As was the case last year, I listened to a lot of music with the assistance of my MP3 player. After the baby was born, that’s pretty much all I did in my spare moments, because it didn’t require any hands. Indeed, there were many Sunday afternoons where the baby and I would nap to Lush or The Clientele or Benoît Pioulard. Naturally, if I felt like rocking out to Forward, Russia! I had to break out the headphones.

The following list is in no particular order. Despite there being a surplus of good music last year, there was no one record that stood above the rest that I found myself listening to over and over again. Though if you ask anyone I know they would probably say it was Kill Hannah, but I’m never going to admit to that.

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – Fear Is On Our Side
I think it’s a prerequisite to have long, unwieldy band names if you come from Austin. Just ask …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. This is a record that takes a while to appreciate. First impressions of ILYBICD were that they were raiding the 80s closet like every other band lately, coming up with Echo and the Bunnymen mixed with the dark pop of Joy Division and early New Order. And just when you think it’s too good to be true, that the band is going to erupt into some keyboard-driven power pop that will be featured in an upcoming episode of The O.C., it continues to get bleaker. There’s something ominous about the entire recording – like John Carpenter’s old movie soundtracks. Indeed, this record is actually reflective of that portentous mouthful of a name. It’s an amazing debut effort, and shows that there’s still something to be found amongst the awful new wave wastage of yesteryear.

Forward, Russia! – Give Me a Wall
I imagine myself picking up a live electrical conduit and as my fingernails melt and my eyeballs erupt and the smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils, these are the sounds that are rattling inside my slow roasting skull. I can say this because it is exactly how I felt after walking out of their show at the Horseshoe back in December. Forward, Russia! also gets bonus points for having a female drummer that did not even break a sweat during their intense performance. Not recommended for anyone that gets annoyed at overly manic vocals (see: At the Drive-In).

Snowden – Anti-Anti
They opened for Forward, Russia! during the same concert, and in hindsight were the better band playing that night. Upon first glance, they may follow some conventions of the post-punk/angular rock scene that seems to be so trendy right now, but close inspection will reveal a greater depth to their sound. Jordan Jeffares’ vocals create a melancholy vibe throughout the album, while they easily integrate other elements like fuzzy, hypnotic guitars. Every time I hear the off-tempo beat of opener “Like Bullets” I am reminded of why this record needs to be on this list.

Serena Maneesh – Serena Maneesh
This is a band that really must be heard to be fully understood. A beautiful experiment in sonic landscapes, Serena Maneesh blends psychedelic rock with My Bloody Valentine and creates what could only be called “Newgaze” (no need to lash out; I’ve already started hitting myself for using that term). While mostly following standard song structures, there are tracks that simply repeat a note, but are supported by rhytmic textures that create a hypnotic atmosphere (see “Selena’s Melodie Fountain” and “Candelighted”). It may come across as experimental to some, but should be absolutely essential listening for any fan of the UK shoegaze movement of the early 90s.

Benoît Pioulard – Précis
Benoît Pioulard is actually Thomas Meluch, though I guess the alter ego makes him feel kind of fancy. Listening to Précis for the first time was a lot like when I heard n. Lannon’s Chemical Friends; the seamless fusion of acoustic guitar with electronic blips and beeps was pretty surreal. However, Meluch takes it one step further in the way he integrates random noise and “found sounds” with the music. A good portion of the tracks on this album aren’t even songs, just strange sample loops that flow into the song that follows. It’s a very subdued record, and perfect accompaniment to being lost in thought.

Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo to Anywhere
Dirty Pretty Things are no replacement for the Libertines, but they come awfully close. After Carl Barat and Pete Doherty parted ways they both started their own band: Barat with Dirty Pretty Things and Doherty with Babyshambles. One of them doesn’t sound like the byproduct of a drug-addled, destructive lifestyle. I bet you can guess which one.

