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Man, I don't care what anyone says... TLC's "Waterfalls" is still such a jam. The video represents/describes the year it won better than any video on this list in my opinion.
I remember seeing Calvin Harris at Coachella in 2008. He was playing the smallest stage and promoting his first album (pre EDM). Its still one of my favorite Coachella shows ever. He jumped around the stage playing all his own instruments(!!) No computers. It was a complete Cut Copy-esque party. The dude has actual talent, bu his ascent describes the whole EDM scene perfectly. He eventually was just like, this EDM shit is too fucking easy. Who needs instruments?
Anyone else really curious how these Pitchfork "Best of the Decade So Far" lists are going to turn out? Interesting that they aren't waiting till the end of 2014. ESPECIALLY with a new Kanye album etc. I hope we can get a small write up about it on here. Those discussions are epic. But considering we didn't get a write up about their 2013 lists I'm thinking S-Gum is avoiding talking about Pitchfork lists now?
If you want us to vote for "what this season means to us" then you should've included our actual suggestions instead of a few of these shitty choices. I know The War On Drugs isn't "summer music" but it got a lot of votes and obviously means A LOT to us this year.
So get this. True story. At weekend 1 of Coachella...after Neutral Milk Hotel ended I had some extra time before Beck started. On stage before Beck...Calvin Harris. Playing to the biggest crowd of the weekend I believe. Watching in amazement at the crowd, I looked next to me and see a huge guy that looked like Win Butler. He was wearing a mask and a hat trying to conceal his identity (but that dude is fucking tall). It was obviously him. But only my friends and I noticed since we weren't on molly watching Calvin. We didn't go up to him because it would've been messed up to blow his cover, but he watched all of Calvin Harris' set, by himself, and throughout it he was just shaking his head with a pissed off glare. Pretty funny he would be on that exact same stage in 2 hours to headline and make the comment about real instruments.
THIS is why I love you guys Stereogum. A lot of blogs would overlook Throwing Copper 20 years later, but it meant A LOT to some of us kids in the 90's. I'm not in any way defending Live any more than I would defend Green Day post Dookie, but it represents an interesting time in the mid 90's that can't be completely overlooked. Lightning Crashes was mesmerizing as a child.
SOOO excited for this weekend! Year 7 for me. Nas at midnight will be leg-en-dary. I wish they did the same for Wu Tang last year. If any of you Gum'ers are camping and would like to talk good music, I will have a giant Spanish flag and a 100 foot slip n slide on my row. Hard to miss me. Come by and have a beer... or 3!
From what I saw, it looks like they've made significant improvements to the Yuma. Its bigger, with possibly an alternate entrance. There will still be a line, but if you find yourself with a free 30-45 min. You GOTTA check it out. Such a fun, disco party AIR CONDITIONED tent....
In Related News - Courtney Love blames Dave Grohl for Malaysian flight disaster.
I absolutely LOVE this album. And I loved New Moon last year as well. Frankly, I don't understand how anyone can dislike an album like this. The sound is impeccable, there are more hooks than I can count, and its remarkably consistent from beginning to end. I consider The Men like Woods and maybe Thee Oh Sees. Do we just begin to ignore consistency if we just keep getting it year after year?
Suzanne seems like a typical Facebook Pitchfork post commenter. Does anyone else read the comments on Pitchfork FB posts and want to punch 90% of those pretentious pricks? Saying WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU PITCHFORK YOU USED TO BE COOL....**UNFOLLOW** (when they post an interview with Pharrell).
Yessss. Schoolboy Q all day. Q REALLY went for it with this one. His rapping style feels so much more real than other MC's out right now. Tom's last couple sentences describe Q perfectly. It took me a while to get into Habits & Contradictions, but when it clicks, it just clicks. Even after many listens, Oxymoron still might not "process" because for a hip hop artist - Q's songs have different layers. My only complaint is this might sound a little too produced for Q's raw style. Still brilliant album though.
I'm hoping for Schoolboy Q but I think its going to be St. Vincent. The TDE crew is on fire right now. I'm surprised Isaiah Rashad's debut isn't being talked about as much as it should be on here. I like it more than Oxymoron (at least right now) but that's mainly because it has a more east coast feel than other Black Hippy releases which I'm kind of fascinated with.
I didn't listen to it... but I assume it comes out as a Taylor Swift song?
It looks like I'm not the only one who adored "From A Basement On The Hill." Fragmented occasionally, yes. But calling it his worst effort would be completely crazy. I personally believe "Twilight" was his most beautiful and affecting song. I still get chills listening to it.
Funny, I was just having an in depth conversation with a friend about how the best thing the Libertines ever did was far superior to anything The Rolling Stones ever did... SAID NO ONE, EVER.
Its remarkable how big FF really were in the mid 2000's... And rightfully so. Look at the Coachella 2006 lineup. The headliners on Saturday were Depeche Mode, Daft Punk THEN Franz Ferdinand. Fascinating how much popularity can sway within 5-10 years...
I'm not convinced. I need to see him in Bey's Grammy dress to confirm for sure its not her.
I was really hoping for Depeche Mode instead of Muse. They would have been perfect for Saturday... Nevertheless, this is 7 straight years for me. At this point its more about the experience and waking up at 7am because its too hot, to play beer pong with your camp mates. For $100, FYF in LA is truly the more fun musical experience in my opinion.
