Best music of 2008 watch

I've recently gone on a music binge lately, grabbing up a bunch of new releases and plowing through them.

I've been pleased with a lot of it and bet that some of it will end up on my "best of" list come the end of the year. Let's look at some of the highlights.

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

I loved BSP's "Open Season" and was looking forward to "...Rock Music." The band took the anthem rock to another level on the album with songs such as "All In It" and "Waving Flags." And although the second half of "...Rock Music" is weaker than the first, the strength of the aforementioned early tracks plus "No Lucifer" and "Lights Out for Darker Skies" makes up for it. Another solid release from a consistently good band.

Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies

Toeing a number of genre lines (electronic, rap, geek rap, spoken word), Cadence Weapon's debut "Breaking Kayfabe" had me hooked on his use of video game blips, clever rhymes and unique delivery. "Afterparty Babies" isn't great, but has higher highs than "Kayfabe." From the acapella opener "Do I Miss My Friends?" to the infectiously catchy "Real Estate," Cadence Weapon's varied style is still ever present on the album. It will be interesting to see what he can do on album number three - I have a feeling the best is yet to come.

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

The safest bet to be at the top of my end of year list, "Street Horrrsing" is dutifully feeding my addiction to noise. With six tracks clocking in at nearly 50 minutes, the album is a dense, slowly building monster. "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" and "Bright Tomorrow" are simply glorious - each lulling the listener to sleep before blowing his/her head off. The scratchy vocoder-filtered vocals, cheap sounding keyboards and fuzzed out guitars make for what I think will be the best noise album of the year.

Santogold - S/T

I think everything you need to know about Santogold can be gleaned from her video for "L.E.S. Artistes." That song is one of my favorite of the year so far and a great opener, for not only the album, but the musical career of Santogold. Her influences are many and that shows in the range of the tracks. "L.E.S. Artistes" and "You'll Find a Way" turn up the badass chick factor up to 11, while "I'm A Lady" and "My Superman" slow it down for a nice change of pace. The album is scatter-brained, yet cohesive. You may find yourself saying "is this really the same album?" and loving it at the same time.

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

Are Cut Copy doing anything with electronic music that hasn't been done before? Not that I can hear. But does that matter in the least? Absolutely not. Sounding at times like Depeche Mode or Daft Punk, Cut Copy brings a noticeable sense of life to this sometimes cold sounding genre. The heavy use of bass and guitars in harmony with synth and organic vocals makes for a great electronic record. "Lights and Music," "Unforgettable Season" and "Hearts on Fire" are some of the best dance/electronic tracks you'll hear this year.

And some individual tracks I have been loving:

Atmosphere - "You"
Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us"
Lykke Li - "Breaking It Up"
No Age - "Teen Creeps"
Portishead - "Machine Gun"
Destroyer - "My Favorite Year"
Los Campesinos - "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks"

thanks to Hype Machine for the links and being an awesome site.

Which of these GTA IV blurbs are fake?

Grand Theft Auto IV may very well be the greatest game ever. I have never been a fan of the GTA series, but judging from reviews, it seems pretty damn amazing.

But this amazing? What follows are some (ridiculous) blurbs from reviews about the game and ones I have made up. See if you can tell insane hyperbole from made up hyperbole!

A) "The very nature of the American Dream is the central theme in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV, a gaming masterpiece that is a picture-perfect snapshot of the underworld of today's big cities."

B) "GTA IV is the epitome of gaming bliss - it's sprawling city vistas, gritty underworld realism and wanton violence all mesh together to create a game as close to perfection as we may ever see."

C) "But perhaps the biggest innovation is the notion that you can create a game that's as valid a piece of art as any book or movie. Is this our "Citizen Kane" moment?"

D) "I now know how film critics felt after screening 'The Godfather.'"

E) "I literally pooped my pants in delight."

