Lots of inaugural parties, etc. to go to this evening, and really, that's probably what you SHOULD be doing tonight, if for no other reason than to celebrate the end of the most incompetent presidency in American history. Looks like there is a pretty good one at Hailey's tonight if you want to stop by... other than that, not much going on. Check here for stuff.

Wipers - Youth of America (Park Avenue, 1981)




By TC

Ok, so my bff lives in Portland, hometown of the Wipers. She recently went to see a fairly popular touring act and the singer of the group mentioned something about Greg Sage, singer/songwriter/guitarist from the Wipers. She was shocked when the packed house of hipster douchebags glanced at each other shrugging their shoulders, looking as though they had no idea who this person/band was. I found it hard to believe that such a great band could be relatively unknown in their hometown, especially this band, but what the hell do I know?

'Youth of America' is the group's sophomore release, coming out just a year after the fantastic 'Is this Real?' I would be remiss to say that YOA sounds completely different than 'Is this Real?'; it's not like the band changed thier sound, but it seems like the song writing process was handled in a different manner. Six songs in 30 minutes was definitely not the punk rock norm at the time and the production is some of the best i've heard on any record of any genre.

The original lps are pretty hard to find these days and they're quite expensive when you do. Thankfully they have been re-released on greg sage's zeno records. The albums were re-mastered by Sage himself from the original tapes and they sound fucking fantastic!

There's nothing to do tonight and I don't care, because that means I don't have to write about any of it. Has anyone seen the Biggie movie yet? I asked someone about it this weekend and she said, "Oh, yeah. I just watched Hitchcock's "Notorious." Wrong answer.

Looks like a slow week for noteworthy shows, but if we missed something, let us know in the comments and we'll add it:



SHOWS OF NOTE

THU: John Legend (Nokia Theater)
THU: KRS One (Minc)
FRI: Akkolyte/Vorvadoss/Fighting Change/Scumrush/Enemies of Inertia/Blood OV (Reno's)
FRI: Matthew and the Arrogrant Sea/RTB2/The Beaten Sea (1207 Annex Ave., Dallas)
SAT: No Babies/Drug Mountain/Fungi Girls/A Smile Full of Ale (1919 Hemphill)
SUN: Some Jerk Off/Orange Coax/Geistheistler (Majestic Dwelling of Doom)

Not the greatest weekend in the world for shows, but still a few things worth checking out:

FRIDAY

LATE ADD: Fizzy Dino Pop | Dj Ops/Blue Fabric (408 Ponder, Denton)

Yo Majesty | Natalie Stewart (Hailey's)
You might be tempted to lump Yo Majesty in with some of that other hipster hop bullshit (am I the only one who tried real hard but couldn't ever get into that Cool Kids record?), but I've seen the women of Yo Majesty twice and they are pretty much the real deal. By the way, I recently rediscovered Queen Latifa's "Just Another Day." Remember that jam from back in the day? It rules. There is also a picture of a topless memeber of Yo Majesty somewhere on WSJR. Post the URL to win a free prize!

ADD: Teenage Cool Kids | Unicorn Basement | MC.Vl | Division of Power (Exploding House)

Cartright | Circlebirds | RTB2 | Heartstring Stranglers (Fra House)
DL once called Cartright the worst local band, and I had to laugh at that a lot because even though I actually don't mind Cartright much, I can totally see why someone would say what DL did. Fortunately for society at large, however, most people in the world are not like us, and in fact, Cartright, during their time in Denton, had one of the most loyal local followings of any band I've seen around these parts, especially when they played at their home base, the Yellow House. Yeah, I can see how they are a Cetro-matic and Replacements rip off, but I've seen several of their shows over the years and I've never NOT had fun. That might have been due to the settings more than the band, but isn't context EVERYTHING these days?

Uptown Fridays with Select (Zubar)

Nervous Curtains | The Make Believers | Followed By Static (Doublewide)

SATURDAY

Baptist Generals | Robert Gomez | Doug Burr | Dust Congress (Sons of Hermann Hall)
Sons is an appropriate setting for this show for sure, and in my not-so-humble opinion, Dust Congress are the highlights here, although to quote a WSJR associate, Baptist Generals DID get like an 8.5 in Pitchfork six years ago. JK guys!

ADD: Violent Squid | Sarah Ruth | Echo-Toll (Knight House)

Tame...Tame and Quiet | Shiny Around the Edges | Kaboom (Chat Room)
If you haven't been to the Chat Room yet, it's a pretty great place to see a show, so check it out. Oh, and you just lost Ft. Worth Vegan Scene points. Bummer.

Hot Flash (Fallout Lounge)
The Hot Flash crew tonight will also feature Genova. Should be the usual hipster meat market at Fallout if you're looking for some, uh, meat. But if you're in the mood to dance, Hot Flash is always fun and relatively douche free compared to the rest of the dance clubs in Dallas.

SUNDAY

Three on Sunday with Martin Iles (Dan's Silverleaf)
Martin will be bringing you the following:

HOOLI​GANSH​IP:​ ADVEN​TURE
Hooli​gansh​ip (​Peter​ Burr and Chris​tophe​r Doulg​eri)​,​ 2006 (6 min.)

