Thepunkguy

So I guess it’s time to make the best of list. I mean, really, everyone else is doing it. Here is thepunkguy’s top.. 16. Not an amazing year for records for me. And as you’ll find out very quickly, I barely listened to anything with dominate vocals. Weird instrumental year for me.

OUR FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2008.

Rosetta – Wake / Lift (WEBSITE HERE.) This band, almost singlehandedly changed my taste in music this year. Like I have said in the past, metal with the vocals far back in the mix, creating a beautiful atmospheric noise. Amazing music to walk around new york city to.
track – Rosetta – Lift Part 3

31knots – Worried Well (WEBSITE HERE.) Consistently one of the most underrated bands that we love here on this website. This record is what 1998 indie rock would sound like if it kept progressing in strange and interesting ways. His voice is great.
track – 31knots – the breaks.

Bon – Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (WEBSITE HERE.) Like I even need to write about this album. Anyone who reads this site knows how much I love this album. if you like nature based pretty ethereal music with a bluesy voice, this ones for you.
tracks – Bon Iver – The Wolves (ACT I & II) (Live on NPR)
Bon Iver – Skinny Love

LIVE ON LETTERMAN:

Lil’ Wayne – tha Carter 3 (WEBSITE HERE.) Like I even need to tell you who this is. Let me just say this, I am not sure if it’s the Codeine with Promethazine talking but Lil’ Wayne is pretty genius. I know I know, he looks ridiculous and seems pretty ignorant but anyone, and I mean anyone who writes rhymes yeast infection with geese erection, has to be some kind of prodigy. Either way, listen to the humor and metaphors below.
track – Lil’ Wayne – Phone Home (prod. by David Banner)

Horse Feathers – House with No Name (WEBSITE HERE.) More soft acoustic, pretty backwoods type stuff. A pretty voice with some really nice instrumentation.
tracks – Horse Feathers – Curs in the Weeds
horse feathers rude to rile (live on WOXY lounge)

ASS – My get up and go just got up and went LP (WEBSITE HERE.) ASS is the initials for Sweden’s Andreas Söderström and also a ridiculous band name. He’s plays all the instruments on the record and occasionally sings. Think folk without the vocals (most of the time). Not to mention he does a kick ass version of the title track from Escape from New York *(below)
track – Ass – Escape from NY (Main Title)

VIDEO BELOW:

Russian Circles – Station (WEBSITE HERE.) By far my favorite instrumental record of the year. Just so calculated, so intricate without sounding soulless. Not too mention a great live show. For those who like instrumental music to be atmospheric and complex. Oh yea and they get metal occasionally too.
track – Russian Circles – Harper Lewis

Portishead – Third (WEBSITE HERE.)
After a long wait, Portishead finally delivers. Third sounds like Portishead’s KID A if that makes any sense. I really liked it.
track – Portishead – Machine Gun (Live)

This Will Destroy You – s/t (WEBSITE HERE.) Maybe my 2nd favorite instrumental record of the year. This one is like Russian Circles a little less complex, less metal but a bit more cinematic. Think Godspeed without 30 people in the band and huge crescendos. I do love it.
track – This Will Destroy You – the World is _______

the Mars Volta – Bedlam in Goliath (WEBSITE HERE.) A pretty good release from one of the band featuring members of my favorite band of all time. If you know them, you probably already hate them or love them. The singles are great.

The Grey Daturas – Return to Disruption (WEBSITE HERE.) Like Neurosis without the singer, the Grey Daturas is noisy and dissonant in the same way Explosions in the Sky is. The kind of music that would accompany the end of the world.
track – Gray Daturas – Demarration Disputes / Unity

Detektivbyrån – Wermland (WEBSITE HERE.) This Swedish band sounds like the theme music to a children’s TV show or maybe to a psychotic circus. Either way, this is great soundtrack music and a real fun listen.
track – Detektivbyrån – Om Du Möter Varg

VIDEO BELOW:

The Jimmy Cake – Spectre and Crown (WEBSITE HERE.) Does anyone get the feeling that all I listened to this year was instrumental music?? Weird, I know. The Jimmy Cake from Dublin, is a nice instrumental indie rock band with some classical instrumentation. Occasionally think, a voiceless Fugazi with strings. Sometimes.
track – The Jimmy Cake – Jetta’s Palace .

