In retaliation to the shutdown of Megaupload, hackers from Anonymous performed DDoS (denial-of-service) attacks on the websites of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), and the freaking Department of Justice. While mainstream media will have you assume that the takedown was orchestrated by the entire Anonymous group, WIRED reports that a sub-group within the hacktivist organization created a different version of their LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Canon) program that unwittingly directed bystanders to attack these sites. Not everyone in the organization agrees with this tactic, stating that what they “consider to be the modern-day equivalent of a sit-in (denial-of-service attacks leave no lasting damage)” was ethically corrupted by the new version.

“Preying on unsuspecting users is despicable,” said one anon, speaking to Wired in an online chat. “We need to fight for the user, not potentially land them in jail.” via WIRED

St. Vincent has announced new tour dates

The Flaming Lips and Bob Mould are set to The Soft Bulletin and Copper respectively at the Noise Pop Festival

Opponents of SOPA and PIPA (including this site) took part in a blackout Wednesday to protest these bills in congress. Ars Technica reports that SOPA has been pulled and is going back to the drawing board. PIPA on the other hand has just been postponed. There were tons websites that “blacked out” in protest this week, Wikipedia being the most reported, and many that showed support by posting in depth news and analysis of the bills. Check out their reporting on SOPA and PIPA, it’s damn good.

Bruce Spingsteen will be releasing his 17th studio album March 6th on Columbia Records.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre are going out on tour in 2012, a world tour to be exact. Their new album Aufheben drops May 1  via ‘a’ Records.

West Coast Dates 2012

Fri April 27 Dallas @ Granada Theatre
Sat April 28 Houston @ Fitzgeralds
Sun April 29 Austin @ Psych Fest
Thu May 3 Vancouver @ The Venue (To Be Confirmed)
Fri May 4 Seattle @ Neptune Theatre
Sat May 5 Portland @ Wonder Ballroom
Tue May 8 Denver @ Bluebird Theatre
Wed May 9 Salt Lake City @ Urban Lounge
Fri May 11 San Francisco @ The Fillmore
Sat May 12 Los Angeles @ The Wiltern

Sock Monkey Sound

St. Vincent performed on Conan last night and played “Cheerleader” from the Strange Mercy LP. What was cool about this outing on Conan is that Annie Clark and her band decided to poke a little fun at Elvis Costello’s 1977 performance on Saturday Night Live where he interrupted his band a a couple of bars into “Less Than Zero” and then launching into “Radio Radio”.

It’s nice to see that Annie and Co. have a sense of humor.

Check out the inspiration for this gag below.

Sock Monkey Sound

Best 10 of 2011 List- no order (per usual- I’m bad with rankings)

• St Vincent – Strange Mercy
• Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver
• Algernon Cadwallader – Parrot Flies (my review)
• Radiohead – King of Limbs
• James Blake – James Blake
• Wilco – The Whole Love
• William Elliott Whitmore – Field Songs
• Amy LaVere – Stranger Me
• Tyler, the Creator – Goblin (my review)
• The Decemberists – The King is Dead

Best Shows of 2011-

•  Steely Dan, Riverside Theater (Milwaukee), August 28th
• Algernon Cadwallader/Snowing, Strangelight (Chicago), June 18th

Most Overrated of 2011

Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger

Zooey Deschanel

Sock Monkey Sound

Danger presents his top choices of Best Music 2011

Top Eleven Albums of 2011 (in order)

1. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
2. St Vincent – Strange Mercy
3. Yuck – Yuck
4. Atlas Sound – Parallax
5. Wilco – The Whole Love
6. Wild Flag – Wild Flag
7. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien
8. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong
9. Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines
10. Smith Westerns – Dye it Blonde
11. Feist – Metals

Just Missed It

1. Radiohead – King of Limbs
2. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
3. Antlers – Burst Apart
4. Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip
5. Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High EP
6. Jay-Z and Kayne West – Watch the Throne
7. The Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck
8. Male Bonding – Endless Now

