Here’s a mix of songs that’s catching our ears lately.

Who else can’t wait for the new National album, how much longer until May 11th?

Holy Fuck gets such a bad rap — I mean c’mon … with a name like that — but I’m more optimistic about the new Holy Fuck album since seeing them at SXSW. They sound pretty great live — if they can get that sound recorded appropriately, that’ll be some quality tuneage. Speaking of SXSW bands, We Were Promised Jetpacks put on a great day set at Mohawk for the Onion A.V. Club. Ditto for Japandroids and Titus Andronicus in their respective day shows. Wish I could’ve caught Local Natives, Frightened Rabbit or Middle East.

Most of all, how excited am I for the new Ted Leo? (Rhetorical question really — but the answer for those of you following along at home is very excited, top of the charts excited. From start to finish, it’s got a great punch.) And the Harlem track is courtesy of Party Ends (link), thanks John.

1. She & Him – Thieves
2. the Morning Benders – Pleasure Sighs
3. Islands – Heartbeat
4. the Middle East – Beleriand
5. Two Door Cinema Club – Cigarettes In The Theatre
6. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Bottled In Cork
7. Los Campesinos – This Is A Flag. There Is No Wind.
8. the National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
9. the Intelligence – Pony People (Wounded Lion cover)
10. Holy Fuck – Latin America
11. Harlem – Friendly Ghost
12. We Were Promised Jetpacks – A Far Cry
13. the Local Natives – Sun Hands
14. Japandroids – Heart Sweats
15. Frightened Rabbit – Skip the Youth
16. Titus Andronicus – the Battle Of Hampton Roads

Download zip file.

This mixtape — yes, I still call ‘em tapes — will be hosted until I post a new one so get it while you can. All copyrights remain with respective writers, publishers, etc. If you like what you hear, support the artists and creatives however you can.

The above photo was taken November 2009 in NYC. See it here in my Flickr photostream.

In late November, I began to compile my end of the year music list. This is what I came up with then:

1. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
2. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
4. Titus Andronicus – the Airing of Grievances
5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
6. Antlers – Hospice
7. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
8. Franz Nicolay – Major General
9. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
10. Sonic Youth – Eternal

After much rumination, here are my final albums — 19 albums, two EPs and one compilation album. Two albums that do not show up on my list — though they have incredible merit — are the Animal Collective and Decemberists releases. I figure, besides, that enough people have on their own lists. Consider them a tie for spot number 21.

As for my first pass — Titus Andronicus was technically released last year with a remaster issued in 2009 and Franz Nicolay, while a good album, doesn’t need to hold my 2009 love for the Hold Steady. And Antlers is a solid spin as well, but didn’t track as many listens as other 2009 albums in my iTunes.

1. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
2. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
4. Mos Def – the Ecstatic
5. Throw Me the Statue – Creaturesque
6. M.Ward – Hold Time
7. the Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health
8. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
9. Destroyer – Bay of Pigs
9. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
10. HEALTH – GET COLOR
11. Sea Wolf – White Water, White Bloom
12. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
13. Jarvis Cocker (Further Complications, cameo in and song from Fantastic Mr. Fox)
14. Dark was the Night compilation
15. the Breeders – Fate to Fatal
15. Clues – Clues
16. Dan Auerbach – Keep it Hid
17. Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Links, Pt. 2
18. Port O’Brien – Threadbare
19. Sonic Youth – Eternal
20. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And here’s the corresponding mixtape.