Saosin – Saosin
I considered myself over the angsty, emo-rock scene. There was only so much I could take when every song felt like it was written by some whiny suburbanite about life’s many “problems”. So it was the critical acclaim that drew me to Saosin’s full-length debut. Of course it shares similarities with the scene: the power chords, the endless harmonizing, the feeble attempts at poetry in the song titles. But there is something different about Saosin. There is some musicianship in the band, and there is conviction in what lead vocalist Cove Reber is singing. And thankfully there is no screaming – a tactic that many emo bands use to sound “edgy”, but really it just sounds like they’re having a tantrum.

Kill Hannah – Until There’s Nothing Left of Us

I am not trying to be ironic with this selection. It really is one of the best records I have heard all year.

Guys who wear black eyeliner and sweat socks as sleeves with this sickening aura of faux-sensitivtiy about them can certainly be off-putting. An androgynous-sounding lead singer only adds to the absurdity of the recommendation. Surely there can’t be anyone other than teenage girls that listen to this stuff. Judging from their fanbase and official website, that’s probably a fair assessment. However.

When I started thinking about the music – I mean really, can you judge a band solely on appearances? (Don’t answer that.) – there is an influence in there that is at the core of my musical upbringing. The whole grunge-meets-glam-rock thing has been done before, in 1995 to be exact. The band was called The Smashing Pumpkins. The album was Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Then I started thinking about it some more. Billy was doing the gothic-lite schtick for Adore and Machina: The Machines of God. “Statues Without Eyes” might as well be “Stand Inside Your Love”. I had made the connection. And by then the music was starting to sound, well, awesome. Did I mention Kill Hannah was from Chicago?

As you would expect from such a band there are the typical eye-rollers: “Love You To Death”, “The Songs That Saved My Life”, “Scream”. But believe it or not the band has matured significantly since their previous record, which contained the laugh-out-loud “New Heart for Xmas”. And they do an excellent cover of “Under the Milky Way Tonight”, a song that fits perfectly into this collection.

If anything, the whole experience has taught me to be a little more open-minded when it comes to new bands. Or at least expanded my definition of guilty pleasure. I would never go to one of their concerts for fear of being labelled as some man-child pervert cruising for young pie, but I will continue to spin this disc and sing along, perhaps to the chagrin of my better judgement.

Afterword

Before anyone mentions the Silversun Pickups – a fine homage to the Smashing Pumpkins in their early years – I direct you to 2004’s Future Perfect, by Autolux. I find their sound is more attuned to the Pumpkins’ brand of space-rock, with a little Sonic Youth thrown in for good measure. Besides, Christopher Guanlao is absolutely no comparison to Jimmy Chamberlin. It’s like a huge portion of their sound had been surgically removed in favour of such rudimentary drumming. They can enjoy their success with “Lazy Eye” while it lasts, I suppose.

But first, a preamble to the year of music that was 2005: If I hear of one more band with the word “fire” in their name, I will scream. I am serious about this – I will scream and you will hear me, wherever the fuck you are viewing this hypertext from. And as for Wolf Parade making their way onto year end lists left and right – I say again that copying someone else makes you unoriginal. You might as well be listening to Funeral again you pretentious twats.

How the fuck did I get so off track? This is supposed to be a best of list, not my intense hatred of Pitchfork Media made flesh. The following albums are the best things I listened to all year. And I force fed myself a lot of polished turds based on some of these.

5. Nine Black Alps – Everything Is
What happened to grunge? I think it was put in a time capsule ten years ago and these guys dug it up early. Forget The Vines; those guys are just shit. Nine Black Alps is nothing you haven’t heard before, done a lot better. Did I just type that? I’m starting to sound like NME. Anyway give it a listen if you’re good and nauseous from all the post-punk electro-rock that the music press thinks you want to hear.

4. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday
The Hold Steady can stand proud knowing they likely have the worst singer in recorded history. The numerous Bible references and religious undertones might turn off a few listeners as well. So why is this listed? Because, to quote a friend, it’s rawk with a motherfucking a-w. I like their numerous E-Street Band influences as well. Digested as a whole, and realizing that this is in fact a concept album with a running story, it’s one of my favorite listens of the year. I still don’t understand the hoodrats.

