Thepunkguy

Our friend and contributor, Dan! I’m on Fire and his band PACIFIC THEATER is playing a show with AKUDAMA THIS FRIDAY on FEB 8th at Mercury Lounge.

(click on flyer for larger image)

Like every other music site from here to Tucson Arizona, I will attempt, feebly at best, to keep you interested with my best of the best list..

TOP Records of the Year:

18. Soft Circle - Full Bloom : Somewhere between African dance and electronica, member(s?) of Black Dice make up this weirdly rhythmic music. It’s one that grows on you.

Soft Circle - Stones and Trees

17. Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound .

16. Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass ; Aesop ups and moves to my old home San Francisco and he makes his best album since Labor Days. Some of the real stand out tracks on this record are: None Shall Pass, Coffee and Getaway Car. Really liked this record.

15. Vampire Weekend - s/t .

14. Kanye West - Graduation (oops) ; His blackest album to date. I love this B side of him sampling Thom Yorke.

Kanye West - Us Placers (feat Lupe and Pharrell) .

13. 31knots - The Days And Nights Of Everything Anywhere . This is one of those bands that I try to convince every one of my “90’s midwestern emo” buddies that they would fucking love. This is exactly what at the drive in might sound like if they weren’t half hispanic and didn’t become the mars volta. I love this fucking band.

31knots - Man Becomes Me .

12. O’Death - Head Home . Another entry in the best of 2007 that doesn’t sound like anything else on here. Southern friend punk rock with bangos, oil cans and fiddles, this band from Brooklyn puts on pretty amazing live show. With barely a tshirt between the whole band, this sweaty bluegrass meets the energy of punk band put out a great lofi record. I am really looking forward to their next release.

11. Pelican - City of Echoes: Once again, my favorite instru-metal band makes a dynamic new record. This time, with acoustic meets long drawn out epic songs, City of Echoes, is really a different kind of metal album for me. This is the kind of metal album I want to listen to while I work, people watch or while I sleep. (yes, sleep.) It’s a great record.

10. Elliott Smith - New Moon . A compilation from one of my favorite artists of all time. I really love some of these tracks and the acoustic versions of the two Heatmiser songs are like a gift from god to me. The only reason this isn’t higher on my list is that cause of my friend Kevin, I have heard 80 percent of the tracks before.

Heatmiser - Not Half Right .

9. A Place to Bury Strangers - s/t: A great 80’s inspired record, think early New Order, Joy Division, etc, recorded in what must have been someone’s ass. Really catchy dark songs, if you can get past the awful production.

A Place to Bury Strangers - I Know Ill See You .

8. Radiohead - In Rainbows . something something, best band, something, self released. check it out.

Radiohead - Videotape (Live Demo)

7. LCD - Sound of Silver: LCD Soundsystem - All of my Friends (Live on WXPN) .

6. Battles - Mirrored; This band for some reason seems to polarize people. To me this band seems to be a real musician’s band. With that being said, I don’t have a fucking decimeter of musical talent, however, I like Rush and Don Caballero, so I am able to fake it. Battles is the best of both worlds for me; an intricate complicated band with a bit of soul and danceability to them.

5. Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature: Jose Gonzalez - Teardrop (Live) .

4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: So what can be said about this album that hasn’t already been said over and over? Ill say this that it took me a bit to really get into this record and the more I listen to it the more I like it. I think THIS clip, believe it or not, made me totally reevaluate this record. A friend thinks this record sounds like an old Bruce Springsteen record. I think she meant it as a compliment.

the Arcade Fire - keep the car running (Live on SNL)

3. Menomena - Friend and Foe: I must be into the eclectic this year cause Menomena is not really like any other release on the top of thepunkguy. 3 singers, all playing at least two instruments (not at once.) As you know I have been a proponent of this band forever and when this record came out I was more than excited and I am so glad that it exceeded my expectations. And this band finally got the attention it’s due. Anyway, Friend and Foe has horns, some guitars and a tons of great melodies.

Menomena - Wet and Rusting (live from the take away show) .

2. Beirut - the Flying Cup Club: Last year’s number 1, this year’s at a comfortable number 2. The Flying Cup Club is like a 20 year old moves to Paris, engulfs himself in French music, plays tons of horns and then recruits the dude from Final Fantasy to make a record that doesn’t sound like anything else released all year. Wait, that is exactly what it is. It’s different, in a good way.

Beirut - Nantes (live on KEXP) .