In this anima​ted short​,​ band pract​ice is inter​rupte​d by “Dona​ld Trump​et”,​ who tells​ the music​ians about​ some of his probl​ems.​ These​ probl​ems inclu​de pizza​,​ hot dogs,​ soft serve​ ice cream​,​ and more.​

Hooli​gansh​ip is the North​west’​s answe​r to the visua​l cultu​re of Fort Thund​er,​ Force​field​,​ Paper​ Rad, and Dear Raind​rop.​ Using​ music​,​ anima​tion,​ insta​llati​on,​ and perfo​rmanc​e,​ the duo “reve​l in a hypno​tic abund​ance of digit​al infor​matio​n”.​ LINK

LORD of the UNIVE​RSE
TVTV (Top Value​ Telev​ision​)​,​ 1974 (60 min.)

He was the 16-​year-​old Guru Mahar​aj Ji and, as the Mille​nnium​ appro​ached​,​ he promi​sed to levit​ate the Houst​on Astro​dome.​ It was the early​ Seven​ties and anyth​ing was possi​ble so thous​ands flock​ed to his gathe​ring.​ Follo​w him from his mansi​on in New York to the limou​sines​ in Houst​on,​ liste​n to his follo​wers and watch​ the spect​acle unfol​d just as the gueri​lla docum​entar​y colle​ctive​ TVTV did in this long out of print​ Alfre​d I. DuPon​t award​ winni​ng docum​entar​y.​

“If this guy is God, then this is the God the Unite​d State​s of Ameri​ca deser​ves.​” - Abbie​ Hoffm​an

LINK

NINA SIMON​E LIVE
VARA/​GRANA​DA,​ 1965/​1968 (60 min.)

Featu​ring perfo​rmanc​es in Holla​nd on Decem​ber 25, 1965 and on Engla​nd’s Grana​da TV on Septe​mber 14, 1968.​

Songs​ inclu​de.​.​.​ Brown​ Baby,​ Four Women​,​ The Balla​d of Holli​s Brown​,​ Tomor​row is My Turn/​Image​s,​ Go Limp,​ Missi​ssipp​i Godda​m,​ Go To Hell,​ Ain’t​ Got No/I Got Life,​ Backl​ash Blues​,​ I Put a Spell​ on You, Don’t​ Let Me Be Misun​derst​ood,​ Why? (The King of Love is Dead)​.​ LINK

Sorry, we're really trying to start publishing these things earlier, but sometimes life gets in the way:

Damaged Good$ | Prince William | Scuba Team Go | Johnny Moog (Granada)
This is at least a partially great line up at the Granada tonight, and I hope enough people come out to see it so that the place doesn't look empty. Perhaps I'm underestimating the draw of Dallas' Damaged Goods, and I might very well be considering the appeal they seem to have amongst the hipster hop set, but when I see a line up listed in a local paper and my first guess would be that the show was taking place at Hailey's or the Cavern or something, the Granada just seems like it might not be the right place for it. Again, the line up is solid, and Kudos to the Granada for taking a chance on a nearly all local bill like this, I just hope that it works. That's all. Most of you have heard us talk a lot about Damaged Goods and Prince William by now (which is good since they are the highlights) they are , but we've only said a little about the other two acts. Scuba Team Go is kind of a strange one-- they sort of remind me of some of that white boy EMO hip hop shit, like Why? or something, mixed with like, uh, other EMO shit. I don't know. I don't care. Some of their beats are actually pretty decent, mixing 80's electro pulses with nods to 90's RZA, but I can't imagine seeing this group live and not feeling like I needed to be doing something else with my life. Johnny Moog is a friend and favorite of Prince William's, and his oversexed, slick r&b funk is solid as shit and well worth checking out.

Billingham's Defense System (Fallout Lounge)

80's Night with DJG (Hailey's)

Starhead | Brass Bed | Zest of Yore (Lola's)

Drug Mountain's debut at The Exploding House on Monday night was a startlingly confident performance; a mix of sax blasts, stop-start skronk, busy baritone lines, and very convincing screams tying it all together. In some ways the confidence isn't all that surprising. I want to go ahead and admit that I have met Bryan Mckendry, lead singer of Drug Mountain, on more than one occasion. I've actually met a lot of you many times, but few of you put on the type of show this guy does. I have been a fan of this man's music for the past five years, since before I had actually met him, when I heard his first group, Blank Blank. As far as confrontational front-men go, Mckendry is as unforgettably unpredictable as the best I've ever seen, along with David Yow and Mark E. Smith. Big praise I know, and I also know that Mckendry can be a prickly conversationalist. In fact, he once almost got me arrested after yelling "Fuck you, cop!" at a cop car...with a cop in it...a cop who had happened to have his window rolled down. So I tried to conduct this interview with a tone that I thought he would understand. I mean, he quotes Wolverine. I am not shitting you:


So, there are a lot of saxophones in bands now days. What's the inspiration for that? It seems like it's used more as a weapon or an annoyance. What gives?

I dunno how the sax thing happened. Bobby (Taylor) was supposed to play drums in the band, but he showed up with a sax instead. I got jealous and got one too. I suppose sax is our gimmick.

You've played in other groups like Blank Blank and Ancient Fistory. One is a hardcore/grindcore act and one is a harsh noise project. Drug Mountain is obviously not indie pop. What draws you to these sounds, and what are the origins of your interest in these various types of loud or extreme music?

In high school my favorite bands were Painkiller and Man Is The Bastard. I can get down to some Jimmie Rodgers, but something about ugly music always resonated with me. To be honest I don't have any real talent, otherwise I'd be playing western swing instead of pretending I'm John Zorn.

What separates Drug Mountain's music from the other acts I listed?

Three years and two saxophones.

