Erase - Rewind

You know, it was only a couple years ago that I was barely able to come up with ten bands for my end-of-the-year review. This year, I took full advantage of my eMusic subscription and used up all forty downloads every month. Thus I introduced myself to an enormous amount of new music. By my estimate, I downloaded at least an album's worth of material from no less than THIRTY-FIVE different artists this year alone. That is an extraordinary amount of music. In fact, I don't think I ever bought that music in a year before—not even during my teenage and college years when I bought new and used CDs left and right. I can't imagine that I'll be able to top that amount next year, but who knows?

Of course, not everything that I downloaded clicked with me; a lot of downloads ended up in the recycle bin. But I liked most of it, and because I have such a long list this time, I've decided to narrow it down to only the top twelve artists/albums of the year. Once again, my list reflects my obsession with power pop and my near-obsession with post-rock.


Artist: Kristin Hersh
Song: “Winter”

Kristin Hersh's latest album, How To Sing Like a Star might have been my very first music purchase of the new year. All I know for sure is that I remember driving to and from work through the snowy and icy freeways of Missouri in January with Hersh's new album playing in my car. Kristin Hersh is one of the handful of artists whom I always make sure to support monetarily, even though she gives a lot of her music away for free. As long as she keeps recording music, I'll keep buying it.

Artist: Cinnamon
Song: “I Used to be Your Loneliness”

This band has been a bit of mystery to me. From what I've been able to gather, they released two full-length albums back in the late 90s and that was it. I also think they're Swedish. It's hard to know for sure because apparently “Cinnamon” is a popular name for bands. There have been at least three different bands, from different parts of the world, with this name in the last ten years, and none of them have had much success. (They're so obscure that I can't even find a mp3 preview track for my favorite song.) But whoever they are and wherever they're from, I really like their music a lot. They have kind of an early 70s Euro-pop sound—a sound that would spring up again and again in my music choices throughout the year.

Artist: Manda and the Marbles
Song: “Confidential”

And speaking of “retro”, Manda and the Marbles are straight out of the early 1980s. Their style of punk-pop sounds like they should be opening for the Buzzcocks or the Go-Go's. Their latest album was released a couple years ago, so I don't know if they still exist as a band, but I hope they do. This music is certainly a niche-market, but I like it and they do it very well. When I listen to their music I actually feel nostalgic for the 1980s which is crazy since this band is younger than I am.

Artist: The Minders
Song: “Jenny”

In the spring, I was all over the Elephant 6 Collective. I was already a fan of the Apples in Stereo, but last spring I started to listen to some of the other bands that make up the collective. In particular, I really enjoyed the Minders. They're a Beatles-influenced power pop trio that just makes strong, catchy pop songs. Once I discovered this band, some time in March, their music was about all I was listening to for about a month.

Artist: Arcade Fire
Song: “Intervention”

The Arcade Fire's second album, Neon Bible, is probably my pick for best album of the year. No sophomore slump for this band. Win Butler has been tagged the new Bruce Springsteen, and I have to say, that was the very first thing that I thought when I first listened to this album. It's interesting because I didn't get the Springsteen vibe at all on their first album (more Meatloaf than Springsteen, I thought), but here, on songs like “Intervention” or “The Well and the Lighthouse” the resemblance is just uncanny.

Artist: Low
Song: “Dragonfly”

Low's new album, Drums and Guns, was one of the new albums that I was really looking forward to this year. Their previous album, The Great Destroyer, was a little too commerical for my tastes. There are a million indie rock acts out there; Low doesn't need to imitate them. With their new album, Low took a step back towards their lo-fi roots, which is where they belong. They've always done their own thing, and while that hasn't led to great commercial success for them, it has led to great art for all of us.

Artist: El Perro Del Mar
Song: “God Knows”

Just about everything that I might say about this one-woman band (the singer sounds remarkably like Kate Bush; the music makes one think of Motown hits played at half speed; hooray for Swedish bands!) have all already been said by countless other reviewers. El Perro is just starting her career, and I expect great things from her in the future.

Artist: Badly Drawn Boy
Song: “Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind”

I picked up the latest from Badly Drawn Boy, Born in the UK, not long after it was released, but interestingly, I didn't really listen to the album much at the time. I was busy with my move, I guess, and had a lot of other things going on. It wasn't until later in the fall when I really sat down and listened to the album. It received some mediocre reviews from critics, many of whom concentrated their criticism on the apparently mediocre and not-very-poetic lyrics, but I thought BDB made a solid album, at least as good as his previous work.