1. EL P - I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead: Living in New York City means finding the perfect soundtrack to walking around the city. Never in all of my almost ten years living here have I ever found a cd that felt so comfortable walking around the city. It’s intricate, it’s hip hop, it complicated and it’s hard as fuck. I mean this record has everything for me. I really do love it and it makes New York fit just right.

EL P - Tasmanian Pain Coaster .

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Some runner ups: Sage Francis - Human the Death Dance, Wilco - Sky Blue Sky, Two Gallants - Two Gallants, Ted Leo - Living with the Living, Spoon - Ga ga ga ga ga, Rocky Volotato - Brag and the Cuss, The National - Boxer (sorry James and Dan) and Iron and Wine - the Shepherd’s Dog

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TOP 5 SHOWS of the YEAR:

5. tie - Grizzly Bear at Bowery Ballroom, NYC (03.07.07); My first proper time seeing Grizzly Bear and I was really blown away. I was expecting a slow moving boring show and got a really dynamic powerful one. Check out picts and review HERE.

O”death at Asterick Art Space, Bushwick, Brooklyn (03.09.07); Also my first time seeing O’Death and didn’t know what to expect. The show was energetic, fun and a lil smokey. Had a blast tho. Check out more picts and review HERE.

(GB)

(OD)(picts by Dan, I’m on fire!)

4. Sufjan Steven present the BQE - BAM Theater, Brooklyn (11.01.07); Sufjan performs a new piece entitled the BQE, starring a film shot by him, performers with hula hoops and a full fucking orchestra. Holy shit. read the review HERE.

3. EL P - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (10.19.07); A reunited Company Flow, a song by Del the Funkee Homosapien and a full set by EL P with a back up band. Fuck man.

2. Menomena - Bowery Ballroom, NYC (03.28.07). Menomena in March included a birthday cake, a sing along and tons of sax. So much fun. SEE REVIEW and MORE PICTS HERE.

(pict by Dan, I’m on fire!)

1. Beirut - Secret Show at Coco 66, Greenpoint Brooklyn (09.19.07). A great place to see a small intimate show of a 8 person band. Had the best time, was right up there. Probably didn’t hurt that I was drunk and singing along like I was at an Irish Futbol game. SEE REVIEW AND MORE PICTS HERE.

TOP 5 BLOGS:

PHOTO: DURHAM TOWNSHIP .

MUSIC: ABSOLUT NOISE .

SEX: HOTEL ROOM NUDES . (NSFW, most of the time)

MISC: LIFEHACKER .

COMEDY: BEST WEEK EVER .

SOCIAL COMMENTARY; THE ASSIMILATED NEGRO .

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contributors’ top tens..

DAN, I’M ON FIRE

1) Menomena - Friend And Foe
2) Radiohead - In Rainbows
3) Liars - Liars
4) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5) The National - Boxer
6) Deerhunter - Cryptograms
7) Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If…
8) Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
9) Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
10) LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

GONZ’ TOP TEN (his site HERE):

10) Bad Brains-Build A Nation
9) Coliseum- No Salvation
8) Portugal The Man- Church Mouth
7) Hot Cross-Risk Revival
6) Ghostface Killah- Big Doe Rehab
5) Bayside-The Walking Wounded
4) Explosions In the Sky- All the sudden I miss everyone
3) Every Time I Die- The Big Dirty
2) (tied) Jimmy Eat World-Chase The Light/As Tall As Lions-Into The Flood
1) Minus The Bear-Planet Of Ice

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GOOD THINGS THAT WEREN’T MUSIC OR PHOTO RELATED (in no order):

1. Pushing Daises on ABC!

2. Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”

3. Finishing up the film “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Great crew and cast!

4. My new film cameras, (ok film related)..

5. My trips to Buenos Aires HERE and my trip to Sweden HERE.

6. My friends, loved ones and family. Thank you.

7. My long over due appreciation of Bob Dylan. (i know I know)

8. My De la Soul Nike Air Force Ones.

9. A great LOST season Finale.

10. YOU!

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SOME RANDOM PICTURES I’VE TAKEN THIS YEAR:

as some of you know I just got back from a trip to Argentina, read all about it HERE.

BUY OTHER RELEASES HERE. CHECK OUT MORE MUSIC FROM ALL THESE ARTISTS HERE. BACK TO HOMEPAGE HERE .

ALL PICTURES ARE TAKEN BY KRISTIAN SORGE (unless otherwise noted.)

feel free to comment below. If not, have a great new years!