The band name itself is instantly memorable. How did you come up with it?

A couple years ago I smoked weed one time and I rode a wave of creativity for almost two days. I made a big binder of MacGyver art in ms paint. one image showed MacGyver climbing a mountain with DRUG MOUNTAIN scrawled across the bottom. I thought the phrase was funny ever since. The [Mount] Righteous dudes think the name is a rip on them, but that's just not the case.

There has been a huge resurgence of bands discovering the joys of recording on boom-boxes and barely functioning karaoke machines. The recordings on your page aren't exactly of the same kind of poor fidelity that these machines result in, but there is some definite clipping and distortion. Is it important to you to have the recording process match the nastiness of the music? What are your recording plans at this point? How do you plan on releasing your music, if at all?

We recorded that stuff on a crappy four track with one mic just so we dont forget the songs. Sorry I don't have Cubase. We're going to Electrical Audio in April to record. If all goes according to plan we will put it out on Real Vinyl, it's a label we threw together with Ben Rogers from The Chat Room and Metrognome [Collective]. There should be some other cool acts on that as well.

One of your tracks is entitled "Milk Is Gay." That's pretty offensive. I'm assuming you don't mean "Milk Is Happy." Maybe you're referring to Harvey Milk? Look, I know there is a healthy vegan community in Fort Worth, yet I will stop short of generalizing the scene there. Would you say these lyrics are pro-vegan? Are any of your lyrics? Would you like to maybe share a verse of this track with us?

One of our first songs was vegan. It was called "You're Eating It." We wrote that when we were trying to be a doom metal band. Turns out we don't know shit about doom metal. "milk is gay" isn't all that vegan, I just hate milk. I hate soy milk too Fuck all the milks. I never ate cereal as a kid just to avoid milk. My mom thinks milk is more important than water. Why would you want to consume milk beyond infancy? Especially milk for some critter? Fuck that. Milk is gayer than a catholic priest.

Your live show is generally pretty confrontational and I've seen you push audience members, throw things at your own band, and try to order food mid-song and just leave the rest of your group hanging. Care to enlighten the rest of us as to why you'd behave so rudely to your staunchest supporters and allies? Is it safe to say there's a bit of suburban rage involved there? Is it all an act or are you an angry person in your daily life as well?

Dude, you know I'm moody as all hell. I've got some crummy qualities but I make OK use of 'em on-stage, to quote Wolverine of the X-Men, "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice." I'm pretty sure getting all pissy on stage helped me be a nicer guy the rest of the time. I'm not the prick I used to be.

I know you have a lot of roots in the Grapevine/Colleyville area and so do the members of Mount Righteous. I see you're playing a show together soon with Fishboy, who I believe is also from the same area. Do you consider these acts to be your peers pushing towards a similar goal, or is it more of a friendly rivalry?

Yeah, we went to school together. I'm still pals with some of the Righteous crowd but thats a whole different mountain. When Joey [Kendall] asked me to play at Rubber Gloves, I was pretty sure he had the wrong number. I like diverse shows, it ought to be fun.

What would you do if a young fan walked up to you after a show and asked, "You got any merch?"

YEAH, RIGHT.

In order for this list to make any difference at all, I must go ahead and post it without getting to say much. Sorry about that. I can say that this is a handful of decent shows for a Wednesday. The 1919 show was very last minute and thrown together in the past few days from what I can tell. Check back with us tonight for more exciting conspiracy theories and the usual parade of cowardly sucker punches. I mean, extremely insightful commentary from all of our best friends. Love ya!

-DL

Wanz Dover | Giggle Party (The Lounge)

Deleted Scenes | Deep Snapper | Darktown Strutters | Cocky Americans (Rubber Gloves)

Hatred Surge | Mammoth Grinder | Dark Forces | Baconator (1919 Hemphill)

 By TC

Heldon - Interface (1978, Cobra)

As far as I can tell, the French prog scene of the 1970s was composed of Magma, Heldon, and people that played with Magma, Heldon, or both. Richard Pinhas' (and I thought my pseudonym was awesome!) Heldon is by far the more accessible of these two groups and I love damn near everything he ever recorded, but Magma's excellence should not be overlooked by the more adventurous.

'Interface' was Heldon's sixth record, marking somewhat of a turning point in their sound. The King Crimson influence was still heavy on Pinhas' brain, but he started to incorporate a more rhythm heavy, drums/big moog bass sound to accompanyh his Robert Fripp-like guitar work. This may not be the most user-friendly release in the Heldon/Pinhas catalog, but it is certainly one of the most rewarding and a great starting point for the uninitiated.

Main thing to mention is that Select will be joining Disqo Disco at Fallout Lounge. So, Friday night caliber talent on a Tuesday.

The Exploding House was great last night. More on that soon.

The Pharmacy | Raggedy Anns | Drug Mountain | Trifle Tower (Exploding House, Ft. Worth)
Big show tonight. Fort Worth, you're lucky to have something this good to do on a Monday night. We're pretty pumped about seeing the official debut of Ft. Worth's Drug Mountain this evening, as they sound like they might end up being one of the harshest and most interesting local groups you'll encounter this year. Featuring members of Orange Coax and Nouns Group, among others, Drug Mountain's sax dominated rhythmic attacks remind me of bits and pieces of everything from Savage Republic to Maximum Joy to DNA, with the added distinction of sounding simultaneously precise and highly chaotic. Shit's stressful, and it's good. Highly recommended. Headliners The Pharmacy are a solid pop group that sound like so many different things all at once that it's almost stupid to attempt to describe them in terms of influences. Maybe that's what "indie rock" is now. I don't know. But I like it, so I know that couldn't be right. Anyway, The Pharmacy sounds like one of those bands who could play Exploding House in January and pack a "legit" venue three times its size in March.

