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Top 20 Albums of the 2000′s

Ben Hernandez — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:15:12 +0000

Coming up with this list proved to a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. For me the years between 2000 and 2009 proved to be quiet formative in regards to my musical appreciation. This is a list of music that for one reason or another had an impact or effected me . Here’s my twenty.

20. Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress

(2005) -Micah P. Hinson

19. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

(2007) -Of Montreal

18. All is Well

(2008) – Sam Amidon (Samamidon)

17. Strawberry Jam

(2007)- Animal Collective

16. Breaking Kayfabe

(2005) – Cadence Weapon

15. In a Safe Place

(2004)- The Album Leaf

14. Relationship of Command

(2000) – At The Drive-in

13. Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever

(2001)- Explosions In The Sky

12. The Trials of Van Occupanther

(2006) -Midlake

11. Give Up

(2003)- The Postal Service

10. Heart Breaker

(2000)- Ryan Adams

9. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

(2002) -The Flaming Lips

8. Takk…

(2005) -Sigur Rós

7. Rush of Blood To The Head

(2002)- Coldplay

6. Fleet Foxes

(2008)- Fleet Foxes

5. Yellow House

(2007) -Grizzly Bear

4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

(2002)- Wilco

3. Photo Album

(2001) -Death Cab For Cutie

2. Illinois

(2005) -Sufjan Stevens

1. Kid A

(2000) -Radiohead

Top 10 Albums of 2009

Ben Hernandez — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:05:36 +0000

As promised here’s my list of best albums of the year 2009 edition. Admittedly 2009 was a bit of a dry year for me music-wise, I’ve stayed pretty buys. But I did manage to find some time to work on this list. Feel free to comment and leave your own list if you wish. Happy New year every one!

10. Manners

-Passion Pit

This is a happy record, and and hits all the right notes, and as with Passion Pit’s last release, I can’t help but smile when I hear it. They further develop their unique brand of electro-pop, making even the most stoic reluctant hipsters want to dance. So “Fold your hands”, move your “Sleepyhead”, “Let your love grow” and take a listen one more time.

9. Bitte Orca

-Dirty Projectors

Well, this is definitely Dirty Projector’s most accessible album yet. There’s still a lot of “Dirty Projector moments” in this album, but a few tracks showed glimpses of other influences. For me the best example of this is “Stillness Is The Move”, it’s basically a pop song, which is probably why it was covered by Solange Knowles. In a lot of ways Bitte Orca is all over the place, but it’s wonderfully crafted vocals and catchy hooks are what make it great, possibly even (dare I say it?) commercially viable.

8. Actor

-St. Vincent

This is Ms. Annie Clark’s sophomore St. Vincent release, and it show’s us a more polished, controlled example of what she can do. Her virtuosity on the guitar is still evident, if not a bit further back in the mix compared to that on Marry Me. Distortion pedals, effected synths and quirky syncopation give Actor a certain “Disney” feel. As always Clark’s vocals are spot-on and her lyrics clever. I certainly enjoyed this record, but I still say it’s no substitute for seeing it live and recommend that you do to if you get a chance.

7. Embryonic

-The Flaming Lips

The ghost of Jim Morrison is smiling while listening to this record. In so many way’s Embryonic is an homage by the Flaming Lips to psychedelic rock roots, there are no pop songs here. Trippy synth sounds, vintage amp tones, and even a vocoder seem to be employed in creating this kaleidoscope of sound and at times wall of sound.

6. Hymns from Rhodesia

-listenlisten

I was a bit hesitant to include Hymns from Rhodesia on this due to my connection to listenlisten, but in so many ways no other record this year proved as timely and appropriate as it did. In Hymns we find dis-topic futures, existential crisis and awareness of one’s own mortality all combining to paint pretty bleak picture of the future. For someone who is admittedly more than a little obsessed with the 2012 hype, this record has proven to be a perfect soundtrack. We are reminded that all things will end just as they began, “I came in this world on a rope, and I’ll leave this world on a rope”.

5. Merriweather Post Pavilion

-Animal Collective

This one of the most “accessible” Animal Collective albums to-date. Being a fan of the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds sound”, I found it quite enjoyable. There’s less of the tribal beats, chanting, gurgling, etc. and more finely-tuned vocal harmonies and catchy melodies. “My Girls”, the most playable track on the record (in my opinion) is the best example of this. For some Merriweather Post Pavilion may be too mainstream, but it’s definitely worth a listen or two.

4. Blood Bank EP

-Bon Iver

Blood Bank is my winter record for the year. Listening to it I can’t help but imagine looking out the window at falling Wisconsin snow, as my soul is warmed by Justin Vernon’s vocals. In so many ways this album adheres to the conventions that I’ve come to expect from Bon Iver, effected falsettos, warm tones and pretty melodies. Yet on “Woods” Vernon manages to somehow use Auto-tune tastefully in a manner reminiscent of Imogen Heap’s 2005 hit “Hide And Seek“. In so many ways Blood Bank merely expanded on what Bon Iver did on For Emma, Forever Ago, non-the-less, I’m still digging it.