You know that we have an ungodly love for Menomena, and it has brought me out of blogging hiatus. Rejoice!

This is seriously the cutest thing ever. There is also a video for Rotting Hell which is also good, but seriously French guys, why are you walking through a dark tunnel? Black screen with pinholes of light is not artistic.

Krist already did a post about last night’s gunfight in greenwich village, but I think it’s worth revisiting because I was there.

After seeing Yimou Zhang’s “Raise the Red Lantern” at Film Forum, I was craving chinese food. So we were close to my old neighborhood and I suggested Suzie’s on Bleeker. We sit down and moments later two gunshots are heard, cops are running, then a burst of up to 15 more shots, pedestrian’s ducking into every open door on the block, more shots and we’re jumping under our table. Within the next 5 minutes, more cops than I’ve ever seen in one place at a time were swarming the village, crowds were ushered away and every person had a story or different take on the tragic event.

I walked outside and a tall man walking away from the scene said something to the effect of “I dunno what happened, but somebody is dead.” Back in the restaurant I overheard conflicting stories from an elderly patron and the kindly proprietor of Suzie’s suggested multiple gunmen and the title “robbers”. A call to my bartender friend nearby gave me the chilling idea that the gunman hadn’t been apprehended yet and as we talked he asked me how many shots I heard and I said about 10. He said yeah, that’s what I thought too, but someone came in saying there were 40 shots.

Even after the proverbial dust had settled and dim-sum and moo shoo had been ordered, the three of us at the table couldn’t decide whether there had been 2 bursts of shots or 3. Whether we saw cops before the shots were fired or after. At what point did people start ducking for cover inside Suzie’s.

What I can say, is that it’s really sad and senseless. There were two cops who died and they were 28 and 19 years old. A guy my age (26) was shot and killed in the pizzeria. It really shook us up. You can feel your own mortality more closely than normal. Our conversation went from asian concubines to previous encounters with death surprisingly fast.

Finally, I gave an “eye-witness” account to a reporter from the Times, but I didn’t make the article. Oh well…

Check it out anyway (NYTimes)

My friends and companions last night blogged about it too over at A Brooklyn Life.

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program of music and snarky-ness.

I love the Shots Ring Out blog, nowhere else has the extensive music video library that they do. They just posted about the new video for The Rapture directed by Ben Dickinson & John Watts.

Check it out HERE!

You know that VICE has their own web tv station right? Well what better way to become aquainted than with an episode of ‘Soft Focus’ featuring Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, The Evens).

Via Dischord Records check out “Soft Focus with Ian Svenonius”!

The Shout Out Out Out Out’s (that is really exhausting to type) are going on tour and remixing. Here’s the word straight from the horse’s mouth:

SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT UNVEIL BANG GANG REMIX, TOUR NORTH AMERICA, KILL AUSTIN (Monday, February 26th, 2007) Shout Out Out Out Out are the most fun you’ll ever have. Your favorite DJ’s favorite band. A sweaty, sexy mess of synth and snow. A fleet of dance-partying robots. For the uninitiated: Shout Out Out Out Out = two drummers + four bass players + two samplers + five synthesizers + two vocoders. That’s like 15 things. FIFTEEN! This is in-your-face, ambidextrous dance music.

And here’s the latest NEWS: Shout Out has remixed the Icelandic pop weirdness of Bang Gang. Here is Nik7’s take on the anxious guitar number “Find What You Get,” from the impending Bardi “Bang Gang” Johannsson album, Something Wrong. The result is fucking fantastic — tittering hats, buzzing bass, and sequined gown disco strings. Enjoy:

Bang Gang: “Find What You Get (Shout Out Out Out Out Remix)”

UPCOMING DATES:

CANADA
03-01 Ottawa, ON – Zaphods
03-02 Montreal, PQ – Main Hall
03-03 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
03-04 Hamilton, ON – Casbah
03-06 London, ON – Call The Office
03-07 Waterloo, ON – Starlite

AMERICA
03-08 Boston, MA – Paradise Lounge
03-09 Brooklyn, NY – Southpaw
03-10 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
03-11 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
03-13 Houston, TX – The Mink
03-14 Austin, TX – SXSW!!!!
03-15 Austin, TX – SXSW BEAUTY BAR!!!!
03-16 Austin, TX – SXSW CLUB DEVILLE!!!!
03-17 Austin, TX – SXSW!!!!
03-19 Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
03-20 Los Angeles, CA – Safari Sams
03-22 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
03-23 Vancouver, BC - Columbia

My mom went to high school with Mark David Chapman. Sometimes I wish she’d have introduced herself to him, kidnapped him and left him in an abandoned missile silo somewhere in the desert. But then that would mean that my Mom is a psycho. Sometimes you just can’t win.

