Exclusive Interview with Seth Bailin on Lowell and Behold

Seth Bailin, a student at UMASS Lowell, and a station member of WUML, is one of the masterminds behind Lowell and Behold. He founded Nice Bass Productions, who partner with Audio Park Productions to make Lowell and Behold Possible. Following is an all-exclusive interview with him about the process, and creation of the upcoming release of Lowell and Behold Volume 2.


Explain Nice Bass Productions. How did it begin, and what are your goals for it?

I record a lot of music, and this is the easiest way to organize it. I first started recording camp songs on brother’s computer, then I borrowed a live PA and recorded my high school punk band’s demo with that. Now, anything that I hit the red record button on, from school projects to local band albums to video projects, it becomes a Nice Bass Production. Most of my media is on www.nicebassproductions.com, you can watch videos and stream entire albums!
In terms of goals, I want to keep recording good music, collaborate with friends, and keep my website up to date.

How was the idea of Lowell and Behold conceived?

I bought a pair of Vans shoes at Bob’s when I was in middle school, and right as I was leaving the store, the clerk said “oh yeah, I’m supposed to give you this... It comes with every pair of Vans.” It was an OFF THE WALL SAMPLER disc featuring a bunch of Warped Tour bands like Dropkick Murphy’s, Bouncing Souls, Refused, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. I fell in love with punk music and compilation CDs from then on out, buying every Punk-O-Rama, Fat Music, and Hopeless compilation i could find.
Fast forward to 2008, when Nick Congelosi and I lived together. I was playing in Trip Fisk and he was our manager, so we were talking a lot about local music. We noticed how many awesome bands there were, and how perfect it would be to make a compilation. I felt like we had to make one before someone else did. So we wrote up a mission statement and some invitations and sent them out to our friends, basically saying “give us your music and we’ll put you on a comp. If you don’t have recordings, we’ll record you.” So we got all the submissions, and I recorded Short Fuse Burning, Fantastic Planet, and Big Daddy in our living room. Then it came out, got great feedback, and we made another one! Volume 2 is twice as big: two CDs and 30 bands!

Explain the collaboration between Nice Bass Productions and Audio Park Productions

Audio Park Productions is the name Nick chose to represent his work with live production and other music business related things. So the Nice Bass/Audio Park collaboration really just means a Seth Bailin and Nick Congelosi collaboration. We both worked really hard to create these compilations, and got friends Jason Gibbs and Brett Fermeglia to hop on board and help us with the 2nd volume. I work a lot with the recording side and the musical direction, whereas Nick, Brett, and Jason work on obtaining sponsorships and organizing the live aspect of things. It works really well.

How do you believe that Lowell and Behold contributes to the betterment of Lowell as a community?

We really got to see how it all effects the community during the compilation release party in 2008. We had 12 bands perform in 2 nights, and not one band went over their time limit! There was so much respect for each other, between acoustic artists, metal bands, funk groups, and also the music fans. There was really no separation between genre, actually. Everyone was enjoying the bands for the music they made, not the style of music they made. Also, it got some unknown artists the recognition they deserve. Plus, the recipient of the scholarship award gets a check at the end of this semester for $1,750 to help him through college.

Has the idea been well received by the community?

Yeah! We’ve been selling hundreds of copies of the first volume for the past year. Plus, Lowell High School is really gracious that we’re helping their graduates succeed. But this idea of “Lowell & Behold” extends beyond a CD and beyond the scholarship. It’s about supporting our friends and the music they make. I think bands from Lowell have more soul than any other place in the world. So any well-attended show in Lowell shows that this idea is wide spread. And we’ve been seeing a lot more local shows pop up in the past year. Let’s keep it going.

Where do you foresee Lowell and Behold heading in the future?

Oh man, I don’t even know. I want it to live on, but it shouldn’t be forced. The worst thing that could happen would be to feel obligated to put out a compilation when the music isn’t abundant. The best thing that could happen would be to see this city overflow with music and have more people express interest in helping the cause. Then it will live on naturally. It would be great to see a Lowell & Behold vol. 3.

Lowell and Behold showcase 1: Gemstones, Lowell MA Friday 12/11
Lowell and Behold pre-show: Brew'd Awakening, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12
Lowell and Behold showcase 2: 119 Gallery, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12 (PM)

For exact times/bands playing please click here

Press Notes: Lowell and Behold and Our Scene

Herald coverage here.

Top Songs of 2009

So, here we are. It was such a shitty task of narrowing all of 2009's greatest into 15 tracks... BUT! I chose my personal favorites. Feel free to discuss via the comment section. ALSO! CLICK ALBUM ART FOR A LINK TO EACH SONG.

