I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: 2007 Awards Show

All nominees for I Rock Cleveland's 2007 Awards Show were chosen by a committee of one, namely me. Similarly, all winners for I Rock Cleveland's 2007 Awards Show were chosen by a committee of one. In other words, these awards are just one man's opinion, man, and while they do reflect the opinions of I Rock Cleveland and its one man editorial staff, they're not meant to be taken too seriously. While I do award a Rusty Shovel Award for the year's performer most in need in common sense, you don't think I would advocate striking a musician with an actual rusty shovel, do you? Donnie Walberg New Kid On The Rock Block Award Best new band The nominees for 2007's Donnie Walberg New Kid On The Rock Block Award are No Age, Vampire Weekend, and 1990s. The winner shouldn't be a surprise to regular readers as this band released 2007's Album of the Year, Weirdo Rippers. The Donnie Walberg New Kind on the Rock Block Award goes to: No Age Nebacanezer Never Rocked So Hard Award The best record by a reunited band, or a veteran band, or any old band old enough to be your old man. This year's nominees for the Nebacanezer Never Rock So Hard Award are Dionsaur, Jr for their album Beyond, Buffalo Tom for Three Easy Pieces, and Nick Cave's Grinderman for their self-titled release. Of these three releases, only one of them truly took me back to my slacker youth and my wasted days of getting wasted and listening to tunes while I thought about doing stuff and instead decided that doing nothing was my best option, and that band was Dinosaur, Jr. The Nebacanezer Never Rocked So Hard Award goes to Dinosaur, Jr. The Second Best Thing About The Internet Award Best online music source not named I Rock Cleveland To be honest here, I'm not that full of myself to believe that I Rock Cleveland is the best thing on the internet. Sure, it's pretty damn good, but with my regular nine to fiver, I don't have the time to make this a full time gig, so I totally understand if you find it necessary to use more than one online source to get your music fix. Three of my favorites are Paper Thin Walls, Idolator, Donewaiting. And the Second Best Thing About the Internet Award goes to: Paper Thin Walls The Sophomore Suck Award It's bigger than a sophomore slump, it's a sophomore suck The second album is often considered the hardest album of a band's career. Do you give the listener more of the same? Do you bring in a big name producer? Do you trust your listeners to stick with you if you move in a new artistic direction? There's so many questions, but no sure fire way to make sure your second album doesn't suck. In the case of Art Brut, their debut album, Bang Bang Rock 'N' Roll, succeeded in large part to Eddie Argos' razor sharp wit and self deprecating humor. So, when the follow up, It's a Bit Complicated, was released and it was only kinda, sorta, ha-ha funny, it didn't matter that they finally learned how to play their instruments like a real band. The jokes weren't funny any more...Editors brought in noted producer Jacknife Lee to work on the follow up to their successful debut, The Back Room. Unfortunately for Editors, Jacknife Lee did as Jacknife Lee does, and jacked up the album by trying to make every number a big, anthemic, radio single. It worked well at first, I really dug the single, "Smokers Outside Hospital Doors," but after the second, third, fourth, and fifth anthem, it got rather tiresome..Speaking of big anthems...if I didn't know better, I would swear that Jacknife Lee had a hand in The Arcade Fire's grand, awkward, over reaching album, Neon Bible, too. Subtlety be damned. Instead of relying on songwriting to make profound statements, they relied on lots of emotion and lots and lots and lots of instruments. And The Sophomore Suck Award goes to: Arcade Fire The Fool Me Once Shame On You, Fool Me Twice Won't Get Fooled Again Award Least listenable critically lauded album Every year there's a few albums lauded by notable critics that fall flat on my ears. Last year it was the grating, pretentious harp musings of Joanna Newsome. Man, that was one bad album, and I don't mean bad as in good. I mean bad as in bad. I rarely, if ever walk out of a concert early. Even more rare are the times when I walk out of a show because I can't stand the sound. Yet, that's exactly what I did during the Dirty Projectors show in Cleveland where they played songs from their latest album, Rise Above. When it was released a couple weeks later, it received one glowing review after another. It's not that The Dirty Projectors are a bad band, all of them are very skilled musicians, they just have a very unique approach to pop music that isn't instantly gratifying. Ultimately, I decided to give them another chance. After all, this was an album inspired by Dave Longstreath's memories of Black Flag, so how bad could it be? How about nails scratching on chalkboard bad. My spine will never be the same...It hurts to put Wilco on this list as I celebrate their entire catalog, but what can you say about an album whose best track wasn't on the album but was first released for a VW commercial?...My satirical review of The New Pornographers' Challengers, in which I detailed a medical condition called Sky Blue Sky Syndrome that causes bands to release boring albums prompted one anonymous visitor to leave this gem in the comments section, "You could have saved a lot of words by just saying "waaaah, why wont you make the same record over and over??? you're a smug dick." I heart the internet. And the Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool Me Twice Won't Get Fooled Again Award goes to: The Dirty Projectors The Guitar Hero Hero Award The best shredder Marnie Stern's album, In Advance of the Broken Arm was one righteous lick, and one shredding solo after another. While our second nominee, Dinosaur, Jr's J Mascis, rediscovered the