Bad comoprozac

I have been a bad blogger. There are maybe eight (now nine) living in misery posts this month. This doesn't even mention my long-neglected blogs covering Pavement, beer, Lucia, etc. There just hasn't been time nor motivation.

I don't feel bad about this. Blogging doesn't pay the bills. It doesn't help me get closer to R or Lu. It's not getting yard work done. It just isn't that important.

That said, December will be different. I already have posts for almost the entire first week done. Some of them are not even my posts. There will be guest bloggers here in Misery. In fact, if you are reading this now, you may already owe me a post.

It is almost the end of the year, so lists need to be made. As David Cross once said (or didn't), Americans are the number one exporters of lists. I am about to prove that assertion to be true.

Not only is this the end of the year, it's the end of a decade. There should be lots of looking back over the last ten years. As of now, I've only really had time for music, but we'll see if I can slip something extra here and there.

So, bear with me as I shake off the cobwebs to give you a listapalooza in the coming month.

Best Songs of 2008

Reading this post at the bathysphere made me want to post my own list of the year's best songs. Of course, my list is limited to my own collection as I spend very little time listening to the radio and MTV doesn't play videos anymore.

Regardless, here's my list for the year's best songs, MTV-style...

10.


9.


8.


7.


6.


5.


4.

#93.6 BON IVER - Skinny Love
by lablogotheque

3.


2.

PORT O'BRIEN #1 I Woke Up Today
by lablogotheque

1.

The walkmen - In the new year
by le-pere-de-colombe

My Top 10 Indie Labels

I don't know whether I'm just lazy or Sarah has great ideas, but I feel like making more lists.

After a list of my favorite 20 Sub Pop releases, there was some discussion about additional lists including a list of favorite indie labels or the best Yo La Tengo songs. A label list piqued my interest.

Like several of my music lists, the items and order are constantly changing. So, keep in mind that this is not a static list, rather it is living, breathing thing that may or may not evolve into something else entirely.

10. Emergency Umbrella
Locale: Columbia, MO
Roster Includes: The Foundry Field Recordings, Bald Eagle, Sinkane, Gentleman Auction House, Witch's Hat
Their "Nirvana" (band that takes them to the big-time):Take your pick. Gentleman Auction house seems primed for bigger and better things. Of course, Foundry will join them on a tour this fall and plan to release a new record next winter. Oh, and Sinkane's Ahmed Gallab is set to play the kit for Of Montreal while his band opens several dates for them this fall.
My Thinking: This might be pandering to the locals, but this little label is starting to make some noise and features a variety of bands with surprising quality. Besides, isn't this what an indie label is all about? They're a little crew of bands who aren't making money but have dreams of stardom.

9. Kill Rock Stars
Locale: Olympia, WA/Portland, OR
Roster Includes: Decemberists, Colin Meloy, Gossip, Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney, Thao Nguyen, Xiu Xiu
Their "Nirvana": The fact that half of the roster I mentioned have left for greener pastures (or disbanded or died) means that all you have to do to be the KRS Nirvana is leave them for a major. Sadly, all the success of KRS bands has meant little attention thrown their way.
My Thinking: This has to be one of the most confounding labels ever. I don't understand how a label can have a ratio of good to bad acts like KRS and still not be in the national indie consciousness.

8. Team Love
Locale: Omaha/Brooklyn/COMO
Roster Includes: Tilly and the Wall, David Dondero, Jenny Lewis
Their "Nirvana": I don't know. I think they're still waiting on this one, but Jenny Lewis did put out an excellent album and has a new one on the way.
My Thinking: This label could hit it big (as long as co-founder Conor Oberst takes the entire roster on tour) with a string of five or six great albums from a quickly maturing roster...or they could join their big brother Saddle Creek in the "what could have been had Omaha supplied better musicians" file.

7. Polyvinyl
Locale: Champaign, IL
Roster Includes: Of Montreal, Architecture in Helsinki, Joan of Arc, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Their "Nirvana": Of Montreal hit it huge with that Outback Steakhouse ad, but I doubt this will be looked back as the defining moment of either the label's nor the band's achievements. A lot is riding on this fall's release of Skeletal Lamping.
My Thinking: This labels has done well for itself but is still a great album or two away from true indie greatness. Of course, they may also be a bad release or two away from oblivion.

6. Matador
Locale: NYC
Roster Includes: Mission of Burma, Cat Power, Belle & Sebastian, The New Pornographers, Times New Viking, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus
Their "Nirvana": Although none of them hit it Nirvana big, these acts have made a significant dent on the music landscape: Pavement, Guided by Voices, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, etc.
My Thinking: Although this label has lost some of its gusto, it still turns out an impressive roster and even more impressive alumni. (It should be pointed out that while looking through the roster, Pavement is listed as "active." I'm just sayin'.) Matador may go up and down on this list, but they will never leave my top 10.