The Donkeys | Orange Peel Sunshine | League of Fucking Decency (The Lounge)
League of Fucking Decency have this one song on their Myspace page called "Old Timers" that's basically a really shitty cover of "Head Like a Whole" by Nine Inch Nails, and it's annoying enough to be kind of funny. Otherwise, I don't know why I'm listening to this group. San Diego's Donkeys are sort of like a country doo wop group for hipsters (we're talking like Gram Parsons and Exile on Mainstreet stuff here), but they are actually pretty good too. Go figure.

Cool Out (the Cavern)

MONDAY MORNING ROCK

MON: The Donkeys/Orange Peel Sunshine/The League of Fucking Decency (the Lounge)
WED: Deleted Scenes/Deep Snapper/Darktown Strutters/Cocky Americans (Rubber Gloves)
THU: Damaged Good$/Prince William/Scuba Team Go/Johnny Moog (Granada)
FRI: Yo Majesty/Natalie Stewart (Hailey's)
SAT: Baptist Generals/Doug Burr/Dust Congress/Robert Gomez (Sons of Hermann Hall)

SR helped put this thing together and DL basically wrote it. Sorry it's a little short, and a little late.




FRIDAY

Uptown Fridays with Select (Zubar)
I have always been impressed with Select's live sets, and his birthday party last Saturday was no exception. Most people can't even stay conscious during their own birthday party, and he was able to put on a brilliant set. This is easily the best thing going on in Dallas tonight.

Jubilee | Zwounds | Sarah and the Octopuss (1919 Hemphill)

Johnny Lloyd Rollins | Bridges and Blinking Lights | RTB2 (Doublewide)
See above.

SATURDAY

High Life | Dios Mio | Negaduck (Rubber Gloves)
NOTE: This extremely early show starts at 4 PM.

Byron House | Small Pox | Haves & Thirds | Slackbeat | Wounded Infidel (House of Tinnitus)
You may not realize it from the usual overdose of hyperbolic fuck-speak that always accompanies news of a HOT show, but this will apparently be tamer, or at least less harsh, than one of their usual events. There's supposed to be a huge live collaboration featuring members of SDS, Lychgate, and Mistress, which leads me to doubt the potential lack of harshness at this show.

Tunneldigger | Language of Light | Echo-Toll (Knight House)
I can't believe I live near a place where you have the option of choosing between a show like this and the Tinnitus show above. Makes Denton seem a lot farther than it really is.

Vega | Genova | Disqo Disco | Billingham's Defense System (The Cavern)
This might get The Cavern a little crowded, and though I'm glad Vega has stayed in town, I'm a little confused as to which of these shows are a live set with vocals, and which are straight-DJ.




Blixaboy | Xenos | Farah | Tommy L33JON3Z (Fallout Lounge)
Farah at Fallout Lounge is a no-brainer. The smaller the venue, the less likely you are to be comfortable, the more you'll enjoy this show. To quote a classic children's book character, "I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me."

The Angelus | History at Our Disposal | Dust Congress | Timeline Post (Rubber Gloves)


Fight to Die | Unit 21 | DCOI | Raging Boner (1919 Hemphill)

So I know this is what you would consider "late" as far as year-end summaries are concerned, but do you know which other completely respectable music-writing entity NEVER puts a year-end list together until after the new year? The Wire. It's most likely because they're waiting on that last New Zealand hand-made cassette release to be mailed to them in the waning days of any year, and I can certainly respect that more than the salivating hype-monster that starts listing stuff in late August.

Wanz Dover/Blixaboy

Best albums of 2008:
1.Portishead - Third
2.Bruno Pronsato - Why Can't We Be Like Us?
3.Anja Schneider - Beyond The Valley
4.Millie & Andrea - Black Hammer/Gunshot
5.Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent
6.Andy Stott - Bad Landing
7.Murcof - The Versailles Sessions
8. Shackleton & Appleblim - Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals9. Scuba - A Mutual Antipathy
10.Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
11.Benga - Diary of an Afro Warrior
12. Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco
13.Hercules & Love Affair - s/t
14.Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco
15.Matmos - Supreme Ballon
16.Ellen Allien - Sool
17. 2562 - Aerial
18. Anthony Braxton,Milford Graves, William Parker - Beyond Quantum
19. Shed - Shedding the Past
20. Quiet Village - Silent Village

Best Shows of 2008:

1.Glen Branca 100 guitar ensemble/St.Louis Symphony Orchestra -The St.louis Symphony played Frank Zappa's G-spot tornado, Edgar Varese's Arcana and debuted Branca's Symphony 14. The 100 guitar ensemble was a strange ensemble featuring players from a wide variety of backgrounds. 15 year old kids, guitar enthusiasts that did not know who Branca even was, Jazz fusion legend Joh Patitucci and of course 4 lucky individuals from Dallas all coming together to play on the most intense and cutting edge guitar music of the 21st century. Probably the best show I have seen ever.

2.Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - You can't fuck with a top notch soul band and they are the best soul band on the planet right now. I took my parents for there anniversary present. My pop said he had not seen anything like that since he was a young lad going to see shows on the chitlin circuit. I have never seen them smile that big.