loud, grand, cascading guitar sound that (nearly) made him a star during the alternative explosion of the Nineties. Our last nominee, Nick Cave, never played guitar before his first album with Grinderman, and it's his newness to the instrument, as well as his wreckless, emotional aggression that made his playing so powerful. And The Guitar Hero Hero Award goes to: Nick Cave The Grand Michael Stanley Band Award Best band from Northeast Ohio Every year in Cleveland we're convinced we're one band away from a scene explosion. The fact that no one has broken from this scene since The Black Keys isn't from lack of talent. With a different zip code and/or some extra $$$, any number of bands from this town would resonate with the Pitchfork set. 2007's nominees include the rough Rock 'N' Roll of Coffinberry, trashy, trailer art-punk from The Very Knees, and the ever expanding psych rock sounds of The Dreadful Yawns. And The Grand Michael Stanly Band Award Goes to: Coffinberry The We Jam Econo Award Best live performance I don't remember where I read this story, but legend has it that one concert goer was so disappointed Jay Reatard's set was only 20 minutes long that he went directly to Reatard to voice his displeasure. Jay's reaction? We only played for 15 minutes. Well, the 15 minutes of Jay Reatard I saw, with the white flying V's, bouncing mops of hair, and simple 1, 2, 3, 4 melodic punk songs, were some of the finest 15 minutes I'd seen all year...A Place to Bury Strangers didn't do much for me on disc. I couldn't get past all the references to classic bands, including the inescapable Jesus and Mary Chain comparisons. However, when APTBS play live, and they push the limits of the human hearing with a big room sound of metal grating on metal in a small club setting, one quickly forgets about their shoegazing and ear shredding predecessors... As much as I've already raved about Parts and Labor's latest disc, Mapmaker, their glitchy future punk anthems were even more impressive live. Dan Friel and BJ Warshaw were like mad scientists stationed behind a lab of boxes, keyboards and guitars as they twisted, turned, and coaxed melody out of piercing screeches and howls. While ex-drummer, Chistopher R. Weingarten, put on one of the most intense, inhuman, and utterly exhausting performances I'd ever seen behind the kits. The We Jam Econo Award goes to: Jay Reatard The Greg Shaw Memorial Award The best record label award named after the legendary founder of Bomp! Let's look at the numbers: Fat Cat released two of my top 10 albums in No Age's Weirdo Rippers and Nina Nastasia and Jim White's You Follow Me. They also had two more releases, Frightened Rabbit's The Greys and The Twilight Sad's Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters, that were in serious contention for the top 25...In 2007 Merge records had new albums by Spoon, Oakley Hall, and Caribou as well as two Robert Pollard solo releases. However, their biggest release of the year was one I'd like to forget, Neon Bible...Our final nominee, Jagjaguwar continued their reputation as one of the most consistent indie labels with a release schedule that included Parts and Labor, Okkervil River, Lightning Dust, Sunset Rubdown, and The Besnard Lakes. And The Greg Shaw Memorial Award goes to: Fat Cat The Rusty Shovel Award The musician who could best benefit from a whack to the back of the head with a rusty shovel The purpose of the rusty shovel is not to cause bodily harm to a poor, wayward musician, rather, the rusty shovel is here to help. When all else fails -- intervention, rehab, counseling, phone calls from mom, more and different drugs -- a nice solid, but not too forceful, thwack from a rusty shovel can knock some sense back into an ailing mind. Such a tough call. I feel for Amy Winehouse. The poor girl can't keep her nose out of trouble. At the beginning of the year, I loved her booze hound image and the nudie tattoos. And she had songs, too, really good ones like "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good." Then, as the year wore on and we learned that her persona wasn't just a stage act, I winced as her life became one train wreck after another...I hate to keep picking on the Arcade Fire, but I cannot stand Neon Bible. Maybe a shot from a shovel will knock the Springsteen out of 'em...Lastly, we have Sufjan Stevens, who on the eve of opening his symphony about a bridge in Brooklyn, he proclaimed "Rock is dead." Sure, I've heard that one before, but I've never heard anyone claim that they could kill Rock 'N' Roll with a symphony. Oh, my delusional Sufjan, don't you have some songs about Wisconsin and cheese to write about? And the Rusty Shovel Award goes to: Amy Winehouse The Excellence in Awesomeness Award Artist Of The Year The merits of all three of the nominees: Jay Reatard, No Age, and Radiohead, have been noted in detail in these pages through the past year, and as much as I'd love to give the Excellence in Awesomeness Award to an underground shredder like Jay Reatard, or a DIY art punk band like No Age, there's no denying the impact of the most talked about band of 07, Radiohead. Let's cast aside the debate of whether Radiohead's name your own price release was a preview of the future of the industry, or nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Let's ignore the bellyaching about bit rates and physical release dates. Radiohead made the release of In Rainbows an event that more than one million people wanted to experience. That was no easy feat to accomplish in today's leak culture where record releases are secondary to the day the album first appears on the internet. Also, let's not forget the fact that In Rainbows was a damn fine rock record, too, and for that, 2007's Excellence in Awesomeness Award goes to Radiohead. More from I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: Top 25 Albums Top 40 Tracks Top 10 Northeast Ohio Releases Rockers and Readers Respond