3. Calla – Collisions
I don’t doubt for a second that these guys have toured around playing to minimal crowds since their formation in 1997. I was fortunate enough to see them play the Horseshoe to a crowd of thirty people back in November, having heard nothing but the freely available “It Dawned on Me”. The more I listen, the more I appreciate their minimal, haunting sounds. I can see them becoming one of my favorite bands; I have already started collecting their older material.

2. The Clientele – Strange Geometry
Like the Shins’ Oh, Inverted World, the music of the Clientele is extremely comforting in its familiarity, and almost dream-like in its delivery. This is the perfect record to listen to on a frosty Sunday afternoon, while nestled in a comfortable chair pretending to read a book. I mostly just fell asleep, though. So I guess it’s great music to fall asleep to.

1. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
You’ve heard the hype. Repeatedly and without end, I’m sure. I’m giving you permission to believe it. This is the only band you need to hear from the post punk revival that’s beginning to look like the next American Idol in terms of the quantity of entries and their obvious lack of quality. I used to play the drums, and every time I listen to this record I find myself wanting to play again. Dismissed by some as being “too” inspired by some of their influences (again, I really never want to understand the music press) a band like this needs to be around right now.

Billy’s new solo album, TheFutureEmbrace, hits stores June 21st. Based on what I’ve heard, it’s as if Adore and the more electropop sounds of Machina|The Machines of God had converged. The question you must ask yourself while listening to it, though, is whether you’re a Smashing Pumpkins fan or a Billy Corgan fan.

Now, as I’ve discussed with others, Billy starting up these weblog “confessions” in earnest could be viewed cynically as an attempt to garner interest in preparation for the release of his new album this June. Furthermore, why publish them on the web at all? Even though I got his book of poetry as a gift I would have gladly paid money for it. As a fan that’s been with him since I saw the “Rhinoceros” video on MuchMusic in grade 8, I could easily sit here and argue the legitimacy of these writings as those handed down in the purest form. Though all you have to do is read it yourself to realize their sincerity. I don’t think he wants sympathy or your money; rather, I think the fallout of Zwan and this new record has spawned some introspective phase that he wants to share with the fans and hardly works as a marketing concept. We’re probably the only ones that would care enough to read them all anyway.

Not many people understand Billy Corgan the musician, and he says himself it’s a result of pushing everyone away – including his bandmates. The tour for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and the subsequent recording of Adore was probably the band’s toughest time, and despite knowing the story more or less it was an interesting read. Many critics say that the Pumpkins “quitting” the music industry because they couldn’t compete with the current singles-driven artists was a cop-out; I used to agree. Now I realize that was the only thing he could do, because the relationship with his bandmates was strained at best. Thinking Billy might shape Zwan into what the Pumpkins might of been had they continued was foolish of me – it would have never worked, Billy was too driven and controlling at that point, having all but eliminated the other members from the creative process. So again they had no choice. Releasing an album of his own material is just a natural progression.

Consider this a brief detour from the site’s regular content, but to say that I am not fascinated with Billy Corgan the musician, the artist, the anti-hero of rock would be lying. Look at the god damned name of this place. It’s a given that I’ll be first in line to buy his new album, but in the interim I’m curious to see what else he decides to reveal.

I declare myself of faith

I once made a habit of sneering at anyone in possession of an iPod. They seem like such a fashion accessory, the owners flaunting them like it was some sort of status symbol. I laughed when the flashmugging site went online, and the subsequent downturn in the number of white earbuds I saw on the street. Forget subscribing to Apple’s school of over designed hardware – I wanted a Nomad Zen NX.

My flimsy shell of rebellion was swiftly shattered by my in-laws this weekend, who surprised me with a gift from Hong Kong – a 6 GB iPod mini. Something I never expected, because while I was over there I specifically avoided this type of technology because it was too much of a temptation (and still way too expensive). So now I join the ranks of the MP3 player elite, ashamed to be counted among this unstoppable marketing force. Though on the same token, eternally grateful for such a generous gift. I hear that the visions of Avril Lavigne t-shirt wearing high school students rocking out to their Minis eventually subside. Mostly.