1. Port O’Brien – Tree Bones
2. Andrew Bird – Fitz and the Dizzy Spells
3. the Clues – Haarp
4. Sea Wolf – O Maria!
5. Mos Def – History (featuring Talib Kweli)
6. the Breeders – Fate To Fatal
7. Throw Me the Statue – Ancestors
8. Japandroids – Rockers East Vancouver
9. the Decemberists – The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid
10. Dirty Projectors – No Intention
11. the Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game
12. Sonic Youth – What We Know
13. HEALTH – Die Slow
14. Raekwon – Mean Streets
15. Jarvis Cocker – Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey’s Song
16. Jarvis Cocker – I Never Said I Was Deep
17. Dan Auerbach – Whispered Words
18. Destroyer – Bay of Pigs
19. Neko Case – Polar Nettles
20. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait for the Others
21. Ruby Isle – My Girls (Animal Collective cover)
22. Sunset Rubdown – Paper Lace
23. White Denim – Regina Holding Hands
24. Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner – Big Red Machine (from Dark was the Night compilation)
25. Phoenix – Love Like A Sunset

Okay, I am so jazzed about this movie. I was a big fan of Where the Wild Things Are as a kid but became an even bigger fan of it when I tackled it as an adult and began to see more than just the lonely boy finding an outlet for his mischievous energy. It became a larger story about the way that adults interact with children and about how deep anger and imagination run. My favorite part of the book is when Max comes home from the land of the Wild Things and finds his dinner waiting, still hot.

But even better is the song Spike Jonze uses in his trailer for the movie, Arcade Fire’s re-recorded “Wake Up” — yes, this song is only available in the trailer, not like I’ve checked or anything (scouring hype machine, for instance). As something different from the version off Funeral, here’s a version with David Bowie at Fashion Rocks recorded in 2005:

[See post to listen to audio]

The two versions of the trailer as well as an exclusive featurette are available at apple.com.

I’ve read reviews of the script and I hope that Dave Eggers and Jonze do not disappoint.

This month’s mix is an attempt to process through the new music released thus far in 2009. How is it there’s so much this year already?

Sometimes, I went back to previous albums (Vetiver, Yo La Tengo, Sunset Rubdown — by way of Swan Lake), sometimes I remembered music from the recent past (Islands, SSLYBY, Rogue Wave), some are regulars in my iTunes rotation (Spoon, Okkervil River, Rural Alberta Advantage) and some are bands that I didn’t like on first listen but have warmed up to (the Dodos, Rogue Wave).

The new music didn’t make it easy to choose either. Every track off the new PJ Harvey sounds great in its own way as does the Andrew Bird and the Elvis Perkins is really growing on me. And though I haven’t been super fond of their music in the past, I’m really diggin’ on Animal Collective’s new album. I know that tsuru doesn’t think that A.C. Newman will make it to the end of the year, to his top albums, but I’m really fond of it still.

1. Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
2. Vetiver – You may be Blue
3. Neko Case – People Got a Lotta Nerve
4. Andrew Bird – Fitz and the Dizzy Spells
5. the Dodos – Winter
6. Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
7. Beirut – La Llorona
8. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait for the Others
9. Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Chains Chains Chains
10. Sunset Rubdown – Us Ones in Between
11. PJ Harvey & John Parish – Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen
12. Rural Alberta Advantage – Frank AB
13. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Dead Right
14. Great Lake Swimmers – Pulling On A Line
15. A.C. Newman – the Changeling (Get Guilty)
16. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Little Shadow
17. Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines
18. Yo La Tengo – I Feel Like Going Home
19. Islands – Pieces of You
20. Rogue Wave – Lake Michigan
21. Spoon – the Figures of Art

A sketch done for my new favorite song while listening to said song — a cover of Spiderbags’ “Waking Up Drunk” performed by Titus Andronicus. These New Jersey boys played it during their SXSW set at Club DeVille. Here’s what it sounded it like when they recorded it for Daytrotter last year.

[See post to listen to audio]

You can also listen to and/or download the whole session at Daytrotter.

ps. I’d also recommend tracking down Spiderbags’ 2007 album from which the original song comes from, A Celebration of Hunger. They’re from Chapel Hill so they’ve got a whiskey-soaked greatness about them. Okay, that didn’t make much sense as Archers of Loaf and Ben Folds Five don’t fit that mold but Southern Culture on the Skids, Flat Duo Jets and Spiderbags sure do. So, if you like the latter bands or bands of the Bloodshot vein, you’ll love these guys.

