Anvil! The Story of Devotion

I love a good movie that rocks. From The Blues Brothers to Hedwig And The Angry Inch, any movie that has to do with music typically resonates with me. When I first heard of a small documentary about a thrash metal band from Canada entitled "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", I knew it would be my kind of movie.



Now after seeing it a half dozen times, "Anvil!" is my favorite film 2009 had to offer. Regardless of whether you like metal music, you will enjoy this movie. On the surface it is a documentary about a couple aging metalheads that never quite made it to the big time (however are referenced as influences by Metallica, Guns 'N Roses, Anthrax and Slayer.) But at its core, the movie is about two guys who are so passionate and devoted to their craft they forge ahead, even if only a handful of people, not including spouses, children and siblings, appreciate their work. The result is a movie that will not only melt your face off but touch your heart.

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil trailer

Vampire Weekend Part II - Contra

XL Recordings (1-12-10) The second offering from this foursome of Columbia University bandmates is laced with the same catchy, rhythmic fare as their self-titled debut. With a unique sound that blends influences from traditional African music, island reggae, and ska (amongst others), Vampire Weekend continues to explore a new avenue in indie pop. The album begins with the track "Horchata", a syncopated melody with saccharin accents which flow as easily over your speakers as chai tea over your palate. "Cousins", the first iTunes single released from the album, emotes the winding guitars and upbeat tempo of "A-punk", and "Giving Up the Gun" is a pleasing base-carried departure from their typical format. The album is punctuated with "I Think Ur A Contra", on which Ezra Koenig muses "my revolution thoughts, your little arrows of desire, I want to trace the source...you're going to watch out for yourself, and so will I". This bookend track is a creeping ride to a connection severed, and the quiet contemplation of the path not taken. The alternate path appears to be Vampire Weekend's modus operandi, and that's fine by me.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cash Back

It's unfortunate when you discover a band or artist you thoroughly enjoy and anticipate more and better things from in the future as they continue to evolve, only to have them devolve into something disappointing and craptacular (the Journey-fication of Kings of Leon comes to mind). Then there are others who never seem to disappoint and have the ability to hang on to the sound that initially made you a fan while keeping things interesting enough to have you come back for more time and time again. Johnny Cash continues to do this for me, even from the grave. I grew up in the backseat of my parents' car listening to JC and Roger Miller on countless trips to and from my grandparents' house. I love those songs and they signify a happy time from my youth with my family. If you've heard anything he's ever done then I don't have to sell you on just what makes JC's music special. If you haven't heard him....no, you're heard him.

By the time I was in high school and had begun to develop a more refined taste in music, JC launched a career comeback by teaming with Rick Rubin and releasing American Recordings - an album consisting mostly of covers of very recognizable popular songs. If you're read my best of the 90's post you'll know this was in my top 10 albums of that decade. He created the template for other aging musicians' career rebirths (see Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Tony Bennett to name a few) by lending his vintage sound to songs and production a younger generation can identify with. Since that first spectacular album, he's released four more studio albums (one posthumously) and a box set of four discs worth of unreleased material. On those albums he's covered Nick Cave, Danzig, Tom Petty, Nine Inch Nails, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Depeche Mode, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, The Eagles, Soundgarden, U2, Leonard Cohen (he of the recent Cash-esque comeback himself), Bob Marley, Beck and many, many others. If that's not an eclectic mix, I don't know what is. He never covered Hall and Oates - draw your own conclusions.

These albums have been the soundtrack to a lot of good times in my life and have helped me through some of the worst times in my life. For these reasons, I'm very pleased to learn that a second posthumous album is forthcoming next month. The sixth studio album, American VI: Ain't No Grave will arrive February 23rd. While his later stuff is noticeably affected by age and declining health, it's no less powerful and I expect good things from this last compilation. I'll revisit this topic after giving it a listen. Meanwhile, check out American Recordings and American IV: The Man Comes Around to get you started.

Death Metal Rooster

Whether you are a fan of this genre or not, check out this video. Who knew nature, poultry for that matter, could be this brutal! Thanks for the clip Andrew!



Up The Horns!
\m/ \m/

Haulin' Oats

We are amidst reminiscing the decade that was and all the brilliant music that came from that "era". I want to take a step back and discuss an album that has stood the test of time. I think it is easy to say the music we heard in "the Ohs" may not have been the same if it was not for Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Okay, maybe not, but Hall & Oates are still deserved of some props. In 1981, Billy Squier, Olivia Newton-John, REO Speedwagon and Blondie were ruling the airwaves when all of a sudden the 'Blue-Eyed Soul', juggernaut duo Hall & Oates released "Private Eyes". Following the success of their single 'Kiss On My List', "Private Eyes" upped the ante. Just look at the album cover, it spews street cred!