3.Melodica 2008 - It was a bad ass array of all of my favorite local bands and a few acts from other places. Despite the fallout afterwards, I'm glad it happened.

4.Meat Beat Manifesto @ The Granada - bad ass drummer. All of the movie samples in the set actually came the video they were projecting.Dub, techno, krautrock like explorations and innovative video work. A decent turnout, but a lot of people missed out on this one.

5. Juan Maclean @ The Loft - I turned 35 at this show. I danced my ass off at the front the stage for the entire show. The live version of Happy House was like Can playing Chicago House. I normally don't get into much house music, but on this night they made me a believer. The drummer was bad ass and they played the fuck out of their synths and sequencers. Unfortunately there were only 20 to 30 people at the show guaranteeing that they will probably never come back.

6.Dub Assembly - Mad props go out to Dub assembly for bringing so many top notch producers like Hatcha, Scuba, Martyn and Caspa(I actually mised Caspa). I could list 6 different dub events for best shows so I will just bundle them up into one. They consistently showcase the most cutting edge dance music around town.

7.Corima @ Red Blood Club -3 young guys who play magma influenced zeuhl music. They renewed my faith in live music. They played a 15 minute set and it was one of the most magical moments I experienced from a live band all year.

8.Venetian Snares/Otto von Shirach/Cyrus Rego @ Elysium

trends I hate:

*Cliques and Politics - I hate to be an old guy, but it did not used to be as bad as it is now. People need to wake up and unite before it is too late.

*People not going to live shows. Not just my shows, but any shows. I am often one of 10 people at a good show. Local or roadshows.

*People relying on blogs to tell them what is cool instead getting out their and finding and buying music for themselves. Blogs are a good source for new music, but it should not be the defining source. (This is not directed at weshotjr)

CJ Davis (Pancakes For Mattie Records)

My memory fades...

Records:
1. Samamidon - All is Well
2. Stars Like Fleas - The Ken Burns Effect
3. Emeralds - Solar Bridge
4. Koen Holtkamp - Field Rituals
5. Haunted Graffiti - Live in Pacific Palisades
6. Pattern is Movement - All Together
7. Quinn Walker - Laughter's an Asshole/Lion Land
8. Tape - Luminarium
9. Juana Molina - Un Dia
10. School of Language - Sea from Shore

Shows:
Samamidon/Mom/Voices & Organs at Glasslands in Brooklyn.
Steve Reich showcase (he ran lights) at St. David's Church...SXSW.
Akron/Family at Emo's...SXSW.
Mika Miko and No Age in a parking garage at SXSW.

Memories good and one bad:
Phosphorescent shutting down a showcase in Austin after jumping into the pool.

'Little Brite' being released in Japan.

Me- "Excuse me, Sir. Sir. Mr. Reich. Sigh. Mr. Reich! Oh, Hi. Could we take just a minute of your time for a photo?"
S.Reich- After looking at wife for approval..."OK, I suppose. Let's just make it snappy."

Finding a copy of The Feelies 'The Good Earth' LP for 25 cents at a garage sale in Oak Cliff.

Leaving Good Records for the last time.

Congrats to everyone who released records this year, especially MATAS and Fight Bite (though that 7" was my idea. Wink.)
-C.J.D.

Hunter Hauk (Quick/DMN)

ON THE MENU IN 2008

Local and national flavors included.

WINE and BEER (Loosens you up)

— Black Tie Dynasty, Down Like Anyone
— Toadies, No Deliverance
— Collin Herring, Past Life Crashing
— Ne-Yo, Year of the Gentleman
— Madonna, “4 Minutes”
— Lil’ Wayne, The Carter III
— MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
— Hercules and Love Affair, “Blind”

APPETIZERS (Small, savory bites)

— Mount Righteous, When the Music Starts
— Sorta, Sorta
— The O’s, The O’s
— Faux Fox, All That Remains
— Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
— James Morrison, Songs for You, Truths for Me
— Santogold, Santogold

SOUPS (A concoction made from many ingredients)

— Hot Chip, Made in the Dark
— Of Montreal, Skeletal Lamping
— Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
— My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
— PPT, Denglish
— Astronautalis, Pomegranate
— Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Family Family Family Meets the Magic Christian

SALADS (Raw, nutritious)

— Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cardinology
— Nada Surf, Lucky
— The Black Keys, Attack & Release
— Metallica, Death Magnetic
— Record Hop, Record Hop
— Stumptone, Gravity Suddenly Released
— Pinebox Serenade, Let the River Take Them Home

MAIN COURSE (Tastes good, sustains)

— The New Year, The New Year
— Dove Hunter, The Southern Unknown
— Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Pt. One: 4th World War
— Centro-matic/South San Gabriel, Dual Hawks
— Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
— Sia, Some People Have Real Problems
— TV on the Radio, Dear Science
— Q-Tip, The Renaissance

DESSERT (Sweet, addictive, rots your teeth)

— Roy G and the Biv, self-titled EP
— Ghosthustler, “Only Me to Trust”
— B-Hamp, “Do the Ricky Bobby”
— Danity Kane, “Damaged”
— Beyoncé, I Am … Sasha Fierce
— Chris Brown, “Forever”
— Lady Gaga, The Fame
— Britney Spears, “Womanizer”
— Miley Cyrus, “Fly on the Wall”

AFTER-DINNER SMOKE (Calms you down)

— Sarah Jaffe, Even Born Again
— Fight Bite, Emerald Eyes
— Elkhart, The Moon
— Daniel Folmer, A Leaf
— Menkena, “Rocketships”
— Scarlett Johansson, Anywhere I Lay My Head
— Adele, 19
— Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV

Tommy Boy

I must admit, I was hard-pressed to come up with my list for 2008. Seems there's an elasticity to my record appreciation. After years of scouring for the best, new release of each year, I've found I tend to go back in time more and more. Most of the tracks I've collected this year came out 20-30 years ago.