Friday night, I went to what might be the best show of the year. It was at Elysium, yeah Elysium. Astronautalis, who’s been described by All Music Guide as “if Beck were a decade or so younger and had grown up more heavily immersed in hip-hop,” played opener to the Paper Chase, my favorite Kill Rock Stars band right now.

Astronautalis had a great show, doing two freestyle numbers, where he solicits elements from the audience and he makes up the song/story/lyrics on the spot with those pieces. I heard a lot of stuff from his new record (“Pomegranate”) as well as from “The Mighty Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters.” Andy really cut his teeth doing battle rapping back in the day and his show Friday was proof positive of that. What am I saying? Any one of his shows demonstrates that. So damn good.

The Paper Chase, this was the first time I saw them and they didn’t disappoint. John Congleton is a monster on-stage, buzzing with nerves and tension unable to stand still. I generally don’t have much of an opinion about Dallas (no offense) but if this band is an indicator of what this city holds musically, I should give ‘em another listen. Yeah, the whole city. The four piece was tight, thrumming with jagged precision. Visually, the bassist Bobby Weaver gave me some of the best pictures, with his intense beard, height and unassuming glasses.

See the rest of the photos here.

Then, after shaving Jinx Saturday afternoon (Polly Jean got it today), just as it was threatening to pour down Jen and I dashed out of the house to catch Clap Clap (link) at the Dizzy Rooster on Sixth Street. Clap Clap, who’s that, you may be wondering. Imagine, if you can, the lovechild of Q and Not U and Radio 4 in front of a 50+ crowd clapping in unison lead by three hipster girls. And they’re from San Marcos, Texas. Yeah, I know, get out.

They’ve got a theme song. Like the Monkees, like the Clash. “We are, we are … Clap Clap!” It gets stuck in your noggin’ and won’t let you go.

Then, we went to Platinum X to hear Ghostland Observatory. The tired rockers on-stage when we arrived were awful. Like at the intersection of Candlebox and LA Guns awful. But Ghostland was solid. It was a duo, one guy manning the electronics and the drum kit while the other guy — who danced like James Brown but looked like Ian Astbury (think of the Cult ’round the time of Ceremony). Their MySpace profile (link) describes them as, “An agreement between two friends to create something special and unique, that not only heals their beat driven hearts but pleases there rock n’ roll soles.” Souls or soles, I’m not sure, but either way it makes sense and it was a blast.

Oh. And Zimas were $.50 while at Platinum X. Not that I had one, I haven’t had a Zima since 1993. But I know a few girls who did.

SXSW, I may not have shelled out over a C-note for a SXSW wristband — and missed out seeing Go! Team, Idlewild and Bloc Party (I don’t think that they had day shows) — but I felt like I got my money’s worth. Thank you.

Which is interesting, considering the kind of music I was raised on — the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, the Who — and the kinds of bands I was listening to just before — Peter Gabriel, the Clash, REM. (I also listened to to Guns ‘n’ Roses during this period and I’d like to point out that “Appetite for Destruction” is a masterpiece. I listened to it just last week.)

Looking back, fifteen was an interesting time — freshman year, all geekiness and DC Comics. Especially in 1989. I mean c’mon, even I knew Milli Vanilli were lip-syncing. The hum-drum about Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” video, Jethro Tull winning the first Heavy Metal grammy.

Does all this explain my two favorite pair of jeans? One, a la David Lee Roth (read: bandanas wrapped all around my legs) or thrashed like Joe Elliot’s from the “Pour Some Sugar on Me” video? Kinda, but they’re hardly excuses.

After hair metal came the equally embarrassing Lilith Fair period: Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Heather Nova, the list is far too long. Fortunately, during that same period, I discovered Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” and Juliana Hatfield, which then spun me off into the Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom and, eventually, the Pixies — which is a story for another day.

The moral? The next time your sister calls you long distance wanting to know who sang “When the Children Cry,” don’t embarrassed that you know that it’s White Lion. Or that you remember the blue monotone video set on a deserted playground. It’s fine, really. Or at least understandable.

First, Rebecca and I walked across the Town Lake to the stage at Auditorium Shores.