5. Art & Crafts
Locale: Totonto, Ontario
Roster Includes: Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stars, The American Analog Set, The Hidden Cameras
Their "Nirvana": Like Nirvana, Feist left her indie label for major label riches, but her fame could help A&C get some well-deserved exposure.
My Thinking: This label is primarily loaded with members or former members of Broken Social Scene, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

4. XL Recordings
Locale: UK
Roster Includes: Vampire Weekend, MIA, Tapes 'n Tapes, Sigur Ros, Devandra Banhart...oh and some acts like Beck, Radiohead, and The White Stripes
Their "Nirvana": This is a tough one. Because some of the superstar acts on their roster only use XL for UK European distribution, it would be unfair to consider any of them as XL's Nirvana. Actually, it might be insulting to put someone like Radiohead in the same category as Nirvana. I'm going to go out on a limb and will proclaim MIA as XL's Nirvana. Just you wait.
My Thinking: Again, the confusion between US and UK rosters makes rating this label difficult. It also makes it difficult to consider it an indie. Either way, they are picking up some hot underground acts and bringing established performers back to the indie ranks.

3. Sub Pop
Locale:
Roster Includes: Band of Horses, The Shins, Iron & Wine, Grand Archives, Wolf Parade, The Thermals, Fleet Foxes, No Age...
Their "Nirvana": Uh...Nirvana.
My Thinking: If I were judging this on their entire roster over their 20 years, this would be number one, easily. In fact, by the time I'm done writing this, I may move it to the top slot. Sub Pop created grunge, revived the 7", nearly went under twice, and has reinvented itself numerous times. This is the model for all record labels.

2. Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar
Locale: Bloomington, IN
Rosters Include: Antony & the Johnsons, Swearing at Motorists, Jens Lekman, Bon Iver, Sunset Rubdown, Okkervil River, etc.
Their "Nirvana": I don't know. It seems every time one of these labels releases a record, it's proclaimed as "the next big thing." Antony had a good run. Everybody's talking about Bon Iver. Okkervil is building a great following. It's hard to identify just one Nirvana from this list. I don't think it's happened yet, but history tells me they have one in their midst.
My Thinking: This really is the most interesting label (or duo of labels) out there. Although they've received all the critical acclaim of labels like Sub Pop, Matador, or Merge, they haven's seen much of the same love on the Billboard charts. I know we're talking indie labels where the bottom line isn't always the goal, but it does them no good to go under.

1. Merge
Locale: Chapel Hill, NC
Roster Includes: M Ward, Destroyer, Conor Oberst, Arcade Fire, She & Him, Bob Pollard, Caribou, Spoon, Portastic, Lambchop, Lou Barlow, Camera Obscura, Crooked Fingers, etc.
Their "Nirvana": Arcade Fire or Spoon: Take your pick. Even though the rest of the roster doesn't sell like these acts, they always pull in tons of critical acclaim.
My Thinking: This decade has been dominated by one great Merge release after another. All other labels aspire to be Merge. Where Matador will always stay in my top ten, Merge will always be one of my top two or three.

Also considered:
K Records - It feels like KRS has taken the reigns of kindercore and Olympia...that is, until Calvin Johnson figures something out.

Asthmatic Kitty - Although they boast an impressive group of artists, name one of them aside from Sufjan Stevens.

Saddle Creek - This label was on it's way. Now you have Conor Oberst recording for Merge, The Faint are on blank.wav, and who know where Cursive will wind up. Plus, the Omaha contingent is being overtaken by Team Love.

Barsuk - This label is riding Death Cab for Cutie for all they can get - much the same way Sub Pop leaned on Nirvana.

Jade Tree - This was hugely influential label that just doesn't contain the same impressive roster it used to feature.

Warner Bros. - I know. I know. WB is no indie, but they feature a ton of indie-minded acts on their various imprints and have had a reputation to allow bands to develop. The success of The Flaming Lips alone demonstrates this fact.

FlameShovel - Apparently, Billy Schuh likes this label. He has some good reasons. I'll have to challenge him to put it in writing, though.

Drag City - This may have been oversight. In fact, I should probably sneak it into number 6 or 7. Oh well, you always leave someone out. This year's releases include albums by Silver Jews and Will Oldham.

Touch & Go - Again, this might be an oversight, but I sort of feel T&G's best years are behind them. Their history insures T&G will always be in this conversation.

As mentioned just above, I'm sure that I overlooked something. Plus, I may have been too lazy to move the order around and add DC to the top ten. What do you think? Did I miss a label? Is my order all askew? Discuss.

(BTW-This was mostly written last night. I used my lunch to add the links and images. Do you see the things I do for my readership?)

a thing to do...

Chris at gorilla v. bear had a great (borrowed) idea to post his favorite albums from every year he's been alive. I thought I'd do the same...even though it will disappoint some of you to find just how old (or young) I actually am. It's harder than it may seem, especially to come up with albums while you were in diapers that you actually own now.

So, without further ado, here's my list of favorite albums from each year of my life. (Remember, hindsight is 20/20.)1975: Patti Smith - Horses
Honestly, this is one of those albums I have listened to or had various tracks on mixed tapes many, many times but have never purchased it. I do always look for it whenever I'm sifting through stacks of used vinyl but to no avail. The fun part about making this list is that it gives me a new list to take to the store.