I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: 2007's Top Releases from Northeast Ohio

If you've been following along with 2007's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza, then most of the albums included in my list of top Northeast Ohio releases for 07 shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Six Parts Seven and Coffinberry both appeared in the Top 25 Albums list, while The Very Knees, Machine Go Boom, Mystery of Two, and The Dreadful Yawns were all featured in 2007's Top 40 Tracks. Not to confuse things, but The Dreadful Yanws song, "Don't Know What I've Been On," isn't on the album they released earlier this year, Rest, but can be found on a limited edition tour EP, and should be included on their 2008 release for Exit Stencil. Also of note, The Suede Brothers self titled album, came out right before christmas and won't hit all the digital sites until next week. Additionally, I should note that this list includes quotes I've pulled from previous reviews. Lastly, at the risk of including too many notes, I'd like to personally thank the bands, venues, and local labels for all their hard work during the past year in bringing the sound of Cleveland to the people. 1. Six Parts Seven - Casually Smashed to Pieces "Casually Smashed to Pieces Casually Smashed To Pieces is the Six Parts Seven's fifth release for Suicide Squeeze and is also their most focused work. It's normal, and maybe expected, for many of today's post-rock releases to stretch comfortably past the hour. You know how it goes -- a little time for knob tweaking, a little time for feedback, a little more time for the knob tweaking, and then the coup de grace -- the four minute outtro. Bucking this trend, Six Parts Seven package 8 tracks in a neat little thirty minutes, and still give the listener plenty of time to close their eyes, open their ears, and let it all sink in." [Reviewed Jan 17th] Six Parts Seven - Falling Over Evening [download] 2. Coffinberry - God Dam Dogs "Coffinberry still has a good deal of that New York city cool that oozed from 2005's From Now On Now and earned them comparisons to The Strokes and The Walkmen. This time around, however, that vibe from their earlier work is mixed with Seattle sonic sludge to create a fuller, heavier sound. Its dirty, gritty, fuzz fueled melodies are nearly (dare I say) grungy." [Reviewed Apr 26th] Coffinberry - Earthworms in the Sun [download] 3. The Very Knees - Pour Poor Moi/Ohio Peaches The Very Knees - Pour Poor Moi [download] 4. Unsparing Sea - Clouds in the Cathedral "Cleveland and nautical inspired folk music may seem like an odd pairing. Sure, we have Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, and the War of 1812, but when you look at the modern shoreline and see a highway running along the coast, an airport to the east, and heavy industry to the west, there's little to be romantic about. Yet, it's the boundless possibilities of the open waters that helped shape the debut album, A Cloud in the Cathedral, by Cleveland's Unsparing Sea."[Track Review Nov 20th] Unsparing Sea - God Will Protect the Naive [download] 5. Machine Go Boom - Music for Parents "While Machine Go Boom have grown up considerably since 2004's Thank You Captain Obvious, they have not abandoned the hyperkinetic pop of rapid fire guitar chords, and swirling keyboards that originally made them a favorite on the local scene. Do you remember that slow, brooding number, 'Small?' Well, it runs right into the helium fueled 'Build Me a Ladder,' then the six cans of Red Bull on a road trip, 'All The Way to PA.' Should the words dirge and Machine Go Boom, make you shudder, you'll be thanking your lucky jumping beans and back to bouncing of the walls in no time, as it's quickly succeeded by the wildly infectious 'Mummy (Oh My)' and the rocket-powered pogo of 'Quarantined.'"[ Reviewed Apr 2nd ] Machine Go Boom - All the Way to PA [download] 6. The Dreadful Yawns - Rest The Dreadful Yawns - Candles [download] 7. Audio Eagle Records Presnets - A Compilation of Bands from Ohio 8. Mystery of Two - Arrows Are All You Know "Mystery of Two is the sound of Cleveland. It's the urgency of running red lights through the intersections where you'd rather not stop with full knowledge that big brother's traffic cameras have an electronic eye on your license plate. It's the paranoia of looking both ways, twice, as you make your way down darkly lit side street. It's the knowledge that the only thing the city seems to be good at these days is poverty and killing. Mystery of Two embodies all the sh*t we take living in this town, as we scratch our way by with resiliency, determination, and pride. Mystery of Two is real, gritty Cleveland." [ Reviewed Aug 10th ] Mystery of Two - Desolate [download] 9. The Suede Brothers - s/t "Their strengths are obvious and immediate. They've got skill, loads and loads and loads of skill. Guitarist Dylan Francis along with bassist Kevin Naughton and drummer Mick Varga lay down one thick, heavy, vintage groove after another, taking you back to a time when Camaros were king, jeans were tight, and Rock 'N' Roll ruled the radio."[ Reviewed Dec 21st ] The Suede Brothers - Shotgun Philly [download] 10. Trouble Books - Distortion Pedal "Although Distortion Pedal features the gentle hiss of a four track recording, and the relaxing crackle of an old LP, the ideas and ambition of Keith Freund and his bandmates in Akron's Trouble Books, aren't limited by their humble living room studio. The mix may be limited -- if there's clarinet, then the trumpet isn't playing, if there's strings, then there's no trumpet, if the organs are whirling, then there's no strings -- you get the picture, but the songs themselves are never sacrificed. They remain delicate portraits of every day life where couples argue about the dishes, friends talk about records, and no one understands James Joyce. " [ Reviewed Nov 14th ] Trouble Books - Distortion Pedal [download] More from I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: Top 25 Albums Top 40 Tracks Year End Awards Rockers and Readers Respond