Artist: The Essex Green
Song: “The Late Great Cassiopa”

Summer might have been called my season of Sasha Bell, as far as I'm concerned. This summer, I followed her work through three different bands: The Essex Green, The Ladybug Transistor, and Finishing School. All three bands produce basically the same kinds of songs so if you like one, you'll like the others, but I thought The Essex Green was the best of the three. As she does on the other two bands, Sasha Bell lends her voice, and some of her instruments, to a few of the songs as an indie pop session musician.

Artist: The Heavy Blinkers
Song: “Chloe's Christmas”

I notice that quite a lot of the music that I listen to comes from bands that employ both male and female singers. Several of the bands on this list (and even some of the new bands that I listened to that didn't make this list) share this personnel format. The Heavy Blinkers are one of those bands that make great use of different singers. Their music has evolved into a very retro, early 70s-ish, soft rock (see Cinnamon, above). I really like it, and in 2008, I really should seek out this sound, and the bands that excel in it, a little more.

Artist: Panda Bear
Song: "Bros"

Like the Arcade Fire, Panda Bear's album, Person Pitch, has made a lot of end-of-the-year top 10 lists, so one might accuse of me of jumping on the bandwagon with this one, but that isn't the case here. I was late to download it, and even then, I didn't listen to it that much. But I find that I keep returning to it again and again. With its heavy Beach Boys influence, it goes to the core of what I like most about power pop, but it tweaks that formula just enough to sound strange and experimental.


Artist: New Pornographers
Song: “Mutiny, I Promise You”

The new New Pornographers album, Challengers, was one of the most anticipated releases of the year for me, but I was left feeling a little disappointed. It's not a bad album, but it's just a different direction from their first three. Challengers is a little slower, and little more reflective and somber. That would be fine if it were what I had come to expect from the New Pornographers, but when I listen to them, I want to hear manic power pop. It's an interesting phenomenon how bands that start out understanding how to craft perfect pop songs inevitably “lose their way”. I don't know if it's because the creative juices stop flowing, the songwriters “mature” and feel like pop songs are beneath them, or they just get lazy or what. But it always happens, and I guess it's happening to Carl Newman now.


Artist: Fancey
Song: “Whoa”

One of the interesting things about The New Pornographers is that most of the individual members of the band each have one or two other side projects, not all of which necessarily reflect the sound of The New Pornographers. Guitarist Todd Fancey's side project, Fancey, though is similar to the power pop sound of the NPs, but Fancey takes the pop side of power pop to its sugary extreme. With super-happy lyrics like, “Christian eagles of today / You're flying heaven's way / On a miracle crusade / Flying on the wings of faith,” you just know that the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, but they're so damned earnest that they make you wonder sometimes. Fancey released a second album, Schmancey, this year, and it's even better than the first album.

I thought I'd also make a short list of songs that I really liked this year, but whose artists didn't make my list. These are just some great tracks that can't go unrecognized:
The Go! Team: “Fake ID”
Petra Haden: “Don't Stop Believin'”
Feist: “1 2 3 4”
The Epoxies: “Radiation”
The Polyphonic Spree: “Soldier Girl”
Gore Gore Girls: “I'm Gonna Get You Yet”
Minipop: “Precious”
Magnapop: “Stick To Me”
The Magnetic Fields: “Sweet-Lovin' Man”

My choice for my favorite artist of the year: Damn, this is a tough decision. Seriously, I could make an argument for each of the thirteen artists above, and if you had asked me to make this choice in March or July you would have received different responses, but I think I'm gonna have to go with The Heavy Blinkers. Even though they didn't release a new album this year (but I think they've got one on the way) their music just really clicked with me.

Science of You

I woke up this morning with teaching on my mind. In particular, I was thinking about science education.

In the past, I've often wondered if the state of science education in the US couldn't be improved by making science more accessible to ordinary, non-science types. When I think of science classes, I think of math because in many cases, solving math problems is all that one does. Thinking back to chemistry and physics classes that I took in high school, that was certainly the case. And it was certainly the case when I took an astronomy class in college.