New Discoveries

1. Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo – Strange But True
2. Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania
3. Fitz and the Tantrums – Pickin’ Up the Pieces
4. Sleep Bellum Sonno – Judge Us by How we Lived our Lives not by How we Made our Living
5. Papas Fritas – Helioself

Happy Revisits

1. David Bowie – Young Americans
2. Guided by Voices – Bee Thousand
3. Smog – Red Apple Falls
4. Built to Spill – Keep it Like a Secret
5. The Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society

Further Listening Required (2012 homework)

1. Wye Oak – Civilian
2. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
3. Real Estate – Days
4. Low – C’mon

Best Tape Release

1. Geronimo – Buzz Yr Girlfriend: Vol. 1

Sock Monkey Sound

Sock Monkey Sound

St. Vincent

St. Vincent’s Annie Clark has made a track off her new album “Strange Mercy” available for download on the website StrangeMercy.com. The song “Surgeon” will be available with others on September 13th when the the album drops.

Apple might buy Hulu according to a report on Mashable.com. Yahoo and other players are in the mix as well (which would be a help for a flagging Yahoo) but if Apple bought Hulu, what would that mean for Apple TV?

Proving that not everyone in politics is a square (am I square for saying that?), White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, talked about Mitch Mitchell and Guided by Voices. Check out the proof HERE.

On a San Diego Comic Con note: IDW Publishing is planning on bringing James O’Barr’s comic book series The Crow back to print in a new series and reprints of old material. Why do I bring this up you ask? Because arguably, the soundtrack for the movie featuring Brandon Lee raised the bar for licensed songs in movie soundtracks, which is how many bands make their money today. [via Robot 6]

If anyone is headed to the sold out Lollapalooza this year, you might wanna check out the free Lollapalooza Apps for iPhone and Android phones. Read about the App features, including group texting, at Mashable.

In other Lollapalooza news: if you didn’t get a ticket don’t worry! You Tube will be streaming that festival (August 5-7) as well as the Austin City Limits Festival (September 16-18). Our very own Andy Whorehall will be attending Austin City Limits this year and will be… doing something.

CNET reported on a suit against Grooveshark in which music publishers and songwriters assert that the service enables users to actively infringe on copyrighted material. With the launch of Spotify and other streaming services like Rdio, the spotlight is turning on Grooveshark, which allows users to upload songs and stream that content and the RIAA doesn’t like that.

In the world of television, The Walking Dead is returning with Season 2 October 16th. F#@K YEAH! The trailer below also features Wye Oak‘s “Civillian”!

Sock Monkey Sound

St. Vincent

by Alex Danger Stewart

What:St. Vincent w/ Wildbirds and Peacedrums

Where: The Metro, Chicago, IL

When: 9pm, February 18, 2010

Who: Myself, the bands, that Andrew fellow, this girl named Matti, I think Greg was there, hundreds of others

How Much Did it Cost? $21 cause I was a rube and bought my tickets online instead of going to the box office

[quote]You guys only like her so much because she’s a girl.” [/quote]

A friend recently threw this barb at a group of fellows who were ganging up on her because she wasn’t as completely enamored with the music of St. Vincent as the rest of us. She said it jokingly but I’m going to pretend it wasn’t. Indie pop is serious business. That said, I completely reject the notion that I only enjoy St. Vincent to the extent that I do because Annie Clark is a (beautiful) lady. Sure, I’d love to have her appear on my upcoming reality TV show Let Me Take You out to Dinner. I would also very much enjoy it if she were to appear on the premium cable spin-off Touch Me in Dirty Places*, but that has very little bearing on whether or not I like to listen to her music with pretty solid frequency (I do). I didn’t name Actor as my number one album of 2009 because its creator is really, really cute. I did so because I thought it was a better album than all of the others released in that year (or at least of all of those I listened to). How would my lady readers feel if I suggested that the largest factor in making them semi-rabid Andrew Bird (who has a somewhat similar style) fans was his existence as a very handsome gentleman? Because he totally is (Side note: If someone asked me, “Danger, would you like to kiss Andrew Bird on the mouth?” I would consider the matter and reply, “Why? Did he say something about me?”) My guess is that they would reject the assertion and insist that they enjoy his music on a purely auditory basis. I do the same with St Vincent. The music is incredibly good and the fact that the person creating the music is very attractive is only an ancillary added bonus. Plus the title of St Vincent’s first album was an Arrested Development reference. That’s fucking awesome.