3. Psychic Chasms

-Neon Indian

I’ve always been a fan of pretty much everything project that Alan Palomo has been a part of, and Neon Indian isn’t any different. Psychic Chasms is Palomo’s first release for this new project on the heals of his Vega EP, Well Known Pleasures, so needless to say, he’s had a busy year. I fell in love with the record the first time I heard it. Call it “glo-fi”, retro, or formulaic, I can’t help but like it and feel good about it. Despite the fact that by my count Alan wasn’t even born when this sound and formula was “Top 40″, he has managed to create something that captures a sense of nostalgia and good vibes. Mastering the use of said formula quite well.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

-Phoenix

It’s funny that it is this Phoenix record that I fell in love with. For years have had friends talk about (I belive) three previous Phoenix albums and how great they were, and it just happened that I finally started listening the year they blow up. None-the less, after finally familiarizing myself with the “back-catalogue” (they’re French) I can safely say that Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is my favorite. “1901″ which was featured in a Cadillac commercial and “Lisztomania” became the stand out tracks on this record. It’s no-holds-barred, good, pop music and I love it. (hate myself.)

1. Veckatimest

-Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear would certainly rank up there as one of my favorite bands right now, and for me it definitely has a dichotomy. There is “Ed Dorset Grizzly Bear” with pretty vocals, woodwinds and building three-part hamomies, and the “Danniel Rossen/Dept. of Eagles Grizzly Bear” with pure vocals, blues riffs and driving baselines.Veckatimest for me was a further fine-tuning of the Grizzly Bear sound and melding of these two styles. There is a certain prim and polish to this record’s sound, yet it still manages to feel organic, with glimpses of a certain “broad-stroke” feel that GB has in its’ live performances. As with a lot of bands the songs on this record are best experienced live, but in so many ways, there’s a certain beauty to Veckatimest, it’s spot-on in almost every way.

RedHot.org

Ben Hernandez — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:05:45 +0000

Recently I helped out Red Hot Organization, an international organization “dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture” with a refresh of their web site. The refresh included the addition of new features such as site-wide search, SEO improvements, as well as the creation of three separate blogs for the areas.

It was an honor to get a chance to work with Red Hot on this project. Be sure to check their articles and their music at redhot.org.

Is “Cool” Dead?

Ben Hernandez — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:09:35 +0000

Recently I heard an interview on my local NPR station KERA with musician and author Ted Gioa who wrote a book called “The Birth (and death) of Cool“. He talked about trends in culture and the public’s mindset over the past few decades and how there has been a shift recently. A shift from what was generally seen as cool and desirable in the 1980′s and 1990′s to something different today. Something less about trying to live up to some unattainable goal or status and more about exuding a since of uniqueness and personal style. Gioa spoke about the shift in marketing, and how the new generation of adults (Gen Y) will respond better to reality than to fantasy, and it really gave to cause to think about myself.

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Jazz (with a capital ‘J’), in so many ways Jazz especially certain figures in the Jazz world exemplify what I think we all would say is cool. Miles Davis, I think is the most obvious example of this; having coined the term himself “Birth of Cool” in his 1949 Capitol Records release by the same title. There is no question that the man is cool, he set trends in music, fashion and verbage, and on numerous occasions caused me to wish I was him. Cool. I was a child of 1980′s and I remember the Nike ads featuring a “cool” shirtless Bo Jackson and the ones with Spike Lee and Michael Jordan dressed in garish Nike active wear. Their coolness sold shoes and I was sold on them just as millions of other Americans were. Even further back the fantasy and mystery of super heros created an idea or a person for people to look up to. Back them, celebrities were all beyond attractive and all had a perfect image that they portrayed to their fans. People at least wanted to believe that they were that way; something to be admired.

It seems that now, we live in the the age of the the cynical and ironic. Are you a hipster? Nerdy chic? Metrosexual? Do you wear “cool” eighties fashions and listen to Justice, or do you wear horned-rim glasses and think that Greenday are posers, or do you wear skinny ties and wish you were Donald Draper? Clothes are being dug out of the closest, musical tracks out of the archive and trends out of textbooks. Outwardly the influences of the past are everywhere, I would argue that we are in the midst of a Renaissance.

Is cool dead? I don’t know. It seems to me though, that it may be taking on a whole new meaning. I’ve read that some think the hipster sub-culture and for that matter, popular culture in general is the be-all-end-all “movement”. In that, after it reaches it’s climax (in approximately 2012 by my estimation) the world will literally implode due to the amount irony, apathy and pollution from fossil fuel burned by all the cargo ships from China bring merchandise to every Urban Outfitters in America. Okay, may be a bit of an exaggeration, but needless to say, it is fascinating how culture is changing. I’m still not completely sure where I stand on the issue but until I do I’ll sit here in my Terminator shades, drinking a martini, and listening to music from a band that you’ve probably never heard of.