15. "Cousins"/Vampire Weekend- kicking the list off with a track that rounded the year out, the newest single of Vampire Weekend's "Contra" is sort of what you'd imagine it to be: minus the math-y guitar, bouncing bass, lightning-fast snare rolls, and killer bells. Still a little bit of Paul Simon, but in a totally refined manner.

14. "Mickey Mouse"/Wavves- I know what you're going to say: "Fuck Wavves". We all know Nathan Williams is a huge douchebag (read anything about him from 2009 for proof), but one thing is for sure: jipping Animal Collective and enlisting Hella's Zach Hill was the best choice the faux-beach punk could make. With a joyous, hazy feel permeating the whole track, "Mickey Mouse" is bound to make listeners rethink Wavves. Only time will tell if he pulls through, though.

13. "That Room"/the Twilight Sad- Scotland's proclaimed sad band (get it?!) is more than what the title suggests: the band should be retitled "the Twilight most depressing band on earth". I guess that's not too clever, but "That Room" finds the Scots dropping their shoegaze roots for a repetitive piano line, following through with a slow burner that would make any (ordinary) emotive person weep. Victory for the Twilight Sad.

12. "Sound Guardians"/Lightning Bolt- Rhode Island's resident noisemakers continue to fuck skulls on their newest album. Opener "Sound Guardians" kicks the album off with a preview of what's to come: a wonderful mixture of bizarreness and brutality.

11. "It Ain't Gonna Save Me"/Jay Reatard- Nashville "shitkicker" turns down the lo-fi for his new album. Sounds like a downward spiral, right? If so, then take a listen to the album's first single. Maintaining his punk ethos and sound, while adding a more accessible tone, Reatard and company deliver a bipolar diatribe about the sky shitting on me, how all is lost, and that there is no hope. On one hand, he knows there's nothing to do: but he'll still find ways to fight it.

10. "Generation Locust"/the Sinbusters- Local garage monsters deliver a live favorite off of their 6 song sampler. With buzzsaw guitar and piercing Casio (yes, piercing Casio), the Sinbusters tear through this 2.5 minute shitfest with reckless abandon, leaving all around with a sense of destruction, confusion, and the attitude that the Mill City is an upcoming scene to be reckoned with.

09. "Norway"/Beach House- Leading single off the forthcoming "Teen Dream". Beautiful, somber, and somewhat epic, "Norway" is a great preview for one of 2010's competing "best of" albums.

08. "False Jesii pt. 2"/Pissed Jeans- This song makes me want to absolutely fucking destroy everything and everyone. Period. Pissed Jeans remind me quite a bit of the Jesus Lizard, except this makes me want to beat up more people, and shoot up less junk.

07. "Deadbeat Summer"/Neon Indian- Summer of 2009's biggest fad? "Glo-fi", "chillwave"... no matter what silly name you apply to these summery movement, the bottom line is that Neon Indian's breakout single is something completely original. Warped cassette tapes mixed with broken synths, thrown through a magic lo-fi filter. Disregard the imposters- this reflection on an uneventful summer is the real deal.

06. "Sun Was High (So Was I)"/Best Coast- This summer saw the explosion of the 'genres' chillwave and glo-fi... putting aside those titles, a lot of music that came out this summer actually reflected the feeling of hanging around during those three months. Best Coast, an offshoot of Pocohaunted, fills her first single with fuzzy distortion, soaring (fuzzed out) vocals, and an undying sense- and love- of summer.

05. "Two Weeks"/Grizzly Bear- I think this could be the most beautiful song of the year. Off the impeccable "Veckatimest", kickoff single "Two Weeks" is filled with gorgeous harmonies, twinkling organ, and an absolutely horrifying music video. Brooklyn has found it's golden boys. Don't deprive yourself.

04. "Snookered"/Dan Deacon- Bromst's centerpiece song; eight full minutes of contemplative synth, lamenting lyrics, and features the most batshit vocal breakdown of the entire year. With virtually no chipmunk vocals to be heard, this shows a more serious side of Deacon, with a song that cements him as an electronic wizard more-so than an absurdist dude from Wham City.

03. "Walkabout"/Atlas Sound ft. Panda Bear- Sampling the Dovers' "What Am I Going To Do", Bradford Cox learns the ways of Panda Bear's beat matching, and invites his teacher to sing with him. The result is nothing short of breath-taking: over the bubbling, ethereal sample, Cox and Panda Bear trade lines about growing up, and remembering what you want(ed). Absolutely gorgeous pop music- nothing more, nothing less.

02. "What Would I Want? Sky"/Animal Collective- I think this very well might be the guide on how to write a perfect song. Broken down into two pieces, the beginning is both looming and exotic, with bubbling synth put over sparse breakbeats. This builds and builds, and drops just as quickly as it came in. Enter the Grateful Dead sample, with Avey Tare and Panda Bear trading vocals about cheering up a bit over some of the most accessible (and ethereal) music Animal Collective have made to date. Yes, please!