That said, my selection contains current 2008 releases which focus on the nostalgic, retrofuturistic aesthetic with a heavy leaning towards disco production. I hope people are able to find a few more gems in this list to add to their '08 iPod.

1. Medio Mutante - Inestable [Cititrax]
Blending Hip-hop, Jazz, Latin Freestyle and New Wave records from Europe, America and Japan, Medio Mutante released an album that sounds like none other this year. A mutated blend of raw and propulsive energy emanates from their retro analogue gear. They've created a classic "Third Wave" recording that will fit nicely into anyones cold/new/no wave collection. Like Flexipop for the 21st Century. Not to mention the fact that this release came from our neighbors in Austin, TX. Crazy!

2. Quiet Village - Silent Movie [Studio !K7]
Silent Movie is the soundtrack to an imaginary movie that is yet to be filmed. The stand-out track, "Pillow Talk", is a slow and sensual scorcher utilizing samples from Alan Parson's Project "Voyager". From the Spaghetti Western mood of "Circus of Horror" to the almost eerie 70's soft porn "Broken Promises" this is a record that floats like water from start to finish. It's the best late night, chillout record your money can buy this year.

3. The Time And Space Machine [5D Recordings]
1/2 of the brilliant outfit "Beyond The Wizards Sleeve" (another honorable mention for best of 2008), have crafted an album of reworked obscure 60's and 70's psych pop tracks that are a million miles away from their usual remixing duties. Like some long lost "Nuggets" compilation, the album meanders between Psych Pop, Freakbeat, and Kraut effortlessly. The perfect soundtrack to smoke dank and watch "Holy Mountain" to. Best psychedelic record to come out in 2008.

4. El Bum - Bumrocks [Bumrocks]
Compilation LP from my favorite blog of 2008(bumrocks.com). Enlisting the "Indiana Jones'" of the disco crate digging community, Tako and the Beat Broker, the compilation serves up some of the rarest holy relics of Discodom. Bumrocks has released the best "must have" compilation for any Baleric/Cosmic Disco enthusiast. Ultra limited and completely collectible, this record is my personal favorite of the year.

5. Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol. 1 [Eskimo Recordings]
The Eskimo label presents the first volume in a series dedicated to Cosmic Balearic beats featuring tracks from up'n'coming nu-disco producers like Coyoyte, and Lovelock(1/2 of Zombi). This trans-global intergalactic funk odyssey blends '70s disco, early '80s electro, and horror-disco making for a very rewarding journey. Roll down the windows, turn the stereo up and let the cosmic Balearic beats flood in.

6. Black Devil Disco Club - Eight Oh Eight [Lo Recordings]
The third and supposedly final part of a trilogy of releases in the last four years, Black Devil Disco Club has proved yet again that disco can be just as dark and brooding as any genre. Black Devil Disco Club is a mysterious fella. His first album Disco Club, supposedly produced in the seventies, was anointed an underground disco classic though no one seemed to know much about it until its reissue in 2004. Ignoring the mystery that remains around the origination of this group/sound, the album speaks for itself. Mystical, Tribal, Dark, Dissonant, Horrific, billed as "Salvador Dali meets Cerrone" and sounding like some hybrid of Fela Kuti and Claudio Simmonetti, BDDC maintains their enigmatic creative originality with this release. There just aren't enough analogies or descriptive words which can qualify the brilliance of this series.

7. Elaste Volume 2 - Space Disco [Compost Records]
Eskimo has yet another stellar release. This label has really set the bar for quality year after year. The compilation selected by Tom Wieland is simultaneously sultry and extra-terrestrial. Each track comes off sounding like some divine offspring of a Cerrone-Moroder marriage. This compilation remains a crucial cosmic/space disco to keep even the most insatiable crate digger satisfied.

8. Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me [Rough Trade]
I'm not going to spend much time describing this since it's on alot of top 10s already. Needless to say, genius. Heaven sent. Ahead of it's time... all that. Not just a best of 2008, but in the "all time" category. A must have for any audiophile.

9. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue Reissue [Legacy]
I was one of those stubborn, angry, anti-Beach Boy, Brian/Dennis Wilson haters a few years back when bands like Vietnam, Spiritualized, and Polyphonic Spree were getting a lot of attention. For some reason, their music didn't resonate with me. Fast forward a few years, allow life to beat you down a bit and see peers drop off one by one, and then reintroduce Dennis Wilson's brilliant opus "Pacific Ocean Blues" and it all makes sense. Years of hard living and lack of exposure due to the huge shadow his more successful brother Brian, left this emotionally raw, grandiose psych-soul masterpiece in a black hole of anonymity. Thank god someone saw fit to remaster and release this gem along with some amazing songs from Dennis's unfinished "Bambu" recordings. A true classic.

10. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna [Warp]
Again, this is in most "heads" top tens for 2008 for all the same reasons. Not to belabor the point, GGD is most of the most intriguing, brilliant groups of this or any era. It's great to have another quality release from this group.