Their best song to date, 'I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)', has been sampled by the likes of De La Soul and 2 Live Crew. Who knows, if that song had never been written, there may have never been an OutKast or 50 Cent, both of whom credit those artists as influences (De La Soul and 2 Live Crew that is, if I am wrong they should be influences). Other megahits include the self-titled track that seems to be a clairvoyant vision of Michael David Barrett and 'Do It In A Minute' which is obviously referring to the speed at which John Oates trims his mustache. Do yourself a favor and buy this classic 80s album.



Simon and Garfunkel eat your hearts out.

Best of the Oh's - ZH style

It was tougher to compile this list than I expected. Lots of good stuff in the Oh's. I have a top thirty in no particular order - except for the top 10, which are also in no particular order. I have no doubt my top 10 were influenced by recency. It's hard to avoid it. Parenthetical tracks are especially tasty.

Plant & Krauss - Raising Sand (Gone, Gone, Gone)

Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs (MX Missiles)

Bright Eyes - Lifted (Make War)

Cody Chesnutt - The Headphone Masterpiece (Eric Burdon)

Damien Rice - O (Eskimo)

Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat (Paw Paw Tree)

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (Take Me Out)

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Cheerleader)

Kings of Leon - Youth & Young Manhood (Spiral Staircase)

Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig (More News From Nowhere)

Once Soundtrack (Say It To Me Now)

Radiohead - Kid A (Everything in It's Right Place)

Ray LaMontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black (You Can Bring Me Flowers)

Spoon - Gimme Fiction (The Beast and Dragon, Adored)

Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus (Jo Jo's Jacket)

Johnny Cash - American IV, The Man Comes Around (We'll Meet Again)

Strokes - Is This It (Last Nite)

Elliott Smith - Figure 8 (I Better Be Quiet Now)

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Portland, Oregon [of course])

Tom Waits - Orphans (all of 'em)

Air - Walkie Talkie (Venus)

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (Wolf Like Me)

White Stripes - White Blood Cells (Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground)

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Jesus, Etc.)

Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely (Old Enough)

Black Keys - Rubber Factory (When The Lights Go Out)

Blitzen Trapper - Furr (Furr)

Menomena - Friend and Foe (Air Aid)

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (Phantom Other)

William Elliott Whitmore - Song of the Blackbird (Everyday)

The Best Albums of the 00's: PD Version

When one looks back on the '00s, the music scene has changed dramatically. For the 2 decades prior ('80s and '90s), music, popular music for that matter, had been dictated by MTV. This is no longer the case. MTV has become obsolete unless you're into "reality" programming. The music scene has become more accessible with the internet and blogging, however we have to search out for music that we like as opposed to having pop shitte shoved down our throats. Trust me, this is a good thing. Consider adding any of the following albums to your music collection.

My top 30 albums of the 2000's:

30. Justin Townes Earle - "Midnight At The Movies" [2009]
-Choice track: They Killed John Henry
29. David Gilmour - "Live In Gdansk" [2008]
-Choice track: Take A Breath
28. Howe Gelb - "'Sno Angel Like You" [2006]
-Choice track: Robes Of Bible Black
27. Mew - "And The Glass Handed Kites" [2005]
-Choice track: Chinaberry Tree
26. Beck - "Sea Change" [2002]
-Choice track: Lost Cause
25. Iron Maiden - "Brave New World" [2000]
-Choice track: Out Of The Silent Planet
24. Wellwater Conspiracy - "The Scroll and Its Combinations" [2001]
-Choice track: Now, Invisibly
23. Band Of Horses - "Everything All The Time" [2006]
-Choice track: The Great Salt Lake
22. Gov't Mule - "The Deep End, Vol. 1" [2001]
-Choice track: Banks Of The Deep End
21. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss - "Raising Sand" [2007]
-Choice track: Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
20. Kings Of Leon - "Youth And Young Manhood" [2003]
-Choice track: Red Morning Light
19. Andrew Bird - "The Mysterious Production Of Eggs" [2005]
-Choice track: A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left
18. Tim Fite - "Gone Ain't Gone" [2005]
-Choice track: Away From The Snakes
17. 3 Inches Of Blood - "Fire Up The Blades" [2007]
-Choice track: The Hydra's Teeth
16. Lovage - "Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By" [2001]
-Choice track: Anger Management
15. Maktub - "Khronos" [2003]
-Choice track: No Quarter
14. Ray LaMontagne - "Till The Sun Turns Black" [2006]
-Choice track: Till The Sun Turns Black
13. Les Claypool's Frog Brigade - "Live Frogs: Set 1" [2001]
-Choice track: Riddles Are Abound Tonight
12. Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" [2007]
-Choice track: Don't Make Me A Target
11. Battles - "Mirrored" [2007]
-Choice track: Tonto
10. Tom Waits - "Orphans" [2006]
-Choice track: 2:19