After opening the obnoxiously arty packaging and rubbing my body with the deliciously sleek, silvery device, I decided to try it out. Apple loves to make their hardware completely idiot proof, but when someone other than an idiot wants to know how it works or configure the shit out of it, things tend to happen.

I remember downloading and installing iTunes when it became available for Windows. This was shortly after iPods became usable with Windows, and was considered a kind of watershed for digital music. I’ve always wanted to replace WinAmp with something less, well, WinAmp and figured that was the answer. Little did I know I was basically downloading Windows Media Player designed by Apple, and uninstalled the damned thing a day later. It had an interface that was smooth and appealing to the eye. In fact, it made sure to maintain the design conventions carried over from Mac OS. But what it didn’t tell you was what it was doing to your meticulously organized digital music library in the background. iTunes loves to make you think its doing you a favour, but it’s really just an annoyance dressed up in brushed metal. I have a 6 GB portable storage device, and the only way to use it is through that blasted program.

Loading songs onto my iPod mini was effortless, but I noticed that most of the ID3 tags were completely off (my own fault). The iPod onboard menu automatically organizes your songs according to album, artist, genre, etc., so this is pretty important if you expect to find a specific song to listen to. I can’t stand the singles-driven music culture that MP3s players foster, so for albums, track numbers are doubly important. Otherwise you’re listening to The Wall in alphabetical order, and suddenly “Another Brick in the Wall” Parts 1 to 3 are back to back and completely lose all their meaning. Adding or changing any of this information in iTunes will only update your library database, and not the MP3 file attributes itself – for that you have to “convert” the ID3 tags first. This made me constantly refer back to Windows Explorer and my beautiful hierarchical folder structure to correct them manually. Of course, this will only affect those that get tired of iTunes’ sluggish response and wish to use their old MP3 player. Custom playlists are easily creatable, and an “On the Go” function on the iPod itself will allow you to create playlists on the fly. I found that especially handy if I wanted to listen to a few albums in succession.

In the iPod’s Extras menu, you have the ability to store “To Do” lists, text files, contacts, and sync with iCal (if you have the program). This is a great idea! It’s not like any of this stuff takes up space. The coolest feature outside the obvious music playing one is the games. In this age of gadget-philia, everything must have games on it to be useful. The iPod mini sports Brick, Parachute, Music Trivia, and Solitaire. Solitaire definitely has the best graphics. I felt it was my actual hand on screen moving those cards. Brick is that age old classic Arkanoid dressed way, way down, but it’s fun to use the magic touchpad. I don’t know how often I’d play that one in public though, because it would defeat the purpose of wearing shitty headphones.

It’s hard to believe I can put half of my music collection on this thing, because in reality I doubt I’d ever make it through the playlist in my entire life. I think knowing that I have this capability makes this feel comforting, even though iTunes is essentially tying my hands.

as you claw the thin ice

After the breakup of Zwan, Billy hinted pretty heavily about going solo. But I didn’t expect him to head into the studio this soon. Corgan notes: “I am excited to work on this music, because for the first time in my life it will be my tunes with no compromises to anyone or anything. It’s gonna be loud and beautiful and poetic and dumb. Just the way I like it.”

Technically this is his first solo project, but as he said himself in the interview many people – including former Pumpkins and Zwan bandmates – would argue otherwise. With Corgan now finally having complete creative control over his musical vision, I expect nothing less than greatness from his new record.

you know I’m not dead

Today I received some most unfortunate news. It’s official; Billy has decided to dissolve Zwan.

Back in 2000 when I heard that the Pumpkins were on their final tour after formally announcing their lame excuses for breaking up the band, I was saddened, but glad that I would be able to see them at Summersault 2000. In hindsight, I was completely into their performance, but I can see why a lot felt that it was sub par. Hey, at least he waved goodbye to everyone when they had played their final encore. Only to break down sobbing after their final performance ever at The Metro in Chicago later that year.

And now he’s doing it again with Zwan? Sure, they weren’t together for that long so I doubt it was a very sorrowful goodbye for any of the members. But what about the fans, Billy? As soon as I heard about this new project, I was waiting for the Second Coming. And for all intents and purposes, for me it was. Zwan’s first album was fantastic, and I completely rocked out during their Toronto show back in March (although the crowd were a bunch of dimwits that had no idea what they were witnessing, they were too busy posing).

