Prose Before Hos » Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com The Pen Is Mightier Than Thy Wench Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:32:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 The Ten Best Albums Of The Decade http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/01/06/the-ten-best-albums-of-the-decade/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/01/06/the-ten-best-albums-of-the-decade/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:13:29 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4693 To celebrate the end of the aught’s, the PBH editorial team convened to put together the definitive list of the ten best albums of the decade. While we may have missed a couple of albums, rest assured we put several minutes into this hastily constructed list.

Who could have predicted that the Francophonic world would be the greatest contributor to the decade in music? While white New York was stuck in second gear of derivative hipster mimicry and LA and London continued their descent into the blackhole of label corporatocracy, Montreal and Paris became the hubs for exceptional musical development in the 2000’s. Our list reflects this dominance: #1, #5, #7, and a handful of our honorable mentions hail from France and Montreal.

*Note: This list does not include any hip-hop albums as the last relevant hip-hop record was released in 1997

1. Daft Punk – Discovery [Album on Amazon]

In 2001, the French duo produced a masterpiece of French house, redefined dance music, and crossed over into the mainstream. There was hardly a dance party worth going to in this decade that didn’t at least once spin some Daft Punk. Out of Discovery sprung Interstella 5555, an incredible animated rock opera set to the soundtrack of Discovery.

Key Tracks: Face to Face, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Digital Love

Daft Punk on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

2. Modest Mouse – Moon & Antarctica [Album on Amazon]

Moon and Antarctica took the raw promise of Modest Mouse’s earlier work and, with the help of Sony, they created a polished masterpiece of alt-rock. Isaac Brock’s abilities as a lyricist are on full display throughout the record and Modest Mouse’s influence on the indie rock scene is immeasurable.

Key Tracks: 3rd Planet, Tiny Cities Made of Ashes, Paper Thin Walls, I Came As A Rat

Modest Mouse on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

3. The Postal Service – Give Up [Album on Amazon]

The Postal Service, an ephemeral partnership of Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello, released Give Up in February of 2003. If there was a defining song of the 2000’s, the dispirited anthem The District Sleeps Alone Tonight suits a decade of regression under growing social malaise, Bush II, and the deafening silence of opposition to the defilers of the American dream. It also produced the best music video of the decade for the same song:

Key Tracks: Such Great Heights, Clark Gable, The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

The Postal Service on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

4. Cat Power – You Are Free [Album on Amazon]

One of the best start-to-finish albums of the decade, You Are Free sets the tone of the transition from the 1990’s to the 2000’s. I Don’t Blame You, Cat Power’s tribute to the legacy of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, provides the most heartbreaking reflection on the grunge era to date.

Key Tracks: You Are Free, I Don’t Blame You

Cat Power on PBH, Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

5. Kevin Drew – Spirit If / Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In The People [Spirit If On Amazon, You Forgot It In The People On Amazon]

The music coming out of Montreal beginning in the mid 2000’s was a sorely needed kick in the ass for the waffling independent rock scene. Leading the pack was the Kevin Drew-fronted Broken Social Scene, whose first release You Forgot It In The People earned one of the highest PitchFork ratings ever. Similarly, Kevin Drew’s BSS-inspired solo album Spirit If continued the indescribable kinetic energy that pervades their creative output. It simply is.

Key Tracks: TBTF, Safety Bricks, Gang Bang Suicide; Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl, Almost Crimes, Cause = Time

Broken Social Scene on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon; Kevin Drew on PBH, Wiki and Amazon

6. Radiohead – Kid A [Album on Amazon]

Radiohead proved with this album that they could not only continue to reinvent themselves as musicians, but reinvent rock music as a whole. Their transition from standard rock (Pablo Honey, The Bends) to art rock (Ok Computer) to rock art was completed with this album, which defined their 21st century sound.

Key Tracks: Idioteque, Everything in Its Right Place, The National Anthem, Morning Bell

Radiohead on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

7. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [Album on Amazon]

Phoenix’s latest album continues their upward trend in quality. Inspired by the life of classical bad boy Franz Liszt, it’s an magnificent combination of intelligent lyrics and dance rock bop.

