. Joy Zipper – American Whip

52. Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 – White Lies for Dark Times

53. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

54. The Killers – Hot Fuss

55. Travis – The Invisible Band

56. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

57. Metric – Fantasies

58. Joshua Radin – We Were Here

59. Kings Of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street

60. Kings Of Convenience – Quiet is the New Loud

 

61. Bright Eyes – Cassadaga

62. Apollo Sunshine – Apollo Sunshine

63. Sigur Ros – ( )

64. Marjorie Fair – Self Help Serenade

65. Brett Dennon - So Much More

66. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin

67. Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production of Eggs

68. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

69. The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium

70. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command

 

71. Jack Johnson – Brushfire Fairytales

72. Tool – 10,000 Days

73. Bright Eyes – Digital Ashes in a Digital Urn

74. Elefant - Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid

75. NIN – Ghosts I-IV

76. Seal – IV

77. Outkast – Stankonia

78. Green Day – American Idiot

79. Coldplay – Vida la Vida

80. Bjork – Vespertine

 

81. NIN – Year Zero

82. Grandaddy – Sumday

83. Damien Rice – 9

84. The Mars Volta - Amputechture

85. Cake – Comfort Eagle

86. The Coral – The Coral

87. Tenacious D – The Pick of Destiny

88. Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta!

89. Radiohead – In Rainbows

90. MIKA – Life in Cartoon Motion

 

91. The Gorillaz – Demon Days

92. The Black Eyed Peas – Elefunk

93. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP

94. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind

95. Beck - Sea Change

96. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

97. Incubus – Morning View

98. Elliott Smith – New Moon

99. The Flaming Lips – At War With the Mystics

100. Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow

 

And there it is. Let's hope the next decade can offer such insightful, occassionally inventive, jaw-droppingly beautiful music as this decade did (and granted, some of my list is kinda just pop-crap, but it has its place too). Happy New Year.

1 Tool 10,000 Days
2 Tool Lateralus
3 At the Drive-In Relationship of Command
4 Nine Inch Nails Year Zero
5 A Perfect Circle Mer de Noms
6 The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss Machine
7 The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium
8 Deftones White Pony
9 Radiohead Kid A
10 Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I - IV

11 Nine Inch Nails With Teeth
12 Nine Inch Nails The Slip
13 Telefon Tel Aviv Fahrenheit Fair Enough
14 The Dresden Dolls The Dresden Dolls
15 The Postal Service Give Up
16 Sigur Ros ( )
17 A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step
18 Saul Williams The Invevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardst!
19 Ashes Divide Keep Telling Myself It's Alright
20 The Mars Volta Ocathedron

21 The Dandy Warhols Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
22 Beck Guero
23 The Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works
24 The Nightwatchman One Man Revolution
25 Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism
26 Puscifer "V" is for Vagina
27 Metric Fantasies
28 Autolux Future Perfect
29 Modwheelmood Pears to Pigs Vol. 1 - 3
30 The Mars Volta Amputechture

31 The Mars Volta Frances the Mute
32 The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath
33 Eddie Vedder Into the Wild Soundtrack
34 El-P You'll Sleep When You're Dead
35 Telefon Tel Aviv Immolate Yourself
36 Telefon Tel Aviv Map of What is Effortless
37 Amon Tobin Foley Room
38 Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
39 Radiohead Amnesiac
40 Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

41 Sparta Wiretap Scars
42 Head Automatica Decadence
43 The Dresden Dolls Yes, Virginia
44 Tweaker The Attraction to All Things Uncertain
45 Boards of Canada Geogaddi
46 Autechre Draft 7.30
47 Amanda Palmer Who Killed Amanda Palmer
48 LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
49 Glassjaw Worship and Tribute
50 M.I.A. Arular

51 A Place to Bury Strangers Exploding Head
52 A Place to Bury Strangers A Place to Bury Strangers
53 Death From Above 1979 You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
54 Fuck Buttons Tarot Sport
55 Autecre Untitled
56 The Depreciation Guild In Her Gentle Jaws
57 M.I.A. Kala
58 The Dresden Dolls No, Virginia
59 Godspeed You! Black Emperor Yanqui U.X.O.
60 Scarlet Cult Classic

61 Saul Williams Saul Williams
62 TV on the Radio Dear Science
63 The New Regime Coup
64 Nine Inch Nails Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D
65 Autechre Quaristice
66 Fuck Buttons Street Horrsing
67 The Bug London Zoo
68 Rilo Kiley Take Offs and Landings
69 Error Error
70 One Day As A Lion One Day As A Lion

71 Deftones Deftones
72 Tweaker 2 a.m. Wakeup Call
73 Passion Pit Manners
74 Josh Freese Since 1972
75 HEALTH Get Color
76 Isis Wavering Radiant
77 Does It Offend You, Yeah? You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
78* LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem
79 Jus†ice †
80 MSTRKRFT The Looks

81 Peaches I Feel Cream
82 Zoe Keating Once Cello x 16: Natoma
83 Portishead Third
84 A Perfect Circle aMOTION
85 Cat Power You Are Free
86 Beck The Information
87 Marilyn Manson Holy Wood
88 Outkast Stankonia
89 N.E.R.D. In Search Of...
90 Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

91 The The NakedSelf
92 Meshuggah Catch Thirty-Three
93 Aphex Twin Drukqs
94 Isis In the Absence of Truth
95 Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton Knives Don't Have Your Back
96 Radiohead In Rainbows
97 Amon Tobin Supermodified
98 The Decemberists The Hazards of Love
99 Slipknot Iowa
100 The Dust Brothers Fight Club Soundtrack

6. Josh Freese - Since 1972

Jason just asked what my "go-to" song was when I felt like singing. I responded with 2002 from Since 1972, but could have easily responded with at least half of this album (apologies to several songs on Give Up by the Postal Service). An album of joy (splendid for the holiday season!). I'd say this was my favorite album of the year to play in my car. My favorites are I Don't Think That's OK, Blood On Your Knuckles, 2002, I Wanna Cheat On My Girlfriend, Because, and All Goddamn Day. Yep, half the album.

5. Passion Pit - Manners

The melodies are so good you'll get past the high voice fast if that's something that initially intimidates you. You'll find yourself picking favorite songs, then new favorites will emerge, then they'll change once more, and before you know it you love every song on the album. Every song is great on its own, and they all do a nice job of being pretty different from each other. I'm also a fan of the trans-fat-like percussion; another album that sounds good. Very memorable songs.

4b - Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

Allow me to explain why there's an "a" and "b" here. This album came out late in the year, and believe it or not, even though I loved Street Horrsing and had read about a new release coming this year, I completely forgot. So this album didn't make up my initial list*, but after experiencing it just once I had to put it in. It's previous Fuck Buttons, but with an extra special twist of more variety and accessibility. There's more to the songs now, which makes them less challenging to get through. But you still get the permagrin-inducing underlying melodies that appear and a really rewarding overall listen. Again Street Horrsing was good, but this is a huge improvement.

4a - A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head

I love this band. The aspect of them I most appreciate is how their records sound. Whatever it is they're doing in the studio to get that grainy, far away, spaciness to their music is working wonders. As soon as the first instrument makes any kind of noise you can tell it's them. Their newest release, Exploding Head, is a little less demanding for the listener. The barrage of guitar is still here but not as in your face and for as long periods of time. And a good band to see live.