9. Bonerama - "Bringing It Home" [2007]
-Choice track: Cabbage Alley

8. The Mars Volta - "De-Loused In The Comatorium" [2003]
-Choice track: Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt

7. Black Mountain - "In The Future" [2008]
-Choice track: Tyrant

6. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - "Once: Music From The Motion Picture" [2007]
-Choice track: When Your Minds Made Up

5. Mastodon - "Blood Mountain" [2006]
-Choice track: Sleeping Giant

4. Man Man - "Six Demon Bag" [2006]
-Choice track: Black Mission Goggles

3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus" [2004]
-Choice track: Cannibal's Hymn

2. Opeth - "Ghost Reveries" [2005]
-Choice track: Reverie/Harlequin Forest

1. William Elliott Whitmore - "Song Of The Blackbird" [2006]
-Choice track: Red Buds


As it seems, the best years for music this decade (in my mind) were 2006 and 2007 and the poorest were at the beginning, 2000, and end, 2009. My #1 album for the decade, WEW's "Song of the Blackbird" is truly a classic. I have yet to hear any complaints from those I have recommended it to. It may not seem like an obvious choice for #1 as a lot of people have never heard of this album let alone this artist. However, this farm boy from Iowa has easily crafted an album that is among my favorites of all time. It is a brilliant "Folk Opera" dealing with rural life, death, drought and flood. Seeing his live performance a year ago only solidified this album as my overall pick. The rest, regardless of the genre, are top notch to say the least. Some albums did not make the list because I did not want to duplicate artists; William Elliott Whitmore's 2009 release "Animals In The Dark" could have easily been among the top 20 as well as Nick Cave's 2008 album "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" Honorable mentions include Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Radiohead's "Kid A", Iced Earth's "The Glorious Burden", Jurassic 5's "Quality Control", TV On The Radio's "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes", The Word's self-titled album, Fantomas' "The Director's Cut", Outkast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below", Megadeth's "United Abominations", Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois", Trivium's "Ascendency" and Blackalicious' "Blazing Arrow." The '10s have a lot to live up to.

Best of 2009 - GW Version

As my maiden posting on the Co-op (thanks for the invite Paul) I thought I'd throw out the list of my favorite albums from the last year of the aughts.

I have a hard time making a list which ranks my favorites of anything, especially music, so I'm going to stay away from giving a "Top Ten List". I think music listening is simply too contextual to say without fail that Album ____ is my favorite. If I was asked "What is your favorite album of 2009?" I would probably reply "It depends on what I'm in the mood for."

Dangling preposition aside, I believe each album's weight is dependant on what sort of listening experience I was seeking. I wouldn't necessarily pick The Swell Season's new album as my favorite music for heading to the gym, but I would put it pretty close to the top for Saturday morning breakfast with the family. Conversely, when I want to emulate any driving scene from Ronin or The Transporter, I will throw in the We Were Promised Jetpacks album and proceed to be "that guy" who drives like a bat-out-of-hell while having his music just a little too loud for a guy who is wearing a suit and is in his mid-30's.

Also, I inevitably look back at my lists from the previous years and am disappointed with my rankings at the time and wish I could redo them based on the longevity of each album at the current time. The scale continues to slide with each year. Which is also why I look at making a list of my favorite albums of the 2000-2009 decade as such a daunting task. Anyway, without further rambling, here is my list of albums I think you should buy this year if you have not yet done so (albums listed in no particular order). Enjoy.

We Were Promised Jetpacks - "These Four Walls" (Alt Rock)
William Elliott Whitmore - "Animals In The Dark" (Blue Grass/Folk)
The Clientelle - "Bonfires On The Heath" (Indie Rock)
Cotton Jones - "Paranoid Cocoon" (70's Folk)
Foreign Born - "Person to Person" (Indie Rock)
Andrew Bird - "Noble Beast" (Folk/Indie Rock?)
The Swell Season - "Strict Joy" (Folk)
Colin Hay - "American Sunshine" (Folk/Pop)
DM Stith - "Heavy Ghost" (Indie Rock/Folk?)
Sholi - "Sholi" (Indie Rock)

A couple notes on the above list. First: take all of the genre classifications with a grain of salt. I feel like I'm having a conversation with my wife about paint colors when trying to figure out what genre a certain artist/band fits into. Is the paint color green or is it "forest wren"? Is the album Indie Rock or "Post-Modern Alternative Punk Rock"? I'm frankly not smart enough to make that determination. I am a product of the Poison, Cinderella and Def Leppard era. How am I supposed to know?

