Music
Mammatus - Self Titled
Kind of a sped-up, more 70s-influenced version of the Om record mentioned above. Totally grating, relentless, psychedelic ass-kicking music. Four tracks but a full-length LP. But that isa silly album cover.
Wolf Eyes - Human Animal
I've known about Wolf Eyes for a long time, but never really heard anything that grabbed me, or that I could literally handle. This one is good, well, as good as a bunch of racket can be. I do like it though. It actually seems to go somewhere, and the over-the-top racket seems to be placed well, with plenty of room to relax between.
Sunn o))) & Boris - Altar
I guess it was a good year for noise. Sounds like both bands had to calm down a little to make the collaboration work, and this is a good thing because it actually sounds like music. Great creepy background music and fun to space out to. And none of the cookie monster vocals.
Comets On Fire - Avatar
I wasn't really a fan of their Blue Cathedral, but I like this one a lot. It's not too over the top, not that that would stop me, but it sounds great. Good freak-outs and plenty of racket, but also some real SONGS.
Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
Maybe their weakest of the post- NYC Ghosts and Flowers Sonic Youth era, this one is still great and good enough to crack the top 10 almost any year if you ask me. Almost 25 years into it and still putting out fresh stuff.
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
It might not be cool anymore, and maybe it never was, but you can't really deny liking it.
Tom Waits - Orphans... box set
A 3-disc collection of rarities and tons of unreleased tracks, this one had one too many throw-aways for me. But it still rules and there's at least 10 good ones on here. Can't have too much Tom. Definitely look forward to a new LP though. Amazing how much he can produce.
Neil Young - Living With War
Neil definitely isn't very cool anymore. But this is a definite step in the right direction and he can still rock way harder than just about anyone post-1978. He gets points for trying, and is one of my guitar heroes of all time (or he wouldn't make this list). But it's just not cool somehow. Great message, rocking guitars, but just lame somehow. Rock on though.
Honorable Mentions
Boris - Pink
Just too generic. Their Akuma album was much much better. This one has a few great songs on it, but kind of sounds like more of a cross-secion of western hard rock music than it does anything new or interesting.
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Still pretty good and a few tracks are hard to pass up, but man, weren't we hoping for more on this one...
Witch
J Masic side-project rocks pretty hard but is just a little too much of a novelty. More of the silly metal stuff, but still kicks ass.
Eagles of Death Metal
Just too silly. A few good tracks and I like the general idea of it, but just not good enough throughout. Doesn't really go anywhere the first record didn't cover.
Tom Verlaine - Songs and Other Things
Pretty good, but a few weird corny jazzy things kind of ruin it for me. Definitely a few great tracks, but just not a great album.
Biggest Disappointment
Cat Power - The Greatest
I just don't like it. i'm glad she's sober and all that, I really am, but as far as for my listening pleasure, I didn't give this more than a half listen.
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Overall a pretty good year I think. Definitely not much that floated my boat in the world of pop. Some great noisy records this year, hence the Wolf Eyes/Sunn O)))/Boris picks, although I'm not a huge noise fan in general. Very good to see ass-kicking rock music out there still. Mammatus and OM might not ever be big, but these are BIG records.
I think Liars' Drum's Not Dead is seriously one of the best things I've heard in a long time. So ugly at times and totally unnerving, but I can't get enough of it.
I'm looking forward to see if The Arcade Fire or Shins and a few other hyped up bands from a few years ago will matter anymore after their upcoming releases. I always hope for good music but it's interesting to me to see how something just won't matter at all in a year. I don't think the bloggers of today and hipster kids of the suburbs are all that loyal.
Definitely looking forward to the Radiohead record. Not sure what the hold-up is, but it better be good. They're as close as it gets for us to he Beatles.
I obviously didn't listen to EVERYTHING that came out this year, and I totally ignore some genres. But this list is about ME. you lose.
Best Live Music in Fresno (Slim Pickins)
By no means did I go to that many shows. I'm also not really on top of everything that's going on. These are just my picks for what I actually saw.
Goblin Cock - The Belmont
Awful venue, awful-sized crowd, GREAT SHOW. Sounded awesome and put on the whole routine, stupid black robes and strobe lights and fog machines and shit. Even did a Tears for Fears cover. And we couldn't understand the frontman between songs with his silly demon filter voice. It was great.
CSNY - Save Mart Center
Very cool show. Not enough old Neil songs for me but plenty of Neil to go around, especially since I wasn't there to see the rest of them. Crosby looked and sounded surprisingly good. Crowd got kind of mad during "Let's Impeach the President." I was only mad because there was a fucking trumpet bleeting the melody! I was accompanied by a wonderful girl at this event, too. Wooden Ships sounded good and made me feel like I was somehow a part of rock history. Neil was in fine form, as always. I take it back. He's definitely still cool, just his new material is kind of lame.
Joe Reinartz Birthday Bash - Starline
Joe rules and he turned 40 so he threw a badass party! I had fun at his birthday and he performed nonstop for what must have been about 3 or 4 horus. Homeboy rocks.
The Gris Gris - Tokyo Gardens
This one was good. But the drummer kept going TAT. TAT. SHHHHH!!! SHHH!!! And for some reason he sat in the front of the crowd. I was totally pissed at this man by the end of the show. Totally fun, great, interesting psychedelic show though. Loved it other than the drum(s).
The Advantage/Hella - Howie and Son's Visalia
It had to be at least 95 degrees at night in that shitty pizza place, but live nintendo music on guitars never sounded so good. I didn't stick around for hella because I honestly can't stand them, but The Advantage was as good as you'd expect from a band that does old Nintendo songs verbatim.
Numerous Pinkeye Reunions
Those are always good! Last one with Sparklejet might have been my favorite though. Meatball Magic reunion was good too.
Best out-of-town show
Dead Meadow - Great American Music Hall
Great show and great company! Kicked ass and sounded great.