01. "Lust For Life"/Girls- The catchiest song that I have heard all year, by far. Girls is primarily the child of Christopher Owens, whose background involves his mother becoming a prostitute, religious cults, and a whole lot of pill abuse. So when he says "Now I'm just crazy... I'm fucked in the head", you know that he means it sincerely. With sublime, California beach production backing Owen's lament on the loss of love (and a normal life), this song is not only the catchiest debut single of 2009- it actually, in a funny sort of way, has some substance.

Rejoice

New Pave ment Songs Inevit able.

The Top 50 Comps and Lives of the Decade

Best-ofs suck, the reissue is perhaps the most beautiful thing ever, live albums are usually things not yet found. Sometimes they can be poorly attended concerts now hailed as a groundbreaking performances, or can open up our eyes to a totally new sound a band can produce. Compilations are on the fence. They can be pretty annoying, like "The Smiths Singles Box!", or "NOW! 152" or they can be quite interesting: "NY No Wave". Apart from doubling as my Christmas List, here are some great repackagings, inspired groupings, exciting rediscoveries, and other galvanizations from the last decade.

50. Zero: A Martin Hannett Story - Factory Records was a shit ton of cool people, here is one of their stories.
49. New Thing! Deep Jazz from USA - Dusty Grooves underground 70s jazz platter: Rashied, Shepp, Alice Coltrane, and the Chicago Underground scene.
48. Strangley Strange, But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology (1962-1972) - Perfectly named, this box set chronicles the early years of Island Records, a label later home to guys like Tom Waits and groups like Pulp.
47. Galaxie 500, the Peel Sessions - It's easy to be hungry for more Galaxie 500, but hard to decide which Peel Session to put on this list.
46. This Heat - Out of Cold Storage - #$@()____?
45. Suicide Live 1977-1978 - Year long look at an incredible live act in Alan Vega and Martin Rev.
44. Josef K, Entomology - Post-Kafka-post-punk which won't bug you.
43. Naked City, Complete Studio Recordings - Literally everything by Naked City...because punk-jazz-fast-third-stream comes in spurts.
42. Raymond Scott, Manhattan Research Inc. - Cool electronic music comp, cartoony and soothing all at once.
41. Talking Heads Brick - Damn that TELEVISION: Every album.
40. The Zombies Live at the BBC, 2003 - Baroque pop rocks out, sounds a little like the Animals.
39. Gas: Nah Und Fern - Wolfgang Voight's alter-ego Gas not only sounds like fuzzy dark wave ambient minimalism, but birthed a techno label, see #20.
38. Jesus and Mary Chain: The Power of Negative Thinking - Massive rarities and B-sides comp.
37. Miles Davis - Live at the Filmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time/ Complete In a Silent Way Sessions/Complete Jack Johnson Sessions/Complete On the Corner Sessions/Seven Steps: Complete Columbia Album Collection - holy. fucking. shit.
36. Mudhoney, Superfuzz Big Muff Deluxe Ed. - So this is a reissue, but it includes the best songs by the band from the original EP as well as lost tracks and live jaunts.
35. Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days - Although it is remastered and on CD, this does capture that interesting, unique sound from a bunch of differing genres.
34. Mojo Presents: Beloved - Included with a damn good issue of Mojo, I was happy to see this disc include McCarthy, as well as others.
33. Les Savy, Inches - 1995-2004 in singles.
32. Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 - Complete with inter-set quips and visionary one-liners.
31. Pole 123 - Stefan Betke's first 3 albums of dub-based glitches and near-silence.
30. Jerome's Dream Completed 1997-2001 - Even if you hate screamo you've gotta give this guy credit for what he's doing to his voice.
29. The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions - Seu Jorge@bowie.net
28. London is the Place for Me Vol. 1-4 - Calypso never sounded so good.
27. Indian Summer, Science 1994 - The best crescendos and soft/loud shadings of the mid-1990s...Emo 101.
26. New Order: Singles - Apart from this albums massive collection of canonical synth-wave, the first five tracks on this collection are some of the most impressive music every recorded.
25. Creation Records: International Guardians of Rock and Roll - Creation was big, big sounding and big in thier reach of genres. Along side heavy hitters JAMC, House of Love, and Oasis comes The Pastels, Meat Wiplash, and other hidden gems.
24. Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul - Picking up where The Jackson 5 and Foster Sylvers leave off.
23. XTC, Coat of many Cupboards - For a band that sounded thier best cleaned up and mastered, these early versions, demos, and live sets really show the songwriting prowess of Andy Partridge.
21. Liquid Liquid, Slip In And Out Of Phenomenon - A look at the seminal no wave-dance punk group over the course of 3 LPs.
20. Kompakt Total 4/8 - With each passing year, Cologne-based label Kompakt would drop thier Total compilation, 4 and 8 had standout tracks, but each one poses a new way of looking at minimalism. 19. Messthetics - Hyped to Death's insane catalog of post-punk niche comps is growing and growing and you cannot go wrong with anyone of them.
18. African Scream Contest - In a market flooded with non-western geo-comps, this one stands out, not just because of its name, but also due to that mean organ sound.
17. Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, Live 1966/Vol. 6, Live 1964 - Before and during going electric.
16. Can You Dig It: The Music and Politics of Black Action Films - Penultimate collection, cc: Issac Hayes/Bobby Womack/Quincy Jones.
15. Nirvana Live at Reading - Wheelchair, grunge, forever bootlegged, finally mastered, includes DVD.
14. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot 5 and Hot 7 Recordings - The biggest and best New Orleans style jazz package you can by used online.
13. Dead Moon, Echoes of the Past - Sub-Pops 2 disc nod to NW DIY underground punk. 12. DFA Records Presents: Compilation #1/#2 - In these two comps, we see DFA's James Murphy, Tim Goldworthy, and many others reaching deep into their catalog, reinventing it, and packaging it with some hard to find favorites.
11. Factory Records Communications 1978-1992 - This comp spans a period of time which many of us have come to enjoy, and does it in Madchester...why no scene kid should be complete with out it.
10. The Clean Anthology - New Zealand's little population gave us this influential group which seems to be at the trunk of the indie tree.
9. ESG, A South Bronx Story - Minimal dance-punk funk rediscovered.
8. Roky Erikson: I Have Always Been Here Before - The 13th Floor Elevators comprise only a fraction of this massive comp, which spans into Roky's devil-rocker career of '60s nostalgia. We Sell Soul by The Spades is SUCH a good song.
7. Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly - 4 discs worth of people who hated Truman and his bomb and didn't like Ike...score 1 for every song you can find the Cramps covered.
6. Orange Juice, The Glasgow School - So shimmery and charming were the Scots, this will unexpectedly open the floodgates to such melodrama as Josef K and The Monochrome Set.
5. Enter the Vaselines* - This awesome box set not only piles together their entire stupid stuff, but them in their most interesting form: live. *Includes Live in London.
4. Albert Ayler Holy Ghost - Over and over, we see jazz greats repackaged according to live appearances, label runs, instrumental periods, ect. Finally Albert Ayler has gotten 9 discs of what he deserves, including one with interviews.
3. Modest Mouse, Build Nothing Out of Something/Sappy Sad Sucker - Sandwiching their masterpiece Antarctica came 2 great retrospective albums, helping us all discover the lost lo-fi aurora of MM.
2. The Wipers Box Set - Portland's understated group is right next to The Replacements and Husker Du in the intelli-punk batting order.
1. Joy Divison Live at the Factory, '79/Live at University of London Union, '80/Live at High Wycombe Town Hall - These live Joy Division recordings may take a back seat to the much anticipated reissues of Unknown Pleasures and Closer, but the live bonus discs should nary be over looked. They are among the most-listened to tracks I own.