Key Tracks: 1901, Lisztomania

Bonus — Lisztomania inspired the best fan video created:

Phoenix on PBH, Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

8. Of Montreal – Satanic Panic in the Attic [Album on Amazon]

Before this album Of Montreal, a member of the legendary Elephant 6 collective, had focused on more conceptual, 60s inspired pop. This album signaled a radical break from Kevin Barnes and co into a more electronic dance pop, while maintaining a focus on lyrical irreverence and humor.

Key Tracks: Disconnect the Dots, Rapture Rapes the Muses, Lysergic Bliss

Of Montreal on PBH, Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

9. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue [Album on Amazon]

Simple sampled multifarious tracks. Bibio exudes what we love most about modern music: an aesthetic blend of contemporary genres while avoiding getting bogged down by esoteric frivolousness.

Key Tracks: Sugarette, Firefly, The Palm Of Your Wave

Bibio on PBH, Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

10. Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights [Album on Amazon]

Interpol’s first album took the driving, post-punk sound of the Strokes and melded it with a vocal styling very reminiscent of 80s band, Joy Division, and were able to create a new sound altogether. Paul Banks’ stream-of-conscious lyrics and inspired bass playing of Carlos Dengler set it apart.

Key Tracks: Obstacle #1, PDA, NYC

Interpol on Wiki, MySpace, and Amazon

Honorable Mentions: Yacht – See Mystery Lights [On PBH, Wiki, Amazon]

St. Vincent – The Actor [St. Vincent on PBH, Wiki, Amazon]

The Stars – Set Yourself On Fire [The Stars on PBH, Wiki, Amazon]

The Strokes – Is This It? [The Strokes On Wiki, Amazon]

At The Drive In – Relationship of Command [At The Drive In On Wiki, Amazon]

Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise [Sufjan Stevens On Wiki, Amazon]

Devendra Banhart – Niño Rojo [Devendra Banhart On Wiki, Amazon]

Voxtrot – Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives [Voxtrot On Wiki, Amazon]

Lupe Fiasco – Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor [Lupe Fiasco On Wiki, Amazon]

Hot Chip – Made In The Dark [Hot Chip on PBH, Wiki, Amazon]

Beck – Sea Change [Beck On Wiki, Amazon]

See Also: Pitchfork – The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s, POPBYTES’ TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009!, Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2009, The Best Albums Of The Decade: Which Was The Greatest?, The Top 10 Albums of 2009 That Didn’t Make Pitchfork’s Top 50, A Few of My Top Albums for 2009, The Best-Written Top 10 Albums Of 2009 List On The Internet, Complex’s Best of 2009: The Top 25 Albums, Band of the Decade, The Rockologist’s End Of Year, End Of Decade Wrapup Part 1: Best Albums Of ‘09, Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Albums, Songs Of 2009, and Best of the Decade in Music.

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]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/01/06/the-ten-best-albums-of-the-decade/feed/ 4 Fillipino Cooking http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/13/fillipino-cooking/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/13/fillipino-cooking/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:17:54 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4697 Our favorite Fillipino Chef is back with another sweet ass cooking video. (I’m in this one) Also featured is Umi Nom, one of the best Fillipino spots in NYC, also affiliated with Kuma Inn. So if you are in NYC, or want to be, you should check it out. Word.

]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/13/fillipino-cooking/feed/ 0 Asian Dub Foundation http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/04/asian-dub-foundation/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/04/asian-dub-foundation/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:29:24 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4667 If you were anything like me, you spent your formative years creating irreversible holes in your brain while listening to the finest of untz untz untz music. While you were experimenting with microns and candy-flipping, you probably were listening to the sweet beats of the Asian Dub Foundation. Asian Dub Foundation is a British electronica band, that plays a mix of breakbeat, dub, dancehall and raggae that has began in 1993. Here are some of their sweet songs:

           

           