I will find it hilarious if The Knife open for Outkast. Reminds me of the last time Arcade Fire played. Mainstage went Mumford & Sons (when they were already depressingly HUGE) - followed by Animal Collective and then finally AF. I was having a fantastic time at Animal Collective, but they literally took their main stage near headline gig and proceeded to shun the whole crowd. If I remember, they only played one song from Merriweather and it wasn't "My Girls" haha. 90% of the crowd was so confused and disrespectful to them, just waiting for Arcade Fire... but I think they liked it honestly. The Knife should headline the Outdoor stage, But literally 2nd on the bill? Looks like Mainstage to me.
How To Destroy Angels played last year. So Trent was there, but behind the scenes just letting his ridiculously hot wife get the spotlight.
Actually Fly Lo was there last year as well. He handled all the DJ work for Earl Sweatshirt's debut set. It was fantastic.
Caribou would absolutely be my #1. I feel "Swim" is the most underrated album of this decade so far. It's still in constant rotation for me.
Is it a coincidence that Bey & Burial have very similar artwork for their surprise albums? New hypothesis - BEYONCE IS BURIAL.
Ahhh I will forever remember Junip's "Line Of Fire" for when AMC was using it in promos to build up to the Breaking Bad series finale. Such a great song.
I'm glad Tom gave Rich Homie Quan some love. Such an underrated mixtape that most didn't even bother to review. My Top 10: 1. Kanye West – Bound 2 2. Phosphorescent – Song For Zula 3. Disclosure – White Noise 4. Palma Violets – Best of Friends 5. Daft Punk – Doin’ It Right 6. Pusha T – Numbers On The Boards 7. Arcade Fire – Afterlife 8. Rich Homie Quan – Type of Way 9. Vampire Weekend – Hannah Hunt 10. CFCF – Strange Form Of Life
Have Ya'll ever seen Wreck It Ralph??!
An album I absolutely fell in love with that no one else seemed to like was The Love Language's "Ruby Red". Soooo great. From beginning to end, a total stunner. In my Top 10 of the year for sure. I can't fathom why no publications gave it any love... but alas its all personal taste.
Yessss. I absolutely loved New Moon. I was very surprised it didn't get much love from any publications. Their best album in my opinion.
Let It Be at #11? If this could include the MUCH, MUCH better "Let It Be... Naked" stripped from all the Phil Spector overblown crap, it would easily place within the top 5-7 in my opinion.
Ugh. I was afraid Sgt. Pepper would be #1. Its perfect, but far from their best in my opinion. 1. Revolver - all 4 Beatles peaking stylistically at the same time. Definition of perfect. 2. Abbey Road 3. The White Album 4. Rubber Soul 5. Sgt. Pepper
Listening to this reminds me of their FYF show this year where a girl standing behind me got hit in the face within 1 minute of the show starting and may have broken her nose. I turned around and tried to get her out of the pit and was pushed so hard I slammed into the back of her head. RIP: Random girl's short term memory.
This album is interesting. I still love it and these songs will be absolute juggernauts live but one has to wonder if they will ever evolve? I've met Dan before at a random Vietnamese restaurant before a show and he's incredibly intelligent. Most bands can't progress out of their comfort zones, but its frustrating because CC absolutely have the talent to do so. Surely, they don't need to change, but we all know they can pull it off better than anyone. How incredible would a Cut Copy concept album be, like set in the future or something? I still love this album, no doubt a killer. But here's to hoping for more progression next time.
This album is beyond awful but my god I can't help but be impressed in your usage of the word "rap" 10 times in 4 sentences. Cheers to you Rub John.
With all due respect, I don't know how one can call "Magical Mystery Tour" their best, when its a collection of singles and not technically an official album. Still fantastic, but not really fair to be in the discussion. Abbey Road though... I can 100% get behind being the best. I just feel "Revolver" is the best because I feel all 4 Beatles are peaking musically/ talent wise at the exact same time.
Do you honestly believe "Revolver" isn't one of the greatest albums of all time? That album is more perfect than any album I've ever heard... And I'm a Stones fan! Sgt. Pepper I feel is the most "culturally significant" Beatles album because of what it did for the landscape of the concept album.
I stopped looking at #495 when I saw The Killers "Hot Fuss" rated higher than Stankonia. Stick to what you're good at NME...calling almost anything not from your country "rubbish".
Love this. I agree with someone above who said Best Coast get a lot of hate because they don't have a signature style to call their own, like the beach houses etc of today. Despite how often The Strokes have changed over the years, parts of their "sound" have never left. But this is what happens when you have a simple aesthetic. All the best bands with relatively "simple" sounds have all figured out a way to portray their music so it is almost instantly recognizable. Best Coast... have not. The Sleigh Bells types of today suffer because having such a unique aesthetic dies FAST due to the fact that their sound can almost never be adapted to where they remain relevant. Swaying too far from a simple aesthetic may give you fame and fortune at first, but in the long term never turns out well. Ultimately, we all love what we love. I wish I could develop an argument against how much I dislike Best Coast, but one of my favorite bands is Real Estate - who eventually (although not yet) I fear will suffer from the same argument.
Am I the only one that thinks "Lord Knows" is the best thing Drake has ever done? Even if not the absolute best, #38 seems wayyyyy too low.