The Best Solo/Side Projects of the Decade

The Best Solo/Side Projects
2000-2010









10. Matty Pop Chart- Plan-it-X Records
This is Matt Tobey from Abe Froman
Think cute vocals, fun, optimistic folk punk.
Check out: Everyone does Everything (2007)

9. Bobby Burg- Record Label Records (Chicago)

Bobby Burg is from Joan of Arc. I like two of his side projects: The Love of Everything
and Vacations.
The Love of Everything is his mellow, twinkly, solo project.

Click HERE for my review of Vacations, I was Bikini/Rain Afraid (2008)
Check out: Superior Mold and Die (2006)

8. The City on Film - Grand Theft Auto Records
Bob Nanna of Braid and Hey Mercedes
Think of a mellower version of Hey Mercedes
Check out: In Formal Introduction (2005)

7. Sundowner- Red Scare
Chris McCaughan of the Lawrence Arms.
The Lawrence Arms with acoustic guitars? Maybe more. Sad, nostalgic, uplifting, gorgeous.
Check out: Four One Five Two (2007)

6. Panda Bear - Paw Tracks
Noah Lennox of Animal Collective
Electronic elements, reverberant vocals, happy, and melodic. For all Animal Collective lovers
Check out: Person Pitch (2007)

#1-5 In Random Order:

The Postal Service- Sub Pop
Project of Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel).
Also features Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) on many tracks.
Undeniably an important album, Give Up, was chock-full of catchy, environmentally-
conscience songs that became immediate classics.