F) "It's been days since Grand Theft Auto IV's credits rolled, yet I can't seem to construct a coherent thought without my mind wandering off into a daydream about the game. I just want to drop everything in my life so I can play it again. Experience it again. Live it again ... Grand Theft Auto IV doesn't just raise the bar for the storied franchise; it completely changes the landscape of gaming."

G) "Grand Theft Auto IV will take your money, ruin your marriage, smack your kids in the face, all just for laughs. This is a game that is more than a game - it's a way of life. Say goodbye to life as you know it, GTA IV is here."

H) "... is what makes GTA IV the best openworld game yet, and why it will take something miraculous to rob it of game of the year status."

I) "We all knew GTA 4 would be a great game and sell millions of copies, but I didn't expect it to shame pretty much every other game I've played this generation."

J) "Heard of Bioshock? GTA IV kicks that game in the balls. Orange Box? Fuck that shit. Super Mario Galaxy? More like Super Mario GAYlaxy. Remember the wheel? This game puts that invention to shame. Fire? Give me a fucking break. GTA IV is the toughest, most badass, mind-exploding thing ever conceived by humankind. You don't play GTA IV - it plays you. Calendars will now go by pre-GTA IV and post-GTA IV. Welcome to year one."
















Answers:
A) real, Gamespy
B) fake
C) real, Team Xbox
D) real, Game Informer
E) fake
F) surprisingly real, Game Informer again
G) fake
H) real, EuroGamer
I) real, VideoGamer
J) real, my review

Vampire Weekend debut lives up to hype

Gone are the days of touring endless bars half-full of drunk college kids for $50 and free beer until your band scrapes up enough money to record a demo and hope some label takes a chance. Even then, your band would need to make a hit music video or get on a magazine cover before becoming “big.”

In the age of MySpace, YouTube, FaceBook and thousands of music blogs, it is possible for a band to go from “total unknown” to “next big thing” in the blink of an eye. Vampire Weekend is one of these bands.

Hailing from New York, Vampire Weekend consists of four regular (although probably smart) guys who met at Columbia University. They look like how one would think four white kids from New York who go to Columbia look like – sweater-clad, skinny, maybe a little smarmy and simply adorable. These are rock stars that your parents would be delighted with if you brought one of them home for dinner.

A few of the band’s songs have been circulating the Internet since late 2007. The subsequent hype and “you got to check this out!” groundswell reached epic proportions – cresting with the release of the band’s self titled LP on January 29, 2008.

The song most are familiar with is “A-Punk,” a clip of which is shown after a number of MTV shows. Featuring the band’s signature surf-rock guitars and a healthy dose of sing-along-able “ohs” and “heys,” it’s easy to see why this song was chosen to represent the band’s style.

Indeed, Vampire Weekend’s music conjures images of Hawaiian shirts and sandy beaches. Keeping in theme, the band’s lyrics reference Cape Cod, New Mexico and California, along with college, and of course, girls. This isn’t deep stuff lyrically, but this is pop. It’s supposed to be fun, lighthearted and simple – and it is.

Album standout, “Walcott” is an upbeat, piano-filled story about the trappings of Cape Cod. Vampire Weekend shows their music savvy on this track, using the perfect amount of strings – which seem to pleasantly fade in and out throughout the record.

Off of “Walcott”: “Walcott/Mystic seaport/Is that that way/Don't you know/That your life could be lost?/Out of Cape Cod tonight.”

Vampire Weekend’s influences are clear on “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” Lyrically referring to Peter Gabriel and stylistically sounding a lot like Paul Simon. There’s bongo, maraca, simple, short guitar and kitschy lyrics. “Is your bed made?/Is your sweater on?/Do you want to/Like you know I do.”

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” represents what Vampire Weekend are about. They’re fun, a little immature, simple musically and pretty damn good song writers.

Vampire Weekend is an interesting record. It may seem unappealing – too happy, sunny or goofy, to some listeners. But after one listen, you just want to hear that one song again. Soon, one song turns into two. And then three. Suddenly, you’ll have listened to the whole thing three times.