Sober (The Party/Central Booking)

1. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
2. A.B.N. - Assholes By Nature
3. Santogold - Santogold
4. Hercules And Love Affair - Hercules And Love Affair
5. Q-Tip - Renaissance
6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
7. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
8. Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
9. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
10. Lykke Li - Youth Novels

Anthony Mariani (Fort Worth Weekly)

Kenny Garrett ‘Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium’

Boredoms -‘Super Roots 9’

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou ‘Volume 1: The Vodoun Effect 1973-1975’

Foals- ‘Antidotes’

Coconot -‘Cosa Astral’

Calhoun -‘Falter.Waver.Cultivate’

Collin Herring -‘Past Life Crashing’

ES -‘Sateenkaarisuudelma’

Taylor Eigsti - ‘Let It Come To You’

Jose Gonzalez -‘Live at Park Avenue’

Ulaan Khol -‘I’

Fujiya & Miyagi -‘Lightbulbs’

Zac Crain (Frontburner)

Here are Top 10 new records (in no certain order, except WAVVES, because that would be No. 1 in every iteration of my list)

WAVVES, s/t
The New Year, s/t
Jay Reatard, Matador Singles '08/Singles 06-07
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
No Age, Nouns
Deerhoof, Offend Maggie
Cool Kids, The Bake Sale
Fight Bite, Emerald Eyes
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Jay-Z, unreleased tracks from The Blueprint III

Rick V. (1919 Hemphill)

Top 4 shows that nobody came to at 1919.

4. Best Fwends Tour Kick Off Show: It was advertised the wrong day in the weekly papers. All the other bands that were supposed to play (Akkolyte and Orange Cokes) canceled. Best Fwends played to five people and two giant blow up gargoyles.

3. Ippur, Bolth and a band that canceled: Somebody brought a fog machine and the whole upstairs looked like a Slaughter music video. The three people and the guys in Ippur chanted "Dads" over and over again while Bolth was playing. Inbetween every song somebody would say something about their dad. After the Bolth set, the singer called his dentist dad up and asked about my wisdom tooth pain. His dad wasn't too pleased that people were applauding him on our side of the line.

2. Mose Giganticus, Death to the Doomriders, The Emotron and others: You missed Death to the Doomriders least sloppiest set, a one man freakshow that lifted weights with his eyes and lit a firecracker in a bucket where his testicles were also residing and Mose Giganticus playing Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike". You also missed the Emotron which was probably the most insane visual and most terrible musical act in the world.

1. Tattered Flag, TBA: Not even the bands showed up. I closed up 1919 at 7:pm and drove to Austin to see Underground Railroad to Candyland and Japanther. Best 1919 show ever.

Payton Green (Wax Museums)

BEST TOURING BANDS I SAW IN 2008

- SEX/VID@ 715 Panhandle - First time in a long time that I saw a band that was actually really good AND so loud it hurt

- HUMAN EYE @ 715 Panhandle - Same as Sex/Vid but EVEN LOUDER + weirdest punk I saw in '08

- THE OH SEES @ the Lounge - I've always liked this band but I never really GOT IT till this show, I was completely blown away.

- THOMAS FUNCTION @ 715 Panhandle - One of my favorite bands of the year overall, it was triumphant to see them actually pull off playing in the same room where they failed miserably to last year

- MARKED MEN'S LAST SHOW @ Rubber Gloves - Hopefully not actually the last forever, but they played almost every song and it still felt like it flew by

- MY 21ST BIRTHDAY @ 715 Panhandle - Marked Men and Total Abuse totally ripped it up and made the best birthday of my life

- PSYCHEDELIC HORSESHIT/FABULOUS DIAMONDS @ the Chatroom - First and only time I've been there, had an incredible time.

- TERRIBLE TWOS @ 818 Hickory - This band sounds so much like they're from the future that this might should go on best of 2009

- TIMES NEW VIKING/PSYCHEDELIC HORSESHIT @ Strawberry Fields - both bands pretty much at the top of their game, one of my favorite TNV sets ever, Psych Horseshit was a little better in Ft. Worth I think but they were still great.

- COLA FREAKS/BLACK TIME @ Muscle Beach - So much fun, successful doubly international show, unfortunately the beginning of neighbor problems at MB.

- The Intelligence @ Club Dada - It's a shame that no one was there, blew me away.

- Vivian Girls @ Exploding House - Sounded impressively like the records, funny how much huger this show would be now, only a little more than 6 months later.

- The Dutchess and the Duke @ the Loft - Touched my heart! So good in contrast to Fleet Foxes, who introduced me to a whole new level of boring. Also the fact that Jesse from D&D repeatedly walked across the stage during the FF set to grab beers was a highlight of my year in and of itself.

Dave (Muscle Beach)

Because I am lame I don't think I listened to even close to ten albums that came out in 2008. I really enjoyed Beaks to the Moon by The Shivers, though. Pretty sure that came out in '08. Oh, and that Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron record. I played that one a lot, too.

top five shows
1. Dynasty
2. Falcon Crest
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. Silver Spoons
5. Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios. com

Music I hated in 2008 and why

Teenage Cool Kids: Jerks
Wax Museums: Pill poppers
Orange Coax: Motherfuckers
Trifle Tower: Also motherfuckers
Mom: Misogynists

And finally my number one moment for 2008 was when I was named president of the marzipan club. I can promise big things in 2009*

*As long as they have something to do with marzipan.