Housekeeping

Maybe you've already noticed, but if you haven't caught on, let me state the obvious: things have slowed down on I Rock Cleveland the past couple weeks. December is traditionally a slow release month, and a sluggish concert month, so as opposed to posting just any old thing, or posting Christmas songs (and if you know anything about me, then you know I really, really don't like Christmas music), I've been posting nothing. I still have a couple more year end posts I want to publish, including the top albums from NE Ohio in 07, and my annual awards, but with Christmas, a birthday two days after Christmas, and my new year's travel plans, things will continue to be slow until after the new year. If you're looking to see some live music during the holidays, there are a few shows coming up that are worth mentioning. Tonight, The Suede Brothers are hosting their record release party before the Gore Gore Girls and Mr Gnome show. Saturday night, Gil Mantera's Party dream are headlining the Beachland Ballroom for a holiday night filled with synth rock and drunken shenanigans. Next week, The Grog Shop is throwing their annual party on Christmas night with Roue, Machine Go Boom, and Short Rabbits. Looking ahead to New Year's Eve, The Detroit Cobras and Cobra Verde play the Beachland Ballroom, and at Now That's Class, $30 will get you music from Born Bad, No Peace, Sun God, Mr. California, and Burger Boys as well as an open bar.

"Shotgun Philly" by The Suede Brothers

The last time I saw The Suede Brothers in concert, my friends and I were accosted by an over eager aunt who was all too eager to tell us how her nephew's band were just like Zeppelin. "What did you think?" "Weren't they great tonight?" " Aren't they just like Zeppelin?" Oh man, I hate being put on the spot like that. The conversation went back and forth from the over eager aunt, and one of my friends who was willing to take the "Realistic expectations" challenge. I remember the debate going something like this: Aunt: They're just like Zeppelin. Friend: They don't have soul. Aunt: They're young, how do you expect them to have soul? Friend: You live and you learn. Aunt: Don't you think they're talented? Friend: They're very talented musicians, but they don't have soul. Aunt: How do you expect them to have soul? This went on and on and on. I was content to sit and listen and drink my beer, which was cold and tasty by the way, when I overheard, "Bill you're a writer, what do you think?" What do I think? They play bullsh*t free, unpretentious rock 'n' roll. I thought The Suede Brothers were great as a four piece, when they were The Black Diamonds, and I was disappointed by the news when I first heard they broke up. I think Dylan Francis is a highly skilled rock guitarist, who can rifle off riffs to match anyone in this town. But do you think I want any part of this conversation? "Oh, I don't write. I blog." Then I made a typing motion by wiggling my fingers to emphasize my point. "Oh...You blog." I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was one of those who don't consider bloggers to be real writers, and within seconds, over eager aunt lost interest in my opinion. It's too bad. If she hadn't started off with the line, "Don't you think they sound just like Zeppelin?" and followed it up with "My nephew's in the band," I may have given her an honest appraisal of The Suede Brothers. Their strengths are obvious and immediate. They've got skill, loads and loads and loads of skill. Guitarist Dylan Francis along with bassist Kevin Naughton and drummer Mick Varga lay down one thick, heavy, vintage groove after another, taking you back to a time when Camaros were king, jeans were tight, and Rock 'N' Roll ruled the radio. They're relentless. The guitar barrage begins with track one, "Shotgun Philly" and doesn't end until the last note of track ten, "Lay it Down." The sound and the production on their self titled album is top notch. "Jolly Rodger" utilizes the lost art of audio dynamics, where the loud parts are loud, the soft parts are soft, and when the guitars roar back to life, the shift in volume accentuates their fury. My main criticism of The Suede Brothers, goes back to one of their main strengths, with a constant onslaught of one heavy riff after another, and only slight variations in structure and tempo, they run the risk of giving the listener riff fatigue. One change of pace number in the middle of the album would have made an already hard charging back end of "Red," "Lay it Down," and "Serenade" even heavier. Are The Suede Brothers just like Zeppelin? No, there's only one Zeppelin, and there will never be a next Zeppelin, and more than that, it's a question that should never be asked. Now, if you ask me if The Suede Brothers rock, I'll answer "Absolutely. They rock f'n hard." The Suede Brothers - Shotgun Philly [download] The Suede Brothers Myspace The Suede Brothers will be celebrating the release of their self-titled cd this Friday night when they open the show at The Beachland Tavern with the Gore Gore Girls and Mr. Gnome.

From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: The Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Is Coming to Cleveland in 09