Owen- Polyvinyl Records
Mike Kinsella of Joan of Arc, American Football, and Cap'n Jazz
Twinkly, orchestrated, acoustic tunes.
Check out: Everything he has ever done

Bomb the Music Industry!- Quote UnQuote Records, Asian Man Records
Former members of Arrogant Sons of Bitches
This group has gained a lot of fame for themselves in the past few years. They are known for
their musical style which is all over the map, falling into genres such as ska, hardcore,
synthpop and more. Overall attitude? Music is something we should share!
Download all their music for free HERE

Broken Social Scene- Arts and Crafts
A collective of Toronto-based indie-rock artists started by Kevin Drew (K.C. Accidental) and
Brendan Canning (By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, Len, and hHead).
They are unique in the way that all the members draw influences from their own projects,
making Broken Social Scene, in many ways, the melding of many different parts.
Check out: Bee hives (2003), You Forgot it in People (2002), and S/T (2005)

The Happiness Project- Arts and Crafts
A recent project of Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think, Broken Social Scene)
Spearin went to all of his neighbors and interviewed them about their definition of happiness.
He then sat down and wrote music to the exact inflection of their voices. The product? This is
incredible. You get to hear these uplifting tales and explanations of happiness over the
gorgeous innovation of Spearin's music.
Read More and Listen
Or just watch this:

Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project | MySpace Music Videos

Is this Jazz # 4: The Top 50 Jazz Albums of the Decade

Every Jazz List I have ever come across includes albums a decade before or a decade after 1959, and with good reason. ’59 marked a pivotal year for jazz culture. It included 2 groundbreaking Miles Davis Albums, Brubeck’s Time Out, Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Ornette’s Shape of Jazz to Come, Mingus entering a phase of un-abashed third stream genius, and countless musicians who played on these various cuts, all which would move onto bigger and better things.

And today, jazz is dead, but dead like punk...its still breathing. Time and time again we've seen it altered, added too, enhanced, bastardized, stripped down, and built up. Jazz, after 50 years of rock and roll, has begun to hybrid itself with countless musical movements. Some have worked, (punk-jazz, electronic improv), and others haven't (adult contemporary, smooth, Bolton Swings Sinatra). Upon entering the 2000s, many of these styles have been either accepted and crystallized, or shunned by jazz enthusiast and left to consumerist masses during holidays. I was originally planning on limiting my list to 2009, but here at the turn of the decade we are still finding a shortage of jazz lists, I could probably try to make a list in 7 months from now and it could be entirely different. Someone sitting next to me could find half the albums on this list unbearable. I tried...and the top ten are in alphabetical order, not numbered. Best of the decade:

50. Lars Danielsson - Tarantella, Act Music + Vision 2009
49. Charles Lloyd - Jumping the Creek, ECM 2005
48. Old Dog - By Any Other Name, Porter 2009
47. Bebo & Cigala - Legrimas Negras, RCA 2004
46. Vandermark 5 - Alchemia, Not Two 2005
45. Anashai Cohen - Continuo, Sunny Side 2006
44. Esbjorn Svensson Trio - Seven Days of Falling, Act 2003
43. Susie Ibarra - Folklorio, Tzadik 2004
42. Full Blast - Full Blast, Jazzwerkstatt 2005
41. Mark Feldman - Secrets, Tzadik 2009
40. Kieth Jarrett - Up For It, ECM 2003
39. Scorch Trio - Luggmut, Rune Grammofon 2004
38. Derek Bailey - Mirakle, Tzadik 2007
37. Milford Graves & John Zorn - 50th Birthday Celebration Vol. 2, Tzadik 2004
36. Greg Osby - Channel 3, Blue Note 2005
35. Dave Douglas - Strange Liberation, RCA 2004
34. Ellery Eskellin - Aracanum Moderne, HATology 2003
33. Nels Cline - Monastery, Cryptogramophone 2006
32. Braxton, Graves, Parker - Beyond Quantum, Tzadik 2008
31. Led Bib - Sensible Shoes, Cuneiform 2009
30. David S. Ware - Corridors and Parallels, AUM Fidelity 2001
29. Bobby Bradford Extet - Midnight Pacific Airwaves, Entropy 2008
28. Brad Mehldau - Day is Done, Nonesuch 2005
27. Tord Gustarvsen Trio - Being There, ECM 2007
26. Alexander von Slichppenbach Trio - Swinging at the BIM, Phantom 2008
25. Anouar Brahem - Astrakan Cafe, ECM 2001
24. Evan Parker - After Appleby, Leo 2000
23. Wadada Leo Smith - Lake Biwa, Tzadik 2004
22. Art Ensemble of Chicago - The Meeting, Pi 2003
21. Andrew Hill - Time Lines, Blue Note 2006
20. Matt Wilson - Humidity, Palmetto 2003
19. William Parker - Sound Unity, AUM Fidelity 2005
18. Fred Hersch - Trio + 2, Palmett0 2004
17. Bobby Previte - 23 Constellations of the Joan Miro, Tzadik 2003
16. Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, & Steve Swallow - Emphasis & Flight 1961, HATology 2003
15. Mathew Shipp - Nu Bopp, Thirsty Ear 2002
14. Electric Masada - 50th Birthday Celebration Vol. 4, Tzadik 2004
13. Ben Allison - Riding the Nuclear Tiger, Palmetto 2001
12. Tim Berne - Open, Coma/The Shell Game, Screwgun 2001
11. The Masada - Sevilla 2000/Tonic 2001, Tzadik 2000/2001