Fungi Girls

Our top 15 albums of the year in alphabetical order:

Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
A very, very fun album that's a huge step up from their older stuff.

Crystal Stilts - Alight Of Night
Beautiful pop songs with Joy Division-esque vocals that's nice for laying in your bed on a rainy day.

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Pretty straightforward album that’s not nearly as experimental as their older albums. Somehow it turned out great, though.

Deerhunter - Microcastles
Even more gorgeous pop songs that's nice for laying in your bed on a rainy day, like the aforementioned Crystal Stilts.

Ducktails - Point Pleasant Beach [7”]
Tropical psychedelic pop tunes from a guy from New Jersey that’ll keep you warm on these current, cool winter days.

Fantastic Magic - Sea Of Gold [7”]
Summery psychedelic folk that also has the guy from Wavves in the band. It’s a shame they split up after this 7”.

James Ferraro - Clear
Very interesting and almost indescribable album (just like the rest of his stuff). Kind of like alien arcade game music or something.

Pocahaunted - Peyote Road
A haunting psychedelic drone release.

Religious Knives - The Door
Lovely, chilled-out psychedelic rock that, we think, has a very desert-y feel to it. Don’t ask us how, though, because we’re not entirely sure.

Sun Araw - Boat Trip
Creepy yet beautiful tropical-psych-drone tunes. The song “Canopy” is practically flawless.

Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In
Probably Thee Oh Sees’ greatest stuff yet. Fun garage rock that is really fucking kickass live.

Times New Viking - Rip It Off
Lo-lo-lo-fi noise pop tunes from Columbus’ finest.

U.S. Girls - Introducing...U.S. Girls
A noisy, avant-garde pop masterpiece.

Wavves - Wavves
A beach-y punk-tinged noise pop album that has been the latest phenomenon amongst blogs and the independent music scene in general.

Women - Women
Wikipedia says their sound is like "sunny Beach Boys pop was dragged into a dark alley and gleefully mutilated". We think that’s an appropriate description.

We were going to only do a top 10, but there were too many we liked.

Defensive Listening (We Shot JR)

This was a rather uninteresting year for actual record releases, though shows were a different story. I felt like I listened to more publicist-speak than music. Judging by a lot of lists (present company excluded), it looks like we all did. But, here's mine in no particular order, because I'm sick of looking at music like the BCS:

Harry Pussy, You'll Never Play This Town Again
Medio Mutante, Inestable
Kool Keith, Dr. Dooom 2
Tommy Boy, Automatic Loverboy Mix
The New Year, s/t
Flipper, Gone Fishin' Reissue
Wax Museums, s/t
The New Bloods, The Secret Life
Girlfren, Dem08 cassette
Nisennenmondai, Tori/Noji
Fight Bite, Emerald Eyes
AIDS Wolf, Cities Of Glass
The Organ, Thieves

That Organ EP is really unbelievable, especially since it's from a band that has been broken up for quite some time, and it's nothing more than their last demo. They somehow manage to put their most diverse group of songs on a little EP, and Katie Sketch goes a long way toward proving she really is the female Morrissey. I would even recommend this record to total morons, and friends of mine that have no taste.

And one more thing: writing these down made 2008 seem better than it actually was. Don't be fooled.

Sally Glass (We Shot JR/Fancy Fist)

I will say that my We Shot JR "year in review" could be summarized by: road trips, sleeping on floors, Thurston Moore, bathing in clothes, drunken shows, sober shows, Ipod inspections, pancake houses, rickshaws, La Vista, pot lucks, heart-to-hearts, cynicism, blind optimism, good hugs, uncertainties, new friendships, Nouns Groups, nervousness, support, family dinners, Denton, Dallas, Cool Out, bad photos, good photos, lots of driving, couches, the fucking Loft, devastating encounters with waiters in Lewisville, anger, frustrations, dickhead commenters, sensitive photographers, appreciation, lots of work, Flickr, NO money, really incredible music, bridges, Fallout Lounge, Meridian Room, The Libertine, The Fucking Cavern (upstairs and down), Pete Freedman, Fucking Zubar, hipsters, block parties, and a family that I never would've had if you didn't take a chance on me. Love you guys.

Forever yours,

Sally

Photo By Corrine Day.

Steel Hook Prostheses | Awen | The Watchers (Good Records)
This totally un-Good Records birthday show kicks of at 9pm with the Watchers, a group consisting of Good Records' own Mark Church and two members of Zanzibar Snails. Arlington's SHP plays the kind of minimal, offensive, Whitehouse inspired power electronic noise that will scare loyal Dallas Observer readers almost as badly as your grandparents, and I really can't think of too many genres of music that scare anyone these days. It's pretty solid, truly evil stuff that mysteriously becomes somewhat serene and meditative the more you listen to it. And just as a bonus, it comes from one of the creepiest cities in the United States-- aside from being the largest US city without public transportation (everyone knows that already), Arlington is also the birthplace of the AMBER alert, and one of the best places to see the horrid results of dysfunctional, abandoned suburban sprawl post White Flight. Go south of 20 for a real city planning horror show. In this context, SHP's music makes a lot of sense. Not that I want to shit on Arlington all day, but I've earned the right to if I want. Trust me. Awen is another very interesting local group that I really haven't heard much about until today (somehow). However, I'd highly recommend stopping by their Myspace some of their strangely theatrical tracks. Good stuff.

Select | Billingham's Defense System (Fallout Lounge)
Select will be joining Billingham's tonight for their weekly.

80's Night with DJG (Hailey's)