1976: The Ramones - The Ramones
Here's another album I am vastly familiar with but don't actually own. Add it to the list.

1977: Television - Marquee Moon
The title track has to be one of the top-five guitar songs of all-time.

1978: Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
An Ohio band makes it onto the list. Was music ever the same after Devo?

1979: The Clash - London Calling (UK release)
I bought this when I was searching out anything with a political pulse. The cover is the most punk rock thing ever...until everyone and his brother started smashing their guitars like 12 years later.

1980: Talking Heads - Remain in the Light
This is the album when Talking Heads came into their own. I think it deserves more credit than it often gets for its influence on indie music for the next 28 years.

1981: Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls and Marches
I got into this band (and several others from the 80's) after reading Michael Azerrad's excellent book, Our Band Could Be Your Life.

1982: Prince - 1999
This might be the first album on the list that I actually liked in the same year it was released.

1983: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
Sure, karaoke singers, acoustic guitar hacks, and 80's nostalgia have tainted this record, but it's still a fantastic punk rock album.

1984: The Replacements - Let It Be
My uncle who came of age during the SST/Twin Tone 80's suggested I start my Replacements education with this one.

1985: The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
I've never really been a huge Smiths fan, but the combination of the music and the imagery on the cover really appeal to my punk side, despite Morissey's melodrama.

1986: Beastie Boys - License to Ill
As I entered this piece of grade school nostalgia, I realized that my cassette tape copy is nowhere to be found. It's time to upgrade. And when are the drastically evolved Beasties going to remake this album to better represent their current views?

1987: Sonic Youth - Sister
Two words: "Tuff Gnarl".

1988: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
There's a reason they played this record for ATP.

1989: Pixies - Doolittle
I did not catch this band in their heyday, but I did see the fatter, balder version about three years ago.

1990: Sonic Youth - Goo
I could have put Sonic Youth all over this list. The fact is that few bands (if any) made music as good as SY through the first half of their career. This is about the year where it gets increasingly harder to pick albums. My own nostalgia and expanding knowledge base through the next 18 years made it very hard to pick just one record from each year.

1991: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
This album is on every one's shortlist.

1992: Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
If you know me, then you knew Pavement had to make one or two appearances on this list. Admittedly, I probably had Crooked Rain... before I bought this one.

1993: Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
I think I've said enough about this album.

1994: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
For me, indie rock finally took off once Pavement figured out what Sonic Youth was doing and took it to another place. Have I mentioned my fondness for this band? Read my other blog.

1995: Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura
This might be their sloppiest, dirtiest album, but "My Heart's Reflection" is the most gut-wrenching song I've ever heard.

1996: Modest Mouse - This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
This is certainly a nostalgia pick for me. The best part of this album (and most great albums) is that it has pieces and parts that would revolve as my favorite sequence of 3-4 songs. TIALDFSWNTTA encapsulated my last year of college perfectly.

1997: Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On
Warner Brothers thought they had a pop-punk hit-maker, but what they got was one of the most sprawling exercises in guitar indulgence ever put to tape.

1998: Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
I'm glad this album is getting renewed interest in its tenth year.

1999: The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
It took me a while to get this record, but when I did...

2000: The White Stripes - De Stijl
This album flew under the radar until a few well-produced videos and a re-release gave it new life in the following year. They used to play the club circuit in Ohio all the time.

2001: The Shins - Oh, Inverted World I'm sad that no one recognized this LP's brilliance until Padmé and that dude from Scrubs shared some headphones, but at least they did. I ignored them the year before as they opened for Modest Mouse.

2002: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
This choice felt like I was cheating.

2003: The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
Play this one with the stereo all the up while you drive through town today and you'll understand.

2004: Arcade Fire - Funeral
No band has excited me as much as Arcade Fire since my college days which were filled with endless excitement.

2005: Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
If he's going to record an album for all 50 states, he better get a move-on. This only makes two.

2006: The Thermals - The Body, the Blood, the Machine
I caught on to this one late. To this day, I still have to consciously keep myself from playing it over and over.

2007: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
This was another late pick-up for me.

2008 (so far): Port O'Brien - All We Could Do Was Sing
OK, so I've already revised my list for 2008. It's hard for me to not listen to this CD.

Now, it's your turn. I suggest posting your list on your blog and leaving a link in the comments. Of course, you could just critique mine...just no name-calling.

A List of Things to Come

This is a list I have of posts I must make on this blog and others...

1. Beer
2. NCAA Update
3. Race/Racism in America
4. Blogging in the Classroom
5. Another Pavement Song
6. The Big Ten
7. Slow Pace of Societal Reactions
8. Stupid Misery/Missouri
9. McCain Statement Pic
10. Blogger Impersonations
11. More Concert Memories
12. Complaints about Teachers and Schools
13. Some Best of Lists
14. Recipe for our Misery Lunch
15. R
16. Why my plan for weight loss pales in comparison to Pizza's and Lovey's
17. More record reviews
18. The ridiculousness of gender selection
19. Local Politics
20. etc.

That is all.