]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/12/04/asian-dub-foundation/feed/ 0 Bibio http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/11/04/bibio/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/11/04/bibio/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:54:36 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4542 Bibio is another band you would have been listening to 3 years ago if your life wasn’t a painful exercise in choosing the path of least resistance to conform in the blandest of ways to the normatives opposed from above. While you were busy weaving a tapestry of banality and dysfunctional ignorance, Bibio was smashing their brand of electronic-infused progrock to the teetering masses. Like most bands composed of bearded white people, Bibio explores the kind of topics available only to the navel-gazing bourgeois of consumer-centric Western societies where the simplest daily minutia creates heartache, becoming the rhyme and reason for their artistic vision. Somehow, they also manage to not feel embarrassed about what they look like. Either way, spend some time hating yourself while you spend time enjoying Bibio:

       

       

]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/11/04/bibio/feed/ 3 Neutral Milk Hotel http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/10/27/neutral-milk-hotel/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/10/27/neutral-milk-hotel/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:53:23 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4515 Neutral Milk Hotel is another sweet band that makes a lot of songs the white right people like. They came out in the mid-90’s but you probably never heard of them until you read this sweet blog cause you’re pretty unhip and were too busy thinking Jack White was still relevant. Anyway, it’s a bunch of white dudes who make music that’s all about being emotional while having a beard. Here are some killer tracks that you can listen to while you drift further away from reality so if someone asks you why you’re acting particularly aloof, you can say “I’ve been re-examining the messages of Neutral’s first EP”:

Also if you like to be creeped out by Anne Frank tributes, this is the YouTube video for you:

This is what they look like (judge accordingly):

Neutral_Milk_Hotel

In conclusion, Neutral Milk Hotel is a land of contradictions and maize.

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The best video for them isn’t even by them — it’s a fan video mashup mixing Lisztomania (from the Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album) with clips from famous 80’s movies:

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]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/09/30/phoenix-2/feed/ 0 YACHT http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/09/12/yacht/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/09/12/yacht/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:02:19 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4374 YACHT is a band that is on James Murphy’s DFA Records label. YACHT consists of one of the guys from the Blow and a girl. They are awesome.

Hang around baby we’ll be making a cake for you:

]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/09/12/yacht/feed/ 0 Cat Power http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/07/07/cat-power/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/07/07/cat-power/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:52:00 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4158 Cat Power is the stage name of American singer/songwriter Charlyn “Chan” Marshall. She is known for her minimalist style, sparse guitar and piano playing, and breathy vocals.

In late 1996, following a three-month tour co-headlining with the band Guv’ner in support of the release of What Would the Community Think, Marshall disappeared from the music scene, initially working as a baby sitter in Portland, Oregon and then moving to a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina with then boyfriend Bill Callahan. The plan was to permanently retire from public performance but during a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare, Marshall wrote several new songs. These songs would make up the bulk of Moon Pix. The record was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne in eleven days with backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three.

The album was well-received by critics, and gained her recognition in the indie rock scene. However, during subsequent tours Marshall states that she had grown tired of her own material. This resulted in a series of shows during 1999 where Marshall provided musical accompaniment to the silent movie The Passion of Joan of Arc. The shows combined original material and many covers, many of which would later see release on The Covers Record, a collection of cover songs recorded at various sessions in 1998 and 1999. A selection of covers that didn’t make it on to the album were recorded at Peel Acres, home of the British DJ John Peel. The session was broadcast on his BBC Radio 1 show and featured Marshall’s own interpretations of Bob Dylan’s “Hard Times in New York Town” and Oasis’s “Wonderwall”, amongst others.

In 2003 she resumed releasing original material with You Are Free, which featured guest musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and the Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis. A music video directed by Brett Vapnek, was released for the song “He War”.

2004 saw the release of a DVD Speaking for Trees, which featured a single, nearly 2-hour static shot of Marshall performing in a woodland, and was accompanied by an audio CD containing the 18-minute song “Willie Deadwilder”, featuring M. Ward on guitar. Also this year Marshall lent her vocals to the track “I’ve Been Thinking” from the Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People. Marshall toured through 2005, including an Australian tour supporting Nick Cave and an appearance at the Patti Smith-curated Meltdown festival. The shows largely consisted of material that would appear on her next album. In 2005 Marshall was featured on the song “Great Waves” from Dirty Three’s album Cinder.