In press conference held earlier today, Cleveland mayor, Frank Jackson, and Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame officials announced that the 2009 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Cleveland. This will be the first ceremony since 1997 to take place in the home of the museum. According to Terry Stewart, the CEO of the hall of fame museum, if all goes well in 09, then Cleveland will host every third ceremony. Sure, it would be better if the induction ceremonies were held in town every year, but as Joel Pressman, the president and CEO of the hall of fame foundation, pointed out, having the ceremony in Cleveland every year would be impractical since the labels and many of the hall's major benefactors reside in New York. It's a start. We can work on convincing the Doug Morris types in the industry on the benefits of this novel invention called the airplane next year. He's no technologist, so he may not be aware of these flying machines that can get you from point A to point B in a short period of time. Now that we have the ceremony in Cleveland in 09, the big question is who will we be inducted into the hall of fame next year. It has to be better than the class of 07 with John (Cougar) Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, Madonna, The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures, right? The Plain Dealer published an initial list of who may be eligible that included Bon Jovi, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, New Edition, Pantera, Run-D.M.C., Slayer, The Smiths, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Aside from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and New Edition, the possible nominees aren't that bad. Run-D.M.C, Bon Jovi, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are pretty good bets to make it in, if not for 09's ceremony, then surely for a later date, and one would hope that the rock hall would have enough sense to consider new wave artists like New Order and Depeche Mode before Frankie Goes to Hollywood. On the metal side of things, the PD included two prominent metal bands in Pantera and Slayer, but omitted the biggest one, Metallica. Lastly, Sonic Youth, The Replacements, and Billy Bragg are all eligible for next year's class, as are The Beastie Boys, who missed out on this past year's ballot. Cleveland to Host Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from Cleveland.com