Maybe I’m taking this a bit too hard, but it seems to me that Billy is just giving up. He says he’s going to get into poetry or some shit, maybe a solo career. But we need a band, Billy. Already the members of Zwan are going their separate ways. The dream is dying and it breaks my fucking heart.

a little sunshine, just to butter my toast.

Starting at the cover, Action Pact as it’s so cleverly named takes some visual cues from the aforementioned One Chord to Another. But I won’t hold it against them. All of the tracks on the record are well produced, listenable, and provide a few riffs that I continue to hum to myself. However the overall quality of each song, if it can be measured, is not what I have come to expect from these guys. Or maybe I did expect it, since their previous studio album was a bit lackluster and appeared to mark a plateau in their career. The album creation process for them had turned into a formula: Chris sings a song, Patrick sings some songs, Andrew sings, and then Jay gets sensitive (and sings a song). On the first listen of this latest record I found I could predict who would be singing judging by the opening riff. Scary! Nevertheless, I find myself rocking out to most of the songs on Action Pact. Specifically: “Gimme That”, “Live On”, “Backstabbin’”, “Hollow Head”, “I Was Wrong”, “Reach Out”…Wait a second. That’s like half the album. So it’s pretty fucking good then. They may say “yeah” a lot, but damn these guys have that harmonizing and catchy guitar riff thing down to a science (which is not really a good thing, most times).

Songs like “The rest of my Life” and “Fade Away” kind of hint at an introspective Sloan, a band that is reaching a point in their career where they are comfortable in their success and all too happy to be creating music until they feel it is time to stop. I can appreciate that, but I think that their contentment is reflected in the songwriting. I mean to be honest the chord progression and tempo of these songs are nothing new to them; they’ve been doing it since Navy Blues. They need to branch out, maybe try something new. I’d be curious to see if they could pull off an acoustic album, maybe go a little folk. But none of that Emo or Great Big Sea shit. Jay’s got the sensitive streak in him, I’m sure they could pull something off.

Sloan is one of my favorite bands ever, and are one of the few acts that have really made a name for themselves in the Canadian scene and actually deserved it. I’d recommend this record to any fan of the group. To the casual listener, you can take a chance, but don’t expect anything new from them. For a great introduction to Sloan, pick up Twice Removed and One Chord to Another.

Another slice of info I should pass along is this flyer of sorts that kind of jumped up and bit me as I opened the jewelcase for the CD. It’s definitely a sign of the times when you receive a Thank-You note for buying a CD. One thing is for sure, the folks at KeepMusicComing.com have an excellent ambush advertising campaign. The website is a good collection of information, but all those statistics and opinions that they’ve collected about people who download music versus buying it need to be put to good use. We’re still paying $20 for new CDs.

The former Nirvana bassist (for those that make a point of ignoring the last 10 years in music) is packing in his music career in favour of a future in politics. Some of us might say that his career after Nirvana went nowhere anyway, since he basically fell off the face of the planet after the questionable Willie Nelson tribute. It’s not like he had the luck or charisma of Dave Grohl either, to launch another band into the stratosphere. Instead he was seen as a failure with such bands as Sweet 75 and Eyes Adrift who both did very poorly in record sales (and had little or no publicity). He claims that is the reason for leaving the business, but I’m sure he was just frustrated.

Personally, if he wants to pursue a career in politics, good for him. I’m sure he’s had more than a taste of that while battling the she-bitch. My first reaction was to label him a coward for calling it quits with the music industry, but if you look back on what he had, it was too much too soon. The grunge scene exploded with Nirvana at the top, so how the fuck are you supposed to follow something like that? I can only imagine his lack of success outside of Nirvana made him seem inadequate alongside his former bandmate.

Krist began several good causes after the breakup of Nirvana, the most notable being JAMPAC (Joint Artist and Music Promotions Action Committtee), which lobbies against censorship and other legislation detrimental to the cultural and economic vitality of the music community.

I wish him the best of luck.