Second: Colin Hay could not come any more highly recommended as being placed on the MUST SEE list if he ever comes to your neck of the woods. He will be in the Minneapolis/Milwaukee/Chicago area this summer. I've been to see him 4 times since I've lived in Milwaukee. The shows are solo acoustic performances - which is when he's at his best. Buy the "Transcendental Highway" album for the song "I'm Doing Fine". That song alone makes the purchase worth it. He plays a mean accoustic guitar (contradiction of terms?) and has one of the most unique voices around. Check him out on the daytrotter website to get a taste of him acoustically.

http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/colin-hay-concert/20030904-37382032.html

Happy New Years, all. Buy some Tom & Jerry's mix, crank your favorite albums and tell your friends and family that there is actually good music out there that does not have anything to do with Miley or Cyrus.

- Wilbs

Artist of the Decade Rebuttal

Although Jack White had one hell of a decade and tops most critics list as the best the decade had to offer, he seems too obvious of a choice. I pose an argument for another music pioneer who not only released three of his best albums in the 00's after releasing a greatest hits album in the late nineties but had multiple other accomplishments to go along with his vast music repertoire. I am talking about none other than Nick Cave. This singer, songwriter, poet, author, composer, screenwriter from Victoria, Australia has been one of the hardest working people in music for three decades and after releasing his "Best of" collection in 1998, decided to put out even more groundbreaking material. Plus the man has released almost an album every year since 1984! My argument continues below:

2001 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds release No More Shall We Part. Chilling ballads with haunting lyrics.
2002 - Performs "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" with the legendary Johnny Cash on American IV: The Man Comes Around. He also covered the Beatles "Let It Be" and "Here Comes The Sun" for the I Am Sam soundtrack.
2003 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds release Nocturama
2004 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds release the double album Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus. Both albums have no faults. 17 perfect songs. The first album Abbatoir Blues is Western gospel, fire and brimstone preacher-style, rock brilliance. The second, The Lyre Of Orpheus, showcases Mr. Cave's more mellow side, yet doesn't compromise his lyrical fortitude.
2005 - The Proposition is released in theaters. Nick Cave wrote the original screenplay and the soundtrack/score to the movie. The film is quite possibly the best Western since The Unforgiven and one of my favorite movies of the decade.
2006 - See 2007, he had a big year and was in preparation.
2007 - Grinderman's self-titled debut album is released. Grinderman consists of Nick Cave and three members of the Bad Seeds. The album showcases more of a raunchy rock sound and has some fantastic lyrics to fit the mood of the album. The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is released in theaters. Nick Cave wrote the soundtrack/score to the movie and had a cameo appearance.
2008 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds release Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!. Favorite album of 2008. Check out the self titled track, "Albert Goes West", and "Midnight Man".
2009 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy is released in theaters. Nick Cave wrote the soundtrack/score to the movie. He also released his second novel The Death Of Bunny Munro.

Case closed. Plus, who could argue with that 'stache?

Best of 2009 - ZH version

I'm going with 5 this year. The caveat to any list and this one in particular is that there is no possible way for me to have listened to every album that qualifies. This is one man's opinion based on one man's particular exposures and preferences. Of the music I did listen to, these 5 stand out above the rest. I also agree with Wilbs that lists like these are somewhat trivial, but they're also kind of fun and are certainly intended to be taken with a grain of salt. There are several other albums that deserve mention, including but not limited to those from Cymbals Eat Guitars, The xx, Kyp Malone, Ramona Falls, Japandroids, Harlem Shakes, Flaming Lips, Fiery Furnaces, Devendra Banhart, The Cave Singers, The Dead Weather, Dan Auerbach, White Rabbits, Peter, Bjorn & John, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Avett Brothers, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, AIR, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, St. Vincent, Radio Moscow, Wilco and even Pearl Jam.

5. The Decemberists - Hazard of Love

4. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer

3. William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark

2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Best Albums of 2009: PD Version

This decade has finally come to an end and before I divulge my '00s "Best Of" list, here are my personal favorites from 2009. Enjoy this list for what it's worth. Depending on your preference of genre, these albums are definitely worth while.