I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: 2007's Top 40 Tracks

Unlike my year end album chart where the rankings were based solely on my personal reactions from listening to albums, there's more to the year end single chart than simply playing a song on the stereo then deciding whether it was hot or not. For one, a good video helps. Kevin Drew's "Backed Out On The..." is a top jam in its own right, and it has some great guitar work by guest shredder J Mascis, but what really makes the song is the video where Drew and a whole mess of his closest friends get totally stoopid rockin' out. Bonus points were also rewarded for live performances. I probably saw The Dreadful Yawns, four, maybe five times this past year, and over the course of the year, "Don't Know What I've Been On," became their signature number. There's a break down near the middle of the song where The Yawns jam -- sometimes it's a lovely feedback laced racket, other times, it's decidedly more subtle, and in perhaps my favorite performance, guitarist Ben Gmetro went so abstract that members of the crowd around me were convinced he was experiencing gear issues. Lastly, in the case of Fucked Up's "Year of the Pig", bonus points were awarded for having the mega balls to record and release an 18 minute post-hardcore opus. Would "Year of the Pig" been a better song if it was only 12 or 13 minutes long? Perhaps. Then again, if it was only 12 or 13 minutes long, they would have only gotten bonus points for having big balls, and not mega balls. 1. Grinderman – No Pussy Blues. I know this guy, and he has the "No Pussy Blues," and he tells me that the reason Grinderman's song of the same title is so funny is because it's true. He's tried the gentleman route. He's done poetry and flowers. He pretended to like her revolting pets. He's fixed stuff at her apartment. And, when none of those things worked, he tried boozing and being an a**hole. After all that, I, err...I mean that I guy know, still didn't get any. [download] 2. Electrelane – To the East One of my favorite moments on the version of "Capital Radio One" from The Story of The Clash, is when Joe Strummer is being interviewed on a train, and he's talking about his musical epiphany, "When I saw the Pistols, right, I realized I wasn't alone in the fact I couldn't play too well...and when I saw the Pistols that's what struck me as great. It suddenly struck me, that it didn't have to matter that much." And for one song, it doesn't matter. Everything comes together perfectly on "To The East:" a simple bass line, some tick-tick thump from the drums, a sparse, repetitive melody from the guitar, then add a little background noise from the organ, and a loving lament. It builds slowly, and graciously, and when the pain gets nearly unbearable, they hit the effects pedals. [download] [youtube] 3. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma Paul Simon? Peter Gabriel? Ska? Are you kidding me? Don't Vampire Weekend know everyone's doing Springsteen these days?[stream] 4. Wilco – The Thanks I Get Someone explain to me how the best track from Sky Blue Sky wasn't even on Sky Blue Sky, but was first released as the soundtrack to a VW commercial, and later included on a bonus EP? [youtube] 5. Jay Reatard – I Know a Place Like the first wave of punk some thirty years ago, Jay Reatard's back to basics approach resonates at a time when many artists have become convinced that bigger is better, and bigger than Springsteen is even better than bigger. [download] 6. Gowns – White Like Heaven It's not quite freak. Nor is it ambient, noise, or drone. Imprecise tags like "art rock" or "experimental" are an injustice. It's hard to state where "White Like Heaven" comes from, and it is precisely that inability to peg it down, that makes it so compelling. Static percolates just below the surface, easing the song along on a steady pace as vocalist Erika Anderson is engulfed in a twisted, uncontrollable view of the future. Whenever she punctuates a line like "I saw the world break open" or "I saw thirty seconds turn into 10,000 years" that steady flow of static rises to a crescendo of crashing organs and imprecise rumbles of drums, perfectly capturing the awe, wonder, and fear of the songs reoccurring theme, "Is it white like heaven or dark like space/Is it bright like god or ace black spades." [download] 7. The Very Knees Pour Poor Moi In a perfect world, The Very Knees' "Pour Poor Moi" would join MSB's "My Town" and Ian Hunter's "Cleveland Rocks" as our city's unofficial anthems. I can't be the only one who kicks this jam after Cleveland Browns touchdowns, can I? Ok, maybe I am the only one who scores sports triumphs with underground art-punk, but still, if there's any song from Cleveland in 07 that proves our town still rocks, it's this one. [download] [youtube] 8. The Dreadful Yawns – Don't Know What I've Been On [download] 9. Times New Viking – Teenage Lust The title is borrowed from a Jesus and Mary Chain track off of Honey's Dead, and the first line is a play on the opening line from another track on Honey's dead, "Reverence:" "I wanna die just like Jesus Christ" by the Brothers Reid vs. "I don't wanna die in the city alone," by Times New Viking. The rest is ragged, fuzzed out, lo-fi bliss. [download] 10. Fucked Up – Year of the Pig [stream via PTW] 11. BSS Pres Kevin Drew – Backed Out On The...[youtube] 12. Okkervil River – John Allyn Sets Sail The tragic life of poet John Berryman meets the Beach Boys "Sloop John B" on the closing number from Okkervil River's The Stage Names. I hesitate to say this is a fun song, with Berryman determined to end his own life and all, but there's a certain black humor about it, and the band's playfulness belies the heaviness of its subject matter. [stream] 13. No Age – My Life's Alright Without You Top jam from the year's top album. Enough said. [download] 14. Dinosaur, Jr – Almost Ready If there was any question whether the new Dinosaur, Jr album would be any good, it was answered in the first five seconds of "Almost Ready."[download] [youtube] 15. The Black Lips – Navajo Note to critics: Don't encourage The Black Lips to be more mature. Review after review praised their baby steps towards adulthood and panned the more juvenile moments on Good, Bad, Not Evil. You won't here that sentiment from me. My favorite tracks were the ones like "Bad Kids," where they sang about bogarting grandma's booze and painting giant penises on the walls, and "Navajo," a song that uses a story line of romancing an Indian girl, as an excuse to rhyme names of Native American tribes in a tongue twisting chorus. 16. Psychedelic Horseshit – New Wave Hippies When Psychedelic Horseshit aren't f*ckin' around, they cut through the lo-fi racket with some killer tunes. Come to think of it, even when they are f*ckin' around, they've got some killer tunes, too. Except, of course, that one tune where they play two tunes at once, one in each channel. That's an example of Psychedelic Horseshit f*ckin' around and not making a killer tune. "New Wave Hippies" isn't that one. [download] 17. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights The anti-Winehouse delivers vintage soul without all the star studded trappings. And by star studded trappings I mean blow. [youtube] 18. The Cribs – Men's Needs Take your pick. There's one video that's safe for the kids, one with the naughty bits blacked out, and one for those who prefer the naughty bits. Clean Version [youtube] Black Box Version [youtube] NSFW Verison [video stream] 19. Parts and Labor - The Gold We're Digging If you ever saw Parts and Labor live with ex-drummer Christopher R. Weingarten, you'd know that they didn't need the stop motion animation to make him look like a machine behind the kits. His drumming was intense before the video trickery. [youtube] 20. MIA - Paper Planes While it was the liberal sample of The Clash's "Straight to Hell," that initially drew me in, it's MIA's rugged, street tough smarts and the sound effects of gun fire and cash registers cha-chinging in the chorus that keep me coming back. [youtube] 21. Machine Go Boom – All the Way to PA Seventy seconds of sugar soaked awesome played at the speed of a seven year old's sugar rush. [download] 22. Times New Viking – My Head I think you know how I feel about Times New Viking by now. Just download it and thank me later. [download] 23. Jay Reatard – All Over Again Had Jay Reatard's Blood Visions come out in 07, it would have been in the top tier of my albums list. Instead, we have one single and one EP in the singles list. If you think this is too much Reatard for one list to handle, just wait 'til 08 when Matador Records will release six singles by Jay Reatard. [youtube] 24. Wussy - Jonah There's this endearing line on Wussy's "Jonah" that goes, "We could get to know each other in the backseat of your van tonight." It's sweet, really, it is. [stream] 25. Two Cow Garage – Should've California Columbus' Two Cow Garage confront the self-doubt of a seemingly tireless touring band on one of the strongest tracks from III. [download] 26. Dolby Fuckers – Sharpshooter The third band in the singles list from the new lo-fi capital of the world, Columbus, Ohio. Along with Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit, The Dolby Fuckers are saving the world from sh*tty over produced indie one rickety, hissy record at a time. If Times New Viking are Batman, and Psychedelic Horseshit are their Robin, then that would make The Doly Fuckers, Aquaman? I may have to work on that analogy. The Dolby Fuckeres are way cooler than that dude who talks to dolphins while all the other Superfriends are using real super powers and way cool gadgets to fight evil. [download] 27. The Mae Shi – Run to your Grave and Yea Big and Kid Static – Run to the Facts. The original as performed by The Mae Shi: [download] [youtube] And the mash up as performed by Yea Big and Kid Static: [download]. When The Mae Shi's summer tour with Yea Big and Kid Static came to The Tower in Cleveland, the bands rehearsed the mash up during a sound check, then performed the mash up together for the first time as an encore. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it had that certain 15 people on a sweaty summer night in a DIY venue kind of magic. 28. White Stripes – You Don't Know What Love Is A classic Jack White love song, in that it really isn't a love song, but one of those woman you better know your place songs that only he can get away with singing. [youtube] 29. Frightened Rabbit – The Greys I don't think I can call "The Greys" an anthem, an un-anthem, maybe. It has guitars that want to rush skyward to a soaring chorus, like an anthem, but as Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchinson recounts staying in, sleeping his worries away, and generally avoiding contact at all costs, it's hard to get all excited and anthemic. [download][youtube] 30. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists – CIA {Begin Sarcasm} Why does Ted Leo hate freedom? Doesn't he know all the good things the CIA's done for us. If the CIA didn't prop up the dictators we liked and work to remove the dictators we didn't like, then we'd be living in communism. Ted, is that what you really want? Or maybe you'd prefer that the CIA didn't use harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects. Do want us all to be muslims? Is that what you want Ted? {End Sarcasm} Ted Leo knows exactly what he's doing on "CIA," when he adds human emotion to all of the questionable things our nation's done in the name of national security. All those coups and all that deception comes with a cost. 31. Future of the Left - Manchasm Future of the Left's Andrew Falkous has skewered many a Welshman with his harsh words. So, it was quite a surprise when the subject of the line "Colin is a pussy/A very pretty pussy," in "Manchasm" was not some poor sod who found himself on the wrong side of Falko, but a very pretty pussy cat casting disapproving looks his way. 32. Radiohead - Bodysnatchers Not only did Radiohead give us the gift of the choose your own price album download, they gave us the gift of a guitar rager the likes of which they haven't unleashed since The Bends. [download] 33. Coffinberry – Earthworms in the Sun A late addition to the top 40 tracks of 2007, Coffinberry's "Earthworm in the Sun" earned its spot after their show Friday night at the Beachland Tavern reminded me why I've been calling them one of the premier rock bands in town. [download] 34. iLikeTrains – The Deception Unlike Okkervil River's "John Allyn Sets Sail," where the heavy subject of suicide gets a lighter treatment, there's no disguising the inner turmoil of English yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst, in "The Deception" by iLikeTrains. From the first notes you know this one isn't going to end well. [download] 35. Health – Crimewave With its fiercely pounding percussion, and sharp shrieking guitars, "Crimewave" isn't as much of a crimewave, as it is a smash and grab.[download][youtube] 36. El Ten Eleven – Living on Credit Blues Not blues, in the traditional sense. Not really blues at all. El Ten Eleven's instrumental jam, "Living on Credit Blues," is way too grand and affirming, for its bummed out, broke as sh*t title. [download] 37. Mystery of Two - Desolate "Desolate" was both the last song played by Mystery of Two on the night of their release show, and the final number played at The Parish Hall, the venue where they staged the show. Although I would have preferred an all star jam to close down the joint, the squad car squawk and squalor of Ryan Weitzel's six string left its own lasting impression. [download] [youtube] 38. Clockcleaner – New in Town Listener be warned. When Clockcleaner singer/guitarist John Sharkey shows up in your city proclaiming he's new in town, he's not looking for a bike partner, or a good latte. Sh*t's going to get heavy, people are going to be offended, and if you're not cool with that, you're best off finding someone else to join your book club. 39. The Library is on Fire - New Corner for Kadinsky One of my favorite videos from 07 comes via the Akron, now Brooklyn based, band, The Library is on Fire. This clip for "New Corner for Kadinsky" was shot in the same location as Devo's "Jocko Homo," and it shares much of the original's imagery. Oh, and the song's pretty solid, too. [youtube] 40. The Saturday Knights – 45 Originally released in 06, Light in the Attic Records, re-released The Saturday Knights debut ep this past year. It's rock and rap of the old school Aerosmith vs Run DMC variety, and not the nu metal soul suck variety. [download][youtube] More from I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: Top 25 Albums Top 10 Northeast Ohio Releases Year End Awards Rockers and Readers Respond