With all of that in mind, I made my way to the scenic Wrigleyville neighborhood and the historic Metro on Thursday, February 18. I’m normally very reluctant to go anywhere on Thursday nights because my Thursday night TV shows are on. Luckily the god damn Olympics were happening so none of my NBC shows were airing that week and it wasn’t that big of a deal if I missed Project Runway. Plus it’s a concert! I often enjoy those. Through that confluence of factors I found myself standing in line at the Metro, ready to hear incredible music and other such things.

The other such things were provided by the opening act Wildbirds & Peacedrums. I don’t want to say that Wb&Pd were bad. They were clearly very competent musicians. The drummer was especially skilled and his level of limb independence was most impressive. I’m going to attribute my entirely nonplussed reaction to their set to the fact that they’re from Sweden and therefore completely insane (It’s ok. I have a friend in Sweden. His name is Dan). I just didn’t understand their crazy Euro point of view that made it seem like music consisting of a drum kit, vocals, and a steel drum would be compelling; and not just kind of odd and a very good time to make the mistake of trying that vanilla flavored Smirnoff the bar had on sale. Apparently the new Vampire Weekend album isn’t exceedingly dissimilar. I don’t like Vampire Weekend.
[quote]
We are waiting on a telegram to give us news of the fall. I am sorry to report dear Paris is burning after all”[/quote]

Maybe the most initially striking thing about St. Vincent is the depth of the music. It’s certainly very outwardly impressive. There is a very strong visceral reaction to the way that songs like “Jesus Saves, I Spend,” or “The Strangers” alternately float and burn. What is somewhat surprising and, in many ways, more compelling is the way that the essential elements of the songs are strong enough to be stripped of almost everything else. For the encore Clark pulled out a Telecaster with a woody, almost acoustic tone and broke into, “Paris is Burning,” from her first album. Shorn of everything but guitar and voice, Clark translated melodies that, on the album, were handled by half a dozen instruments and delivered a completely recognizable performance that held the audience in silence with its quiet power.

The first time I saw St. Vincent live, I was most impressed by how well the touring band was able to recreate such dense recordings. This time it was the way that those songs have evolved and transformed after having been played every night. “Your Lips are Red,” in particular has found new teeth as it snarls where it once smoldered. The noise break before the YLAR’s gauzy coda bounced and swirled off the Metro’s ceiling as it enclosed around our ears. The original arrangements of some songs seemed to have persisted through their innate strength. The skronky, “Marrow,” showcases the kind of unhinged guitar playing that quickens the pulse of many a young punk (although possibly only myself). “Just the Same but Brand New,” came out beautiful and slow building; finally crashing upon us like a careening train finally running out of steam (or a belabored metaphor, you pick). My only complaint of not hearing, “Marry Me,” is small when one considers that it may very well have been replaced with a cover of Nico’s, “These Days” that came paired with a most endearing intellectual deconstruction of Ice Cube’s, “It Was a Good Day.” It’s a fair trade.

Final Verdict: Totally worth missing Project Runway.

(*Editors Note: What Danger does on his own time has absolutely nothing to do with Sock Monkey Sound. We think he’s using humor here. We think.)