10. The Swell Season – “Strict Joy” [Alternative]

Best tracks: Paper Cup, In These Arms, The Verb


9. Baroness – “Blue Record” [Metal]

Best tracks: A Horse Called Golgotha, Swollen And Halo, War Wisdom And Rhyme


8. Clutch – “Strange Cousins From The West” [Rock]

Best tracks: Minotaur, Freakonomics, Let A Poor Man Be


7. Andrew Bird – “Noble Beast” [Alternative]

Best tracks: Oh No, The Privateers, Natural Disaster


6. The Bakerton Group – “El Rojo” [Rock, Psychedelic]

Best tracks: Life On Lars, Chancellor, Work ‘Em


5. The Avett Brothers – “I And Love And You” [Alternative Folk]

Best tracks: Tin Man, I And Love And You, And It Spread


4. Tom Waits – “Glitter And Doom Live” [Singer/Songwriter, Alternative]

Best tracks: Going Out West, Metropolitan Glide, Singapore


3. Justin Townes Earle – “Midnight At The Movies” [Alt-Country]

Best tracks: They Killed John Henry, Mama’s Eyes, Walk Out


2. Mastodon – “Crack The Skye” [ Metal]

Best tracks: The Last Baron, The Czar, Divinations


1. William Elliott Whitmore – “Animals In The Dark” [Folk/Americana]

Best tracks: Hell Or High Water, Hard Times, Lifetime Underground

Artist of the Decade

It won't be hard to predict who my choice for this prestigious title will be. I decided to lay this out there before I unveil my top of the decade because his releases alone could fill out most of my top 10. That doesn't make for a very interesting list. I have loved the White Stripes since the first time I heard them (while this tribute is specifically dedicated to Jack, want to assure everyone that I appreciate what Meg has given us too). So, I've decided to list the top 10 reasons why Jack White is my artist of the decade for the 2000s. I've been reading a lot of blogs saying Kanye deserves the title for "transforming" the world of hip hop or that Animal Collective earned it for reasons I can not comprehend or that it should be George Strait (if you're into that kind of thing). For me there's no close second place (although second place would probably be Danger Mouse). The reason Jack runs away with it for me is because he came with quantity and quality. I challenge anyone to come up with one other artist who was as productive during the 00s as he was. Let's take a look:

2000: Second White Stripes album De Stijl is released.

2001: He follows that up the very next year with their breakthrough, White Blood Cells.

2002: What? No album released? What a slacker.

2003: White Stripes' Elephant is released, probably their most acclaimed album to date. Not one to sit on his hands, Jack also contributes 5 songs to the Cold Mountain Soundtrack and even plays a minor role in the film

2004: Van Lear Rose is released. Jack produced it and performed on it. It was Loretta Lynn's rebirth album, in the way American Recordings was for Johnny Cash. If you've never heard it, do yourself a favor.

2005: The White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan is released.

2006: The first of Jack's side projects is formed and The Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers is released.

2007: White Stripes are back AGAIN with Icky Thump.

2008: The Raconteurs' Consolers of the Lonely is released. Do yourself another favor.

2009: Jack's second side project, The Dead Weather, releases their debut, Horehound. Jack releases Fly Farm Blues, his first track under his own name since the Cold Mountain Soundtrack, for It Might Get Loud, the documentary about him, the Edge and Jimmy Page.

No one can deny the man is prolific. The amazing thing is, however, that all of these (with the possible exception of Broken Boy Soldiers) are simply outstanding albums.

Bless you Jack. Here's hoping we get more of the same in the teens.

Irish Rhythm And Blues

"Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!" Fot those of you who have never seen this "movie that rocks" it is Alan Parker's "The Commitments."



The film was released in 1991 and the soundtrack earned a Grammy nomination in 1992 for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group. The movie is about Jimmy Rabbitte, an aspiring music manager from Dublin, Ireland who is tired of the "shitte" music being shoved down his throat and sets out to assemble a band who plays only rhythm and blues. The result is a brilliant film directed by none other than the man who gave us the film version of "Pink Floyd's The Wall". The song is a musical (similar to how "Once" could be categorized as a musical) in the sense that there are many scenes in which the band plays full renditions of R&B songs like "Mustang Sally" and Wilson Pickett classics. Trust me, there is no singing dialogue. I only recently saw the film myself and the soundtrack is completely deserved of the Grammy nomination. Below is a clip from the movie in which The Commitments lead singer Deco Cuffe, played by a then 17-year-old Andrew Strong, sings Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness." For those of you who have seen "Once" or are fans of The Frames and/or The Swell Season, Glen Hansard plays the lead guitarist, Outspan Foster.



"Is this the band then? Betcha U2 are shittin' themselves." - Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.