Try as one might, it is very difficult to resist the charms of these four Columbia-schooled New Yorkers with their argyle sweaters and button-down shirts. Their two and a half minute pop vignettes will be playing in your head the minute you turn the record off – if you can, that is.

Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk."

Third time’s the charm - Halo 3 best in series

Halo 3 is the most important video game of all time.

Note that is “most important” - not best. Halo 3 is doing something for the video game industry that is far more important and impacting than how good or bad the game is.

The marketing blitz for Halo 3 has bordered on surreal. Mountain Dew cans, NASCAR cars, 7/11 slushies and Burger King french fry wrappers all bear Master Chief’s (the games hero) likeness. Even Radio Shack, which doesn’t sell video games, is going to carry the title.

One would think that Halo 3 was Hollywood’s next big blockbuster – not a mere video game. The game has already gone gold prior to release, selling one million copies (via pre-order) in North America alone. Many Halo fans lined up before midnight on Monday just to get the game as early as possible

Halo 3 is - without doubt or hyperbole – the single most hyped video game ever. It is probably one of the most hyped media releases ever.

That being said, there is no way a game this built up could live up to the massive expectations put upon it. Anything less than immaculate and it will be seen as a failure to many.

For those unfamiliar to the series, Halo is a sci-fi action story that takes place in the year 2552. The story revolves around a faceless, futuristic armor-clad hero named Master Chief. The Chief has to save the world from a hive-minded alien race (the Flood) from infesting the universe.

The plot isn’t anything thought-provoking, but it does the job of keeping the game interesting and the action flowing. But most people don’t play Halo for the compelling plot - they play it for the frenzied action.

Halo 3 delivers this action through a variety of futuristic, over-the-top gunplay and vehicular mayhem that all span across gorgeous landscapes. Players will take on a myriad of alien races ranging from the hulking, simian-esque Brutes to the disgusting reanimated corpses that are the Flood.

On a purely aesthetic level, Halo 3 is a stunning game. Pools of water reflect sunlight and respond to steps through them. Tress and grass wave in the wind - while enemies and allies alike have detailed facial expressions. It is one of the best looking Xbox 360 games available, probably trailing only Gears of War and Bioshock.

The musical score and voice acting is also spot-on, especially for an action title. The orchestral music swells up at appropriately tense moments and takes a back seat when necessary. The voice over work is particularly well done. Whether it’s a nameless Marine or Master Chief’s sidekick, Cortana, the voice work is consistently solid throughout.

Halo 3 has a copious amount of weaponry at the player’s disposal. Stand-bys such as the sub-machine gun, grenades and shotgun are back - with a few tweaks in appearance and clip size. New additions such as the Spartan laser (capable of cutting vehicles in half) and the gravity hammer (capable of sending opponents flying) are a blast to play with and will keep Halo 2 veterans on their toes learning new tactics.

New to Halo 3 is the equipment. These items won’t dish out punishment, but can be invaluable in combat situations. Their effects range from forming a shield around the player that is immune to gunfire (Bubble Shield) to slowly draining enemies’ health (Power Drainer). The equipment adds another wrinkle to the game without feeling unfamiliar or forced.

Vehicles in Halo 3 have gotten a lot of the attention from the developers. The newly added Mongoose (a two-man, four wheeled ATV perfect for capture-the-flag) and Hornet (basically the human version of the Covenant Banshee) are a joy to drive in solo and multiplayer games alike.

Speaking of multiplayer, it has always been the crux of the Halo series. Sure the campaign mode is enjoyable - but the game’s value truly surfaces when multiple players are involved.

Like its predecessor, Halo 3 supports Xbox Live as well as system link multiplayer - with the ladder allowing up to 16 players in a single game. The game comes with a number of brand new maps that have been meticulously thought out to stand up to hundreds of thousands of games.