Sock Monkey Sound

[quote]2009 was very much a transitory year for me.[/quote] Late last year, I made a conscious decision to stop being an asshole about new indie rock and open my ears to new music. There are a few reasons for this. I was growing tired of (re)listening to the same Mission of Burma, Radiohead, and Voidoids albums over and over, tired of my top ten lists being generated by thinking of the ten (or fewer) new albums that I bought that year and placing them in an arbitrary order, tired of not recognizing any music from the best publications’ year end lists, and tired of being known as the 90s guy (don’t get me wrong, music from the 90s is invariably better). Also, I was losing my sanity in a very real way (still am, technically) and my insides were craving music of a more sensitive nature. So I made the decision to end 2009 being much more aware and involved with releases by new, smallish bands. I actually made it my New Years’ Resolution. Most normal, responsible people may have resolved to do markedly better in school, or get a girlfriend, or lose 30 lbs because they care about such things. I cut my hair, stopped doing shots, and started listening to Grizzly Bear. I’m ok with my choices. Are you?

Top 10 Albums

1. St .Vincent-Actor

I didn’t hear St. Vincent’s debut when it came out, but I think it’s safe to say that Annie Clark spent much of the interim pondering darkness. Where as Marry Me explored Clark’s choice dichotomy through the juxtaposition of beautifully orchestrated pop with often disconcertingly dark lyrics (the title track makes my stomach flip in ways that few songs can); Actor finds her turning things up. The beauty is still there in folds, as are the lyrics filled with characters that would feel at home in a Phillip Roth novel or anything Sam Mendes has ever worked on. What has been added is a confidence in letting her guitar playing become so unhinged that it can often only be described by craven misspellings of the word, “Rock”, (think rawk). Songs quickly take unexpected turns from blithe woodwinds to the kind of fuzzed out atonality that makes your skin feel greasy. All the while Clark’s voice floats above the fray like an ethereal narrator. When I saw St. Vincent in June, Clark introduced a song in the same unassuming way she rips into a solo, “This song is called, ‘The Party.’ Don’t worry; it’s not the kind you would want to be at.” Au contraire, miss. I’m pretty sure it is.

2. Grizzly Bear-Veckatemist

I don’t know what to say about Grizzly Bear that hasn’t already been hyperbolized by the bloggeratti (that’s a real thing. I didn’t think it was but Sarah Palin informed me that I was incorrect). This band is really fucking good. They made a group of songs that are of awe inspiring quality. There’s no need to complicate it with anything else.

3. Yo La Tengo- Popular Songs

The criticism that one always hears is that the music of Yo La Tengo sounds like the output of a group of people with a larger record collection than social life. I fail to see how that could ever be taken pejoratively. Now decades into their career, Yo La Tengo have the supreme confidence (both as a group and as individual musicians) to mine their mammoth influences in any way they see fit. No place is this more evident than the trio of 10+ minute songs that close the album. It’s an admittedly ballsy move but the Tengos play it off nonchalantly as if to say, “Well yeah, that’s how long the songs needed to be. Would you get out of the way? We’re trying to play here.” Popular Songs sounds like Yo La Tengo. Which is to say it sounds like everything.

4. Regina Spektor-Far

Regina Spektor is an oddity in many ways. Her music is poppy and mainstream in most every sense of the word. But, like the majority of most amazing pop music, she has a genius for melody and lyrics that are, if not subversive, exponentially more intelligent, thoughtful and cheekily perverse than their glossy exterior would suggest. In other news, I love writing incredibly long sentences. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with any aspect of these songs or their presentation. Although it lacks any instantly classic songs like Begin to Hope’s, “Samson,” or, “Fidelity,” Far is choked full of beautiful melodies and thought provoking songs that feel familiar in ways that only the best can. Songs like, “Genius Next Door,” and “Wallet,” demand repeat listening and even the disposable dance track, “Dance Anthem of the 80’s” reveals itself to be anything but. This is the smartest album you will ever see in a VH1 video block. I guarantee it.

5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

This is your favorite dream pop band; you just may not know it yet. It’s sometimes difficult to defend the derivation of throwback bands, but not when they do it so damn well. The fuzz, the jangle, the simple sentimentality, the remarkably spot on name; everything about this band is nearly perfect. Most of all the songs. The appeal of a song like, “Everything With You,” grabs your heart and pulls you out of your chair. This band may not be doing anything new, but it works.