Anyway, jonesing for more John? Head over to Doctor Mooney’s 115 Dream and grab some rare demo’s from the White album era all the way to his days at the Dakota in NYC. Ol’ Doc Mooney even made a nice zip file for your convenience.

Doctor Mooney’s 115 Dream

One of my favorite albums of 1999 was No Knife’s ‘Fire in the City of the Automatons’ (more on that album soon…) and the song ‘Darkhorse’ by Uncut gives me that same get up and air-guitar sort of feeling. Hailing from Toronto, the rock 4-piece is heading to NYC for 2 shows, then back to Canada, then out to SXSW.

Recommended for fans of No Knife (duh), Jesus & Mary Chain, Super Furry Animals, At the Drive-In, etc..

Feb 28 2007 12:00A - Piano’s New York, New York
Mar 1 2007 10:30P - Luna Lounge Brooklyn, New York
Mar 8 2007 12:00A - CMW - Silver Dollar Toronto, Ontario
Mar 10 2007 9:00P - CMW - Whippersnapper Gallery Toronto, Ontario
Mar 11 2007 9:00P - La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec
Mar 12 2007 10:00P - Lee’s Palace Toronto, Ontario
Mar 14 2007 3:00P - SXSW - Emo’s Annex Austin, Texas
Mar 17 2007 12:00A - SXSW - The Ale House Austin, Texas

Uncut - Darkhorse
Uncut - Hideaway
Uncut - Kiss Me

UNCUT @ MYSPACE

The relentlessly touring Cold War Kids kicked off their latest tour last night in San Diego, making their way across the states to finally end up here in New York for 3 already sold out shows in April. Check ‘em out!

Feb 21 2007 9:00P - El Rey Theatre - SOLD OUT Los Angeles, Arkansas
Feb 22 2007 8:00P - The Troubadour - SOLD OUT Los Angeles, California
Feb 23 2007 8:00P - Great American Music Hall - SOLD OUT San Francisco, California
Feb 24 2007 8:00P - The Attic Santa Cruz, California
Mar 2 2007 8:00P - Hi-Dive - Denver, Colorado
Mar 3 2007 8:00P - Sokol Underground Omaha, Nebraska
Mar 4 2007 8:00P - The Bottleneck Lawrence, Kansas
Mar 6 2007 8:00P - Varsity Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 7 2007 8:00P - The Rave at the Eagles Club Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mar 8 2007 8:00P - The Annex Madison, Wisconsin
Mar 9 2007 8:00P - Subterranean Early Show - SOLD OUT Chicago, Illinois
Mar 9 2007 11:00P - Subterranean Late Show - SOLD OUT Chicago, Idaho
Mar 10 2007 8:00P - Mojo’s columbia, Missouri
Mar 12 2007 8:00P - Juanita’s Little Rock, Arkansas
Mar 13 2007 8:00P - Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mar 14 2007 8:00P - Gypsy Tea Room Dallas, Texas
Mar 19 2007 8:00P - The Republic New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 20 2007 8:00P - Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida
Mar 21 2007 8:00P - the social orlando, Florida
Mar 22 2007 8:00P - Cafe 11 St. Augustine, Florida
Mar 23 2007 8:00P - Vinyl atlanta, Georgia
Mar 24 2007 8:00P - Mercy lounge Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 26 2007 8:00P - Village Tavern mt pleasant, South Carolina
Mar 27 2007 8:00P - local 506 chapel hill, North Carolina
Mar 28 2007 8:00P - Nightclub 9:30 washington dc, Washington DC
Mar 29 2007 8:00P - First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 30 2007 8:00P - Middle East downstairs - SOLD OUT Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 31 2007 8:00P - Pearl Street Nightclub Northhampton, Massachusetts
Apr 2 2007 8:00P - La Salsa Rossa Montreal, Quebec
Apr 4 2007 8:00P - The Mod Club toronto, Ontario
Apr 6 2007 8:00P - Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT New York, New York
Apr 7 2007 8:00P - Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT New York, New York
Apr 9 2007 8:00P - Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT New York, New York

Cold War Kids - Every Valley Is Not a Lake

BUY THEIR MUSIC.