We, unfortunately, left the house too late to see Joe Jackson, which was fine in the scheme of things — nothing will put a damper on an evening more than that hurry-hurry stress-stress vibe. But we caught the Presidents of the United States’ set.

Their 1995 self-titled Columbia album never impressed me much — was knee-deep in Pearl Jam myself, collecting all the imports and bootlegs I could find, my fave being that Atlanta, GA concert — and from the sounds of overheard conversations, neither did it the people around us. I heard one guy saying to his thick-necked friends, I thought this was supposed to be the Toadies. Never believe what you think you hear on 101X, kids, never.

Concrete Blonde, that was who we were there for. Johnette Napolitano, with that incredible voice, husky and sultry, like rock ‘n’ roll molasses, was just as I imagined she would be, standing astride with her bass, daring someone, anyone to try and kick her ass. There were no takers, needless to say.

Afterwards, we headed to Antone’s to catch Calexico and Nina Nastasia. When we got there, the line was halfway ’round the block and so we ended up catching the last few songs of Calexico’s set. Rumor has it that Neko Case sang a few songs with their Bloodshot labelmates. But I can’t confirm it. It must’ve been somewhere in the middle or top of the set, when Rebecca and were still standing outside. Halfway ’round the block.

But we did see Nina. Swoon. Brenner, in his write-up for the daily Austin Chronicle SXSW, described her music as, “Beautiful and dark as obsidian roses at a lover’s funeral … [leaving] its own memory dents, setting a few devils of one kind or another whirling through the flatlands of your heart. In song after song, the NYC-based singer spins out image-dense tales of love and longing and graveyard visits in a convergent rising of strings: guitar, violin, mandolin, and cello.” I could not have said it better.

Then, we watched half of Quasi’s set. And I will say this, I heart Janet Weiss. I raved my first SXSW report about the raw intensity of We Ragazzi’s drummer, Alianna Kalaba. Weiss has that same kind of power. You can hear it on Sleater Kinney’s Dig Me Out, The Hot Rock, and my favorite SK album, All Hands on the Bad One. But she’s also got the finese and precision of the best jazz drummer. It was beautiful, she was beautiful. If I was a groupie, I’d be hers.

I can see why people love, love, Quasi. I do. But I don’t much care for them as a band. Sam Coomes, he’s a damn good songwriter and musician, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like him or his Roxichord.

And that is how I spent my SXSW 2003. Now if I can only get the spilled beer and smoke out of my clothes.

Rebecca and I made to two day shows yesterday to see four bands — The Long Winters, Quasi, Nicolai Dunger (a combination of Bob Dylan and David Grey with a boom of a voice), and Shearwater. But then after a walk across Lake Austin and a scoop of the strawberry soundtrack to our chocolate lives at Amy’s, the SXSW music desire fizzled. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Mid- eve, we saw Bedlam Faction’s ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore, Jesus Christ, that was a lot of stage blood last night. It was a good show with tremendous acting talent on-stage. My friend Carie Esquenazi was in it. She had this funny line about how she’s glad she’s not a Jew — which is funny because her family is Cuban/Jewish. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. She says she knew it was me.

Bedlam’s reconfiguration of Hyde Park was nice — adding a riser on the stage right wall — making the playing area an almost round. I will say this though. I don’t understand the creation of theater by committee — Bedlam Faction does not work with a director. I know a director’s a fairly new invention in the scheme of the theatre world, but I think a end-all decision-maker is crucial. Sure, let the actors and designers (costume, sound, lights, set, etc.) do their job but at the end of the day someone has to make those decisions.

After the show, we cruised by Stubb’s about 10:45 PM for the midnight Yo La Tengo showcase and gasped at the length of the line. So, instead of hoofin’ and stressin’ out about what other show to see, Rebecca and I went to Kerby Lane and shared a plate of Irish nachos. And called it an early night, by early I mean 1 AM.

Today’s plan:

• Jenny Toomey in-store at 45 Degrees
• Joe Jackson Band
• Concrete Blonde
• Elefant
• Hot Hot Heat