6. The Thermals- Now We Can See

The Thermals

I love The Thermals (so much that I once wrote a song about them). Bright, bubbly, exuberant indie rock. Now We Can See sounds a lot like their last record, and that’s the magic of it. Another album that makes me want to jump in the air. Another album that makes me smile. I love the Thermals.

7. Mastodon- Crack the Skye

By my reckoning, Mastodon is generally enjoyed for a few reasons. They’ve proven a strong capability to be REALLY heavy (as evidenced by Leviathan), incredibly fleet footed (much of Remission will attest to this) and more than willing to engage in proggy nonsense that is usually undeniably awesome (my favorite examples being a passage of the song, “Capillarian Crest” that a Drum magazine transcription claims is in 21/16 time. Also see the craziness of each album’s concept as well as the extended length of many songs). Crack the Skye isn’t Mastodon’s heaviest work, nor their most musically complicated. It is, however, their most concise. This strong self editing combined with a new found passion for guitar solos and moodiness, as well as their strongest concept since Leviathan make Crack the Skye Mastodon’s most emotionally and musically direct release to date. There’s something to be said for such things.

8. Sonic Youth- The Eternal

I really shouldn’t have to explain this. Any year that Sonic Youth releases an album is one with a Sonic Youth album among the ten greatest. The consistency is staggering. The Eternal finds Sonic Youth fully within their comfort zone; blasting out music that is loud, churning, dissonant and (in short) radical. The Eternal also finds me fully in my own comfort zone; listening to Sonic Youth.

9. Girls-Album

Am I growing redundant in my use of adjectives? I feel this entry will continue the trend of praising beautiful simplicity. Here we go anyway. Ignore the biography of Christopher Owens. As compelling of a story as it is, it only serves to pull attention away from the quality of work on display. Album is a piece of yearning and desperation that can only exist as a debut album. With his voice a wounded yelp and music steeped in a classicism that continues to be returned to because it continues to work, Owens’s work doesn’t wrap itself in any sort of detached safety. It is directly honest, and powerful because of it.

10. M Ward- Hold Time

M Ward plays a funny game with his listeners. He sounds old. Both in his voice and his style. His sound is decidedly country and very reminiscent of Sun Records, but it is in no way retro. When one actually tries to find an artist of that era to compare Ward to, they are struck by the fact that he has no direct comparisons. His sound is, in many ways, far too refined and restrained to be of any era except the present. It’s an odd thing to say of an album this unpretentiously dedicated to good times. These are not songs of loss, but songs of togetherness. Ward knows the sound that he wants and he holds to it; making music for dancing in your living room or sitting on your porch with a glass of whiskey. I enjoy both activities, thus this album works for me.

Top Albums That are Remarkable Achievements but Don’t Fill Me with Enough Joy to Make the List

1. Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca
2. Jim O’Rourke- The Visitor

Really Good Albums That Just Barely Missed the List

1. Dinosaur Jr – Farm
2. Vivian Girls – Everything Goes Wrong
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
4. Telekinesis – Telekinesis!
5. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
6. Converge – Axe To Fall

Special Award for Awesomeness

1. The Braves-The Leaves Are Black/Quiet Hushed Animals

I bought the Quiet Hushed Animals LP in 2007, and most of the other songs have been on the band’s myspace page for quite a while so I can’t really put this compilation (released in November 2009) on the normal list. Despite that, I feel like it requires mention. Being able to listen to these songs in my car has shone a new light on their awesomeness. I can’t even think about, “Cool, Cold Grass,” without wanting to listen to it again. After typing that sentence I just opened iTunes and started playing it. I put in this CD when my mom brought me home from school for Christmas break (yeah I’m cool like that) and was astonished by how good it is. Sometimes I listen to it twice in a row. Get to the end of, “O’Vira,” and start back again at, “The Misery of Marching.” There’s just no stopping these melodies. They’re like Jason Statham in Crank 2. They could probably survive falling out of a helicopter.

Alex Danger Stewrat is a contributing writer to Sock Monkey Sound. His last name is actually Stewart but I thought it would be funny if I left my typo in.

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