Math obviously has its place in science, but the excessive math can also squash the layman's interest in science as well. A lot of people (I count myself among them) are interested in, and curious about, science, but we aren't necessarily interested in solving lists of math problems.

When I took astronomy class in college, the professor had a lecture-hall full of students eager to learn about the subject on the first day of the semester, but by the end of the course, we just wanted it to be over with, and the reason is because all we did was solve math problems. Nothing sucks the wonder and the grandeur out of the universe faster or more effectively than math.

What I would have liked to have seen in college--and perhaps some schools do this, but mine did not--is the science equivalent of a music appreciation class or a Shakespeare for non-English majors. Music appreciation is designed to expose students to great works of classical music and to teach them how to listen to such music and what to listen for, but without getting to far into the technical details of music composition. Shakespeare for non-English majors does the same thing: it introduces students to Shakespeare without going too in depth into literary criticism and analysis.

Why can't there be science classes for non-science majors? A physics for non-majors or biology for non-majors. In such classes, professors can introduce and teach the major concepts of these fields without dumping a lot of math into one's laps (solving math problems could be offered for extra credit). And if someone really likes the class and wants to go on to major or minor in, say, physics, then they can take the courses that are designed for majors and that have all of the math.

In America, science really suffers from negative public relations. A lot of people treat science, and scientists, with suspicion. Special courses that present science in an accessible way, designed for people who aren't going to be scientists but who may someday be in positions of authority regarding science (such as on school boards or in state legislatures) would go a long way to restoring science to a place of importance and respect in American society.

Flying High Again

Every once in a while, TV news organizations come up with a new gimmick which, whether it contributes to the viewers' understanding of the news or not, catches on with just about every other competing news organization. Obvious examples that spring to mind are the use of Google Maps in news reports, or the cliche of the reporter going outside during a hurricane.

This week before Thanksgiving, the big "breaking news" story was that airports would be crowded, there would be delays, and lots of planes would be in the air (shocking, I know!). Apparently, there are a few websites on the Intarweb which allow you to track ALL of the planes in the air in US airspace at the same time. So all week long, the cable news networks kept running stories which used the real-time image of the US with the thousands of little airplanes, each representing a commercial airliner.

The computer generated airplanes superimposed on the map were not to scale. So what we saw was a map of the US with thousands of airplanes the size of Massachusetts flying around. Apparently, viewers observed/complained, that it looked like these planes were all bumping into each other, so the networks found a new computer graphic template which zoomed in on specific parts of the country and gave the still-out-of-proportion airplanes some breathing space. However, now the little, generic-looking airplanes appeared to going in a vertical direction, as though they were little rockets blasting off into space. I suppose that when Christmas Eve rolls around, and news organizations do their NORAD-inspired monitoring of Santa Claus' journey, we'll see this graphic again and watch as Santa's sleigh weaves in between the static airplanes on the map.

But never mind how ridiculous these maps look, what is the point of using them at all? The fact that there are thousands of planes in the air at any given time is NOT news. The fact that Thanksgiving week is a very busy time for travel is NOT news. These maps, and the "news" reports that use them are useless and a waste of time.

Please, stop it.

The Power of Good-Bye

One of the big stories of the day so far is Madonna's decision to dump her music label (Warner) and sign a deal with an independent promotion and distribution company.

We're beginning to see many big names in music making similar decisions to strike out on their own. Lately, Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead have also decided to take control of their own destinies.

The RIAA frequently makes the argument that they have the artists' best interests in mind. But if that is true, then why are so many artists dissatisfied with the way they are treated by the RIAA's member companies? The truth of the matter is that the RIAA and the big labels are only looking out for the record company executives. The history of the music industry since the mid-20th century has been a history of large corporations abusing the creative talent that they employ and promote.

The big labels are irrelevant in this age of online distribution. The only possible reason why anyone would want to sign with a label would be a big label's ability to market and promote a new band that no one has ever heard of. But if you are a household name like Madonna or Radiohead, or if you have a large cult following like Nine Inch Nails, you don't need that same level of mass promotion--your music is going to sell no matter what. Today, it's easy--and relatively cheap--for a musician to record music independently. The internet allows for a wide variety of distribution models. And as Madonna has learned, you can hire an independent company to organize and promote your concerts and album releases. Artists don't have to follow the old model in which the labels took a huge cut from the profits of music sales. The new opportunities available today allow artists to keep more of the money that their music earns while also allowing them greater artistic freedom to pursue their own projects.