#. Bar Kokhba Sextet - 50th Birthday Celebration Vol. 11, Tzadik 2004 - Of all the Zorn on this list, I feel bar Kokhba is his masterpiece. Both this and the Electric Masada recording (#14) are featured debuts by him from this decade and each presents Zorn as a seasoned avant-garde veteran. The Masada comes in right above the ten here and he and drummer Milford Graves are up higher at #37. Needless to say, this 3 night live feature is from the most important month of jazz this decade, September 2004. In mixing klezmer with new classical, frantic free jazz, and dark somber tones, Zorn assembled a team of Tzadik wunderkinds to play some of the most beautiful, powerful renditions of the Masada songbook.

#. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Black Earth, Ipecac 2004 - This album is without definition so whatever the Gore Club consider themselves is fine with us. They used to be a hardcore metal band, but now exhibit an extremity of self-control. Black Earth is strewn with swings, flows, and terrifies. Death metal lounge music would be spot on but the Club is something more visceral and deep. The quartet conjures up images and lets you decide what any of their 9 ballads of mystery and madness mean.

#. Bill Frisell - Richter 858, Soundlines 2005 - Jazz musicians become legends because they have a sound. Frisell broke into the usually tepid world of jazz guitar with just that. His long run with Nonesuch has produced some of the most interesting works on guitar in the last two decades. Songlines release Richter 858 presents a look at the seasoned Frisell where each piece is a sublimation of art by German artist Gerhard Richter. The albums tracks are repetitive violin/cello/viola lines on top of which Frisell smears on the effects, the beauty, and the anti-rhythm.

#. Charles Mingus - Cornell 1964 w/ Eric Dolphy, Blue Note 2007 - Certainly the best discovery of the year goes to Sue Mingus. This album is as stacked as they come: Dannie Richmond, Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Johnny Coles, and Clifford Jordan. The hand of Mingus guides this group through the likes of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Fats Waller's Jitterbug Waltz, a 29 minute Fables of Fabus, and Mingus' solo bass homage to Ellington in Sophisticated Lady. Within these comes the endless styling of such a diverse group in solo sections, complementing, and Mingus' spur-of-the-moment stage direction. A must-own.

#. The Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas, Sony 2003 - The most interesting part about the Bad Plus is their drummer David King. King, who has drummed primarily with rock groups including 12 Rods, Meat Beat Manifesto, among others. But this unlikely trio doesn't end there, pianist Ethan Iverson seems a cooler version of Mehldau, preferring classical and free jazz influences to more traditional like Bill Evans, and Reid Anderson is a NYC new classical composer with a stint of garage rock running through him. These Are the Vistas is their second rock/pop influenced post-bop record. Apart from covering Smells Like Teen Spirit, they explore the boundaries of what a jazz trio can do, writing arrangement after arrangement of mini-pop symphony.

#. Dave Holland - Extended Play: Live at Birdland, ECM 2003 – If '59 was a pivotal year, then '69 could be said to follow it in importance. Again, at the helm is Miles Davis with In a Silent Way infusing us forever with rock and electronic music. Out of this mist came Dave Holland, the bass player who adapted his playing to fit the electronic charge in the air. Soon thereafter, he began a successful solo career. Fast forward 30 years, he plays live with his quintet consisting of saxophonist Chris Potter, trombone/cowbell Tom Eubanks, vibe/marimba Steve Nelson and drummer Billy Kilson. Every track but one clocks in over 10 minutes, some as long as 20. Holland and his guys just love to play and do so in a fashion which shatters normal conventions while staying within jazz's classic sound.

#. Thomasz Stanko - Suspended Night, ECM 2004 – The European free jazz bullpen is deep, all too often with people North America never hears of. Thank god for ECM, which turns up allover this list. Throughout the 90s Stanko began recording eerie ballads drenched in his far-off, minimal trumpet. Since the 60s he had been helping Krzysztof Komeda on such albums as Astigmatic. At the turn of the century, he had perfected this and has released a slew of great albums, any of which could have made this list. Suspended Night contains some of the most standard recordings of them all, making a very accessible recording.