The Greatest, was released in January, 2006. This was not a greatest hits record but rather the Matador Records-arranged collaboration with Al Green’s guitarist Teenie Hodges and other musicians. Following its release, Marshall cancelled previously arranged live shows in North America and Europe. She was struggling with a relationship with a young Miami investment banker. Ultimately, Marshall used the hiatus to recover from what she described as a “psychotic break” that had left her feeling suicidal and was brought on by mental exhaustion and alcohol abuse. As part of her recovery she was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Miami’s Mount Sinai Medical Center but left after a week, stating “being in there wasn’t me.” She later likened the experience to “a pit of hell.” Marshall gave a first person account of her breakdown in an interview for the November 2006 issue of Spin.

]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/07/07/cat-power/feed/ 0 Hot Chip http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/17/hot-chip/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/17/hot-chip/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:49:39 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4057 Hot Chip is a Grammy-nominated British electropop band. They have released three studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, and Made in the Dark. The Warning was named Album of the Year by Mixmag and voted the fourth best album of 2006 by NME. They released their third studio album, Made in the Dark, in February 2008.

Edit: Best lyrics ever from this song (The Wrestlers):

Don’t fight dirty, don’t hit me with the chair
Don’t fight dirty, don’t bite me in the face

   

Hot Chip formed in 2000, though members Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard had previously worked together and had been at the same sixth form college at Elliott School in Putney, London. In an interview, Goddard jokingly compared early Hot Chip releases to sixth-form poetry with acoustic guitars, although an interest in dance music rhythms and electronic experimentation is present in even the early recordings and releases such as the ‘Mexico EP’. The current line up was completed when occasional collaborators Owen Clarke, Felix Martin and later Al Doyle joined the band full time in 2003.

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]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/17/hot-chip/feed/ 0 St. Vincent http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/08/st-vincent/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/08/st-vincent/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:08:20 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=4013 Annie Clark is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who performs under the moniker St. Vincent. She was a member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens’ touring band.

 

Clark released her debut album, Marry Me, July 10, 2007 on Beggars Banquet Records. Named after a line from the cult-hit television show Arrested Development, the LP features appearances from drummer Brian Teasley (Man or Astro-man?, The Polyphonic Spree), Mike Garson (David Bowie’s longtime pianist), and horn player Louis Schwadron (The Polyphonic Spree).

In 2008 Clark was nominated for three PLUG Independent Music Awards: New Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, and on 6 March 2008, she won the Female Artist of the Year award.

Her second album for Beggars Banquet, entitled Actor, was released on May 5 worldwide. It was written entirely by Clark, and produced by Clark and John Congleton of The Paper Chase.

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]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/06/08/st-vincent/feed/ 0 Passion Pit http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/05/28/passion-pit/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/05/28/passion-pit/#comments Thu, 28 May 2009 13:07:11 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=3930

Passion Pit is an American electronic band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 2007, the group consists of Michael Angelakos (lead vocals/keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth/samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass) and Nate Donmoyer (drums). They may be from Cambridge but every little boy in Billysburg, NY dreams that they will live off of Lorimer on the L line and play their birthday party.

The band’s first full-length studio album, Manners, was released on May 18, 2009 in the UK and May 19, 2009 in the United States and Canada. I think you will like it.

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]]> http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/05/28/passion-pit/feed/ 0 The Sugarcubes http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/05/18/the-sugarcubes/ http://www.prosebeforehos.com/artist-of-the-day/05/18/the-sugarcubes/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 16:31:11 +0000 Artist of the Day http://www.prosebeforehos.com/?p=3857 The Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir in Icelandic) were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.

They first came to notice in the UK when radio DJ John Peel played “Birthday”, later voted by his listeners as a single of the year. The band’s music was characterized by a psychedelic post-punk sound sometimes reminiscent of The B-52’s, whimsical yet heartfelt lyrics, and the imploring, girlish voice of vocalist Björk Guðmundsdóttir, who later went on to great success as a solo artist. While not as successful as Björk’s solo career would be, the band is still very highly regarded and was the most influential Icelandic group until the rise of Sigur Rós.

The Sugarcubes dissolved in 1992 as different members of the band had realized they all had different ambitions; instead of risking their friendship, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. They remain friends to this day and are all still involved in the management of record label Smekkleysa (Bad Taste Ltd).

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