One of the new features of multiplayer is the Theatre. In it you can watch replays of your last two dozen or so games - pausing, fast forwarding and slow-motioning the action. You can then save screenshots or record miniature clips of something awesome you did and share them with your friends - or better yet - enemies.

There is also a map editor called the Forge in which players can change locations of weapons, vehicles or almost anything else on any of the games multiplayer maps. Although not a true map creator featured in other titles, the Forge is deep enough to keep ambitious players tweaking maps for hours and hours - adding new twists on familiar maps. The Forge also supports Xbox Live, allowing players to share their maps with players around the globe.

It’s creative and forward-thinking content like the Forge and Theatre that separates Halo 3 from other console titles.

Underneath all the hype and marketing lies a truly wonderful action video game. Anyone who bought and played either the original Halo or Halo 2 will thoroughly enjoy Halo 3 for quite some time. Those new to the party – this is the reason you’ve been looking for to buy an Xbox 360.

Although Halo 3 isn’t immaculate, it is extremely enjoyable and anyone who calls it a failure would be remiss. The campaign is better than Halo 2’s and wraps up the trilogy in a definitive and satisfying manner. The multiplayer is superb, as is expected from a Halo title. New additions - the Forge, Theatre and graphical and weapon upgrades - solidify this already spectacular franchise as one of gaming’s all-time greatest.

Halo 3

Xbox 360, $59.99
Bungie Studios, Microsoft Game Studios

September 25, 2007

Feist enraptures on "The Reminder"

When Leslie Feist isn’t busy being an adorable songbird, she is busy making music. Feist is one of the many members of the Canadian super-group, Broken Social Scene, as well as a successful solo artist with two studio albums to her credit. 2004’s “Let it Die” was a critical success, giving Feist an identity outside of Broken Social Scene.

“The Reminder,” Feist’s follow-up to “Let it Die,” takes the singer’s vocal driven pop to the next level. “The Reminder” is a smooth, relaxed and joyous album that showcases Feist’s silky voice perfectly on almost every track.

Feist wastes no time opening “The Reminder”. “So Sorry” is a sultry ballad about confused lovers. It features acoustic strumming and some soft percussion, and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. If you aren’t melting by those last “tonight’s” then there is something wrong with you.

“I Feel It All” follows “So Sorry,” changing the pace a bit. This track is much more upbeat and whimsical, using a lot of piano, chimes and some hand claps for good measure. This is one of the best tracks on the album, and one of the better singles of the year.

“My Moon, My Man” completes a great three song span on “The Reminder.” Each of these are very solid singles, and if this album is a success, it will be on the back of these three songs.

“1, 2, 3, 4” is another great track on the album and uses a broad range of sounds to create a lighthearted love song. Banjo, horns, strings, backing vocals and finger snaps all combine to support Feist’s vocals without overwhelming them. Feist also shows her knack for writing compact lyrics that aren’t too heavy or too trivial, matching the mood of her songs. “Sweetheart bitterheart now I can tell you apart / Cozy and cold, put the horse before the cart / Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes / Too scared to own up to one little lie.”

If there is anything to complain about on “The Reminder” it’s that Feist reigns it in too many times. She’s at her best when her songs are carefree and fun. The first three tracks, “1, 2, 3, 4,” and “Sea Lion Woman” are all examples of this. Some of her sleepier tracks, “The Water,” “Honey Honey” and “How My Heart Behaves” are some of the weaker songs on the album. Luckily, Feist’s voice saves these and actually offers a change of pace that is understandable.

Silky, angelic, buttery, sexy. These are all words used to describe Feist’s voice, and you would be hard pressed to find someone to disagree. But Feist isn’t simply relying on her voice to sell records. Although the majority of her songs are about love, they remain so varied in sound that you’ll hardly notice. And by the time you’re done listening, you may be in love with her voice. “The Reminder” is a wonderful and gorgeous album that will strongly contend for album of the year come December.