#. John Coltrane - The Olatunji Concert: Last Live Recording, UMVD 2001 - As far as rediscoveries go, live stuff is always the most exciting. Coltrane’s last live set from 1967 has an incredible lineup, including his wife Alice Coltrane, drummer Rashied Ali, complementing saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and several more African percussion players. The two tracks, Ogunde and My Favorite Things are among his best ever recorded on record. The venue, Olatunji Center of African Culture, is a perfect atmosphere for Trane’s last amazing licks.

#. Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar, Sound Grammar 2006 - In 2007 Coleman won a Pulitzer Prize for this, and it was his first album in over a decade. Chock full of the usual free, upward swells of jubilee, Coleman is also one of the great listeners of music and makes extensive use of musical quotation. Greg Cohen and Tony Falanga both play bass...giving the album double, double bass. The album seems as if it could be transplanted from his seminal album Live at the Golden Circle in Stokholm, and now, at 76 years old, he is still utilizing trumpet, violin, and sax to bring classic free jazz and show he is still the ruler of his kingdom.

#. Supersilent - 5/6, Rune Grammofon 2006/2005 - When Rune Grammofon records began in ’98, the Norwegian label began drawing from techno influences heavily. Supersilent became their international success. Having released 5 of their 9 albums this decade, 5 and 6 present some of their most compelling work. Each album is the result of a live improvisational performance combining a quartet of trumpet, drums, electronics/electric guitar, and synthesizer.

Favorite Albums Ever!

Picture this: you're driving along with some friends listening to your Ipod when a song comes up on shuffle. Something classic, that you haven't

listened to in what feels like years. You turn up the volume, everyone is singing, you feel 16 again.

The following list is just that: a compilation

of albums that I couldn't stop listening to for days and embody everything I love about music. Read them, research them, listen to them, discuss them.

10. Defiance, Ohio- The Great Depression

Defiance, Ohio is a six piece folk-punk group from the midwest, showcasing banjo, fiddle, cello, double bass, and more. The Great Depression, their sophomore album released on No Idea records, is a real classic. Its political undertones are carried over catchy melodies mixed with nostalgia and optimism.

9. World/Inferno Friendship Society- Red-Eyed Soul

W/IFS is the culmination of a bunch of punk-rock musicians that have turned to world music. Red-Eyed Soul is a masterpiece album: catchy songs, masterful production and re-recordings of older songs. Not to mention that anarcho-camaraderie that gets everyone singing along and picking up their feet.

8. The Bouncing Souls- How I Spent my Summer Vacation

This album is the punk-rock anthem of our generation. Hands down. Every song is pure gold: simple, catchy nostalgic, and embodying the freedom of a summer vacation with no responsibilities.

7. Endless Mike and the Beagle Club- The Husky Tenor

Discovering this band was like finding a 20 dollar bill in an old pair of jeans. Hailing from Johnstown, PA, Endless Mike grabbed my attention immediately with a song off of a split 7" they released with Mischief Brew, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, and Guitar Bomb. "The Husky Tenor," was released in 2006 and features a whole boatload of instruments. Its politically charged lyrics satirize everyone's personal complacency. In other words: I care, just not enough. Prepare to laugh, cry, and be inspired.

6. The Promise Ring- Nothing Feels Good

Simple, and perfect. Two lines of lyrics per song. Heart-wrenching guitar riffs.

(this is how all reviews for this album should look)

5. Guided By Voices- Bee Thousand

Guided by Voices was a band from Dayton, Ohio, and fronted by the infamous Robert Pollard. Pollard has written at least a zillion songs, some of them great, some of them not-so great. "Bee Thousand," recorded on a four-track in 1994, contains 20 of these "great" tracks. No song exceeds 3 minutes, and the transitions are choppy, but with all this aside, there are some real beautiful and uplifting songs with strange and eerie lyrics.

4. The Get Up Kids-Something to Write Home About

This one brings you right back to middle school. It is perfect melodic punk rock with exactly the right formula. It is emotional, fast, and uplifting.

3. Jawbreaker- Dear You

The final Jawbreaker album ends up number 3 on my list. No, it is not like other Jawbreaker albums, but man does it hit you where it hurts. There's nothing like listening to "Dear You," when your down, and who isn't down once in a while? Its melodic, and slow but still retains the grungy early emo sound that Jawbreaker is known for.

2. Brand New- The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me

Brand New had to make this list. This band can do anything, and they certainly did it again with TDAGARIOFM. It is a dramatic maturation from Deja Entendu, their sophomore full-length: heavy where it needs to be, slow and heart-wrenching where it isn't. The lyrics are less angsty, and more tortured, dealing with issues that where way above the heads of the little pop-rock band that Brand New used to be. This album will tear you apart.

1. Owen- At Home With...

Putting "At Home With Owen" first on my list was not hard to do. No longer a guilty pleasure, or a bedtime musician, this was THE album anyone could put on the drive home. Owen is the solo project of Mike Kinsella, the renowned Chicago emo-music pioneer, and "At Home With..."is certainly his masterpiece album. It is twinkly, beautifully orchestrated, and features lyrics that will break your heart. If you haven't heard it, you are missing out.