From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Jay Reatard Signs to Matador for Six Singles

As I'm busy filling out I Rock Cleveland's top 40 tracks of the year, which BTW includes more than one Jay Reatard single, an item came across my RSS reader announcing Jay Reatard has signed to Matador records for a series of six singles. These will be limited edition singles where the quantities of each single will decrease with each subsequent release. Eventually, all of the singles will be compiled for release on LP and CD. Jay Reatard Myspace

4th Annual Cleveland-Akron Gift Exchange This Weekend

The math gets a little complicated, so get your pencil and paper ready: 2 Cities (Cleveland and Akron) 2 Nights (Friday and Saturday) 2 Record Stores (Music Saves in Cleveland and Square Records in Akron) 2 Venues (Beachland Tavern in Cleveland on Friday night and Musica in Akron on Saturday night) 4 bands, 2 from each city, picked by the record store in each city (Coffinberry and Afternoon Naps from Cleveland and Trouble Books and Radar Secret Service from Akron) 4 PBR tall boys (one during each band, multiply by two if you plan on going both nights) $5 (cost of admission, again, multiply by two for two nights of entertainment) Add it all together and you get the 4th Annual Cleveland-Akron Gift Exchange presented by Music Saves and Square Records.

I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: 2007's Top Albums

The methodology for I Rock Cleveland's Top 25 Albums is a lot simpler than the system used to select teams for the college football championship game. There was only one person casting a vote, and no computers were used to calculate an albums strengths or deficiencies. Did I listen to it a lot? Check. Did I enjoy listening to it? Check. Was it new, different, or challenging? Not as important as questions one and two. Will adding this album make my list look cooler and give me more indie cred? Not as important as question three which itself wasn't as important as questions one and two. More than anything, I wanted this list to represent what I enjoyed the most during 2007, regardless of prevailing opinions in the print media and other blogs. Don't get me wrong. Pushing music forward to new and innovative directions is important, however, I'd be doing everyone a disservice if this list was littered with albums high on art, but low on listening, or if this list was conceived with the goal of scoring cool points with my peers. Hell, I'm surprised my list didn't include more lo-fi, more noise, and more sick psychedelic jams, but I'm not about to put albums on the list for the sake of having more noise. Well, I think that's enough of the disclaimer. Have you heard that new disc by No Age? It's really rad... 1. No Age Weirdo Rippers Fat Cat No Age are two dudes from LA and this joint called The Smell who made this wonderful album of lo-fi noise punk. Technically, it wasn't even an album. Weirdo Rippers was a collection of limited edition vinyl singles and eps repackaged for wider release. We're going to ignore that little factoid. While the noisy parts of No Age's sound recall Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine in all their static splendor, their punk leanings are pure "1, 2, 3, 4" and "Hey Ho Let's Go." With Weirdo Rippers Dean Spunt and Randy Randall of No Age have taken punk rock out of the suburban shopping malls and put it back into the run down and rancid clubs on the wrong side of town where it belongs, and for that, they get the album of the year. No Age - My Life's Alright Without You [download] 2. Parts and Labor Mapmaker Jagjaguwar Like a lot of people I expected this new century to include jet packs, robot maids, and music that sounded futuristic. Seven years in, I'm still driving to work on 480, cleaning my own apartment, listening to a lot of music that could have been made at any time in the past 30 years, and wondering if Hollywood has been telling me lies my whole life. Then, along came Parts and Labor's Mapmaker. It sounded exactly how I expected punk to sound in the 21st century: other worldly bleeps and screeches roar from a wild collection of keyboards, guitars, switches, boxes, and wires hooked up like an electrical fire waiting to happen. The rhythms are fast, powerful, and complex. Yet, big punk choruses still manage to have themselves heard amid all the chaos. Parts and Labor - Fractured Skies [download] 3. Gowns Red State Cardboard The opening track on Red State, "Fargo," includes a laundry list of drugs that includes, but by no means is limited to, ephedrine, benadryl, drmamine, ketamine and ny-quil. I don't want to say that drugs played a part in the vision and creation of Red State, drugs are bad, but what if they did? Then, all those wasted nights in the Midwest paid off big time with a gorgeous, engaging, and ethereal album of anti-folk and noise. Drugs are bad. Gowns - White Like Heaven [download] 4. Nina Nastasia and Jim White You Follow Me Fat Cat A quietly captivating album of guitar, voice, and drums that is far, far, far (extra far used for emphasis) from your standard coffee house fare. What separates You Follow Me from its fellow folkies is the skill of the two musicians who made this album: Nina Nastasia and Jim White. Nastasia's voice is breezy and comfortably confident, and her guitar work can be both elegant and weathered. White's drumming is nothing short of amazing. His rhythms vary from slow, steady, and simple beats to the wild, and rumbling thumps of an awkward tumble down the stairs. They're unpredictable, precise, and the perfect compliment to Nastasia's songs. Nina Nastasia and Jim White - Late Night [download] 5. Phosphorescent Pride Dead Oceans I used up all my essential adjectives like brilliant, gorgeous, breath-taking, and essential when I reviewed Phosphorescent's Pride the first time around, so I guess that leaves me with good old awesome. Look, I'm surprised as you are that I've used all my superlatives up on a folk album, but trust me, once you get into this mix of southern gospel and African tribal folk, and its hauntingly rapturous melodies you'll be unpacking your favorite adjectives, too. Phosphorescent - Wolves [download] 6. Two Cow Garage III Shelterhouse/Suburban Home It's only Rock 'N' Roll by three dudes from small town Ohio that aren't hip to the fact that no one plays Rock 'N' Roll Music these days, but I like it. I can't remember where I read this, but my favorite description of Two Cow Garage called them John Cougar Cobain. There's a definite rural element to their music that comes from growing up in places where there wasn't sh*t to do, and there's also loads of big rock ambition. It's like The Replacements when they were young and rowdy, or, Wilco before they went mild, or, like the dude said, John Cougar Mellencamp meets Nirvana. Two Cow Garage - Should've California [download] 7. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Merge The voice of Spoon's Brit Daniel speaks only in cool, while his bandmates provide a minimal, rhythmic accompaniment. It's a formula that has served them well over the years. On Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, they've added dub-like touches of reverb and echo to many of the tracks, lending a deep, layered effect to the mix without sacrificing the spaciousness of their earlier work. This attention to detail isn't so apparent on the single, "The Underdog." Instead of plugging in your best headphones to catch all the subtle switches, it'll have you tearing up your closet looking for those lost Billy Joel cassette tapes. Spoon - The Underdog [download] 8. Witchcraft The Alchemist Candlelight This is heavy music the way heavy music was made before there was metal. Some might say that Witchcraft are a throwback to the Seventies, I'd counter that they don't sound like the Seventies as much as they really are from the Seventies. It's like this group of shredding Swedes walked through a rift in time thirty years ago with their master tapes holding an endless supply of base, sinister riffs and wicked, mystical vibes. Witchcraft - Walk Between the Lines [download] 9. Six Parts Seven Casually Smashed to Pieces