Market Traders

I found a website this evening that estimates the monetary value of blogs. I've got a couple of blogs so I decided to find out if they are worth anything at all. First, I tried my other blog and found that it is worth $0.00. But then I tried this one, and found that it valued at $564.54 (!!!). That's $564.54 more than I expected. I obviously don't have any advertising on this blog, and, aside from the occasional executive and/or investigator from Capella University, I don't get a whole lot of traffic, so I'm not sure where the "value" of this blog is coming from.

It's an interesting tool, though. If you have a blog, try it yourself.

Everything Looks Beautiful on Video

Recently, I have had the chance to watch what passes for news on cable TV. I've been away from cable news channels for a few years, and like Rip Van Winkle, I now find myself in a strange new landscape.

I have, over the past few years, been able to see short clips from YouTube, etc., of the travesties of journalism aired by Fox News, but what I didn't realize is to what extent the other channels like CNN and MSNBC have become "Foxified" as well.

The problem is that these networks no longer report the news. Instead, news stories are either sensationalized out of proportion (round-the-clock Paris Hilton coverage) or editorial commentary has replaced objective news reporting. The most extreme example of this is CNN's Headline News channel. Once upon a time, all this channel did, 24/7, was report the news. Now, during the prime time hours, it's all Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace. Instead of an anchor reporting the news, you get these bozos voicing their opinions on a small number--perhaps just one--of news stories. Instead of a just-the-facts broadcast where the viewer is left to make up his or her mind about the meaning and importance of the events of the day, you have these people telling you what to think.

You see this on all the channels now. Cable news is all about personalities: Beck, Grace, Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann--these people aren't journalists; they're people who know how to rile up their audiences so that their networks will get higher ratings.

The sources of just-the-facts news reporting are dwindling. You can still get it from the traditional networks--ABC, NBC, and CBS, although the editorializing that one finds on cable is fast making inroads to these traditional sources. PBS, with its offerings of the NewsHour and the BBC is probably the best bet for news nowadays, but I foresee a time in the not-too-distant future when "journalism" in the US will consist of nothing but commentary and propaganda.

Night of the Furies

Last night, Digg.com saw what can best be described as an online riot.

Context: a few months ago, the encryption code for HD-DVDs was cracked, allowing anyone with the code to make copies of HD-DVD content. The company behind HD-DVD technology used the DMCA to try to stifle the dissemination of the code. Interestingly, though, in the DMCA takedown notices, the code itself was mentioned, and since DMCA takedown notices are accessible to the public, the company, AACS, was inadvertently violating their own takedown notice--they needed to take down their own takedown notices.

If there's one thing the internet loves, it's irony, so this story--and the code that the AACS was trying to suppress--received even more attention. In the last few days, the AACS has begun issuing takedown notices to dozens of websites and blogs in a truly futile attempt to put the genie back in the bottle.

Digg was one of these sites. At least one story had been posted that mentioned revealed the code. But Digg didn't just delete the post, they also banned the person who had posted the story--and then when other Diggers started to object, Digg banned them as well.

Very quickly, the outrage among Digg users snowballed until finally, last night, virtually every story and every post made to Digg had to do with this controversy. Thousands of protest posts were submitted that contained the code, and Diggers demanded that Kevin Rose and the Digg staff either stand up for free speech or the riot would effectively shut the website down.

The mayhem even started spreading to other sites, most notably Wikipedia. Any Wikipedia article that was even remotely connected to DVDs, Kevin Rose, or Digg was vandalized with the encryption code. Wikipedia administrators had to lock down dozens of pages in order to prevent the vandalism from spreading.

I was online last night and witnessed the whole thing. It was amazing to watch. I have never seen anything quite like it in the decade or so that I have spent on the world wide web. Like I say, it is best described as a riot. If Digg had been a physical structure, it would certainly have been looted and burned. Since the riot was online, no one got hurt, and Digg is still up today.

At last, late last night, Kevin Rose gave in to the rioters' demands and will no longer attempt to censor the encryption code or stories about it. This, of course, leaves them vulnerable to a lawsuit by the AACS, but it's hard to believe that the AACS is going to be able to go after anybody. At this point, there is no way to stop the code--millions of people have already seen it. And besides, AACS shares a large part of the responsibility for making the code public in the first place.