2009: Worst of

2009: The Top 5 Letdowns (and Worst Of)

All in all, 2009 was a wonderful year for music: this year saw many acts (Animal Collective) breaking out into the mainstream, along with new musical trends emerging into the blogosphere (glo-fi? chillwave?). However... not all of 2009's music was great. Like any year, 2009 had it's fair share of letdowns. Here are the LPs I wept about this year.

Daniel Johnston- Is and Always Was

I'm sorry to say this about poor Daniel. I think his body of lo-fi odes to heartbreak are an absolutely outstanding reflection of the human spirit. What I loved about Johnston was, in part, due to the fact that it sounded as if ANYONE could have recorded it: in that sense, anyone could have related to him, no matter how crazy he got. "Is And Always Was" finds that l0-fi aesthetic gone, in replace of twinkling pianos, shiny production, and Johnston's sadness morphing into self parody. I still have hope for him, and so should you.

Conor Oberst- Outer South

I can still listen back to old Bright Eyes albums and feel a sense of angst and urgency that I've rarely seen displayed by any other artist- to this day, those recordings are testaments to Conor Oberst's nickname: "Wonder child". When Oberst went first solo, I was a little weary. However, his self titled debut album was a great, road-worn record full of old imagery, mixed emotion, and a sense of freedom. So what happened in between? Our beloved Conor changed his last name to (br)Oberst. With unimaginative lyrics ("I want to sleep on the air mattress on you"?), hum-drum instrumentation, and rehashed ideas, I believe "Outer South" begins to show an artist in decline. The whole "roots rock" idea worked for an album, but only to fall flat on it's face here. Pass.

Mission of Burma- The Sound, The Speed, the Light
Post punk/local superheroes fail on their new album. While their reunion seemed promising years ago, it's clear that Burma's mission is to churn music out as a chore, rather than an act of passion. Songs such as "1, 2, 3 Partyy!" are not only mindless, but bland. The rest of the album is clunking, sonically boring, and a second thought on whether or not they should be performing anymore. Oh, and I forgot to mention: upon meeting the band, they were utter douchebags. Sorry!

Monsters of Folk- s/t

Strike two, Conor Oberst! When I first heard about Monsters of Folk, I forgave the shitty band name. I'm an unabashed fan of Oberst, M. Ward, Jim James/My Morning Jacket... so the thought of these 3 superpowers colliding was absolutely fascinating. I was hyped on the potential greatness for months and months- and then lead single "Say Please" came out. With a mid-tempo, worn out sort of sound ("Outer South" anyone?), I told myself it would only get better. That was until I heard the album. My first question was "Why do so many of these sound like half-assed M. Ward tracks?". This was immediately followed by a deep sense of disappointment. Worn out, road worn... blah, blah, blah. This is more of the same from Oberst. The fact that M. Ward and Jim James took part in this is even more saddening. I'll end this by making this statement: fuck roots rock revival.

Weezer- Ratitude

The worst piece of garbage/music I have come across in years. Granted, Weezer is not a band that can be played on WUML. However, Weezer is a prime proto emo/pop act, with a lot riding on their backs. This album is so horrendous that it makes "Make Believe" look like their self titled debut ("the Blue Album"). Over the years, Rivers Cuomo's "so uncool that it's cool" shtick has run itself into the mud. It seems as if, in 2009, this has jumped the proverbial shark- from the horrid album title to the overly silly album cover, you know you are in for a bad trip. The songs fall between thinly veiled bubblegum pop to Timbaland-esque hip hop experiments fall on their faces. "I Can't Stop Partying", featuring Lil' Wayne, might possibly the worst song ever written. After hearing this, it's apparent that Weezer ran out of steam. May they rest in peace, and never write another song again.



Sorry to everyone on this list.
Send us your thoughts on it! Agree? Disagree? What else would YOU put on this?

Lowell and Behold, Onslo

Onslo are musical outlaws that seem to detach from any category one tries to put them in. No matter how detached their art rock, they seem to invoke moods rather than songs. "wall of sound" or "esoteric bass line" or perhaps "extremely fucking spastic-THEN STOP....NOW GO" rather than "Alternative Rock". Most of the stuff comes off somewhere like melodic noisecore, but with electro jabs and bass walks taking off in all sorts of different directions. Bass-Guitar duo Aaron Kotilainen and Ethan Hurwitz offer up the strangest combination of styles. On drums, the blitzkrieg in Chris Floyd, comes a guy who can round out a power trio and play like mad man. A cop out answer might be "Sonic Youth, produced by Steve Albini at Fort Thunder", but I sure won't say that.