The Black Angels -Directions to see a Ghost (WEBSITE HERE.) This Texan Psychedelic band is just good old rock n roll. Think if A Band of Horses was around in like the 60′s. Must be a great band to see live.
track – the Black Angels – Doves

Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum end (WEBSITE HERE.) I always thought of Sigur Rós as the Icelandic Radiohead. What do you think about that? I am a total late bloomer when it comes to Sigur Rós but maybe it was my trip to Iceland that did it or what but finally I love this band. And this is a beautiful record.
track – Sigur Rós-gobbledigook

Asher Roth – The Greenhouse Mixtape (WEBSITE HERE. download the whole mixtape here) Next year’s Eminem, this mixtape shows a ton of potential with some great songs with a ton of stolen mixtape beats. The mixtape MC is totally annoying but if you can get over that check out the download.
track – Asher Roth – the Lounge

SOME RUNNER UPS
… And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead – Festival Thyme EP, Mammatus – The Coast Explodes, Deerhunter – Microcastles, OM – Subpop 7inch, Earth – The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull, Bon Iver – Blood Bank EP and a few more.

what were some of your favorites??

OUR BEST SHOWS OF 2008

1. Russian Circles – Mercury Lounge. The first time I saw them and was so impressed that I went out a bought tickets to see them a few months later at a bigger venue. Being a three piece and doing what they did was so impressive. (LINK HERE.)

2. Bon Iver – MHOW 07.30. Also the first time I got to see Bon Iver and it was really heartwarming. My only two complaints of the night were the girls screaming “I love YOU” and them ending with Skinny Love. When I saw them last week it was there second song. Thank god. (LINK HERE.)

3. Bluetip – Mercury Lounge 08.25. Click the link to read all about it. (LINK HERE)

4. Rival Schools – Knitting Factory CMJ 08. A reunited Rival Schools playing a small venue was THE ONLY show I saw for CMJ. Yes I know lame. Anyway, the show was a lot of fun and totally worth the wait. Walter sounded great and absolutely loved hearing them cover the Smith’s How Soon is Now.

A YEAR IN TRAVEL (and MISC.) PICTURES.
I traveled more over the last year than I have for most of my life, I left the country 4 times since Xmas of last year. Here are some pictures from those trips. (all pictures taken by Kristian Sorge)

HAWAI’I:

LONDON AND PARIS

LONDON

PARIS

ICELAND

(not taken by me)

MISC

BLUETIP LIVE

FU MANCHU AT MILK

4th of JULY

PILLOW FIGHT IN UNION SQUARE

FAVORITE WEBSITES OF THE YEAR

music related

Battle of Midwestern Housewives – music for people who love the music I love.

Radiobutt – a great place to download full records. shhhh.

Konstant Kontact – Stretch Armstrong’s site, posting up old school hip hop mp3′s and full length radio shows from the 90′s

everything else

The Playlist – keeps me up to date with film and music related stories.

Five Mile Grace – nice photography from the west.

CHAGRIN – Sex + Art = Photos

zsostudio – a friend’s art blog. daily art inspiration.

BABY SINEAD – A Brooklyn Burning Angel girl with something fun to say and show.

BBG – Sometimes graphic erotica with reviews and pictures.. always entertaining.

A walk through Durham County Pennsylvania – a really nice photoblog of Pennsylvania.

Happy Endingz – tales from the erotic massage parlors

SOME SUPERLATIVES…

top movies..
1. Let the Right One in

2. The Dark Knight
3. Son of Rambow

TV shows
1. Mad Men
2. Pushing Daisies (fuck you for canceling this)
3. Dexter
4. Daily Show.
5. (catching up on ..) the Wire

food
peanut and bacon brittle from the Red Head
Abraço coffee on East 7th.
the veggie chipolte burger from Quantum Leap.

ok maybe that’s it for now. I just spent a whole Sunday doing this post. I’d like to thank everyone who reads this site and contributes and just is nice to me overall. pass this on to people and feel free to comment the fuck out of it….

Well well.

I am back from Oahu, Hawaii and let me say this I have a really slight tan on my face.

I guess dreams do come true. Me and 6 friends traveled to Oahu for six days. We rented two cabins on the North Shore. The cabin was awesome and we were liked 30 feet away from the ocean. I swam everyday.

While I was there. I went on a boat, got thrown from a tube, saw sharks, drank a lot of beers, laughed with friends, ate smores, went to the Foodland about 100 times, met people dressed like rainbow brite and mclovin, picked up hitchhikers, met more people from NJ and drank beers, did I mention that??

(All pictures taken by Kristian Sorge for thepunkguy.com, please credit, click to make larger)

(from the plane)

As most of my travels end with, below is a list of things related to my hawaii trip;

A. United Airways can SAFO (suck a fat one). Seriously, I know this is totally my M. O. to bitch about my flights, but those doucheheads put you on a 9 hour flight, and then charge you 9 dollars for a fuckin meal? People in prison get a free meal every 6 hours don’t they?

B. People in Hawaii overuse aloha. I mean I know its part of the island’s culture but everything is fucking called Aloha. I mean its on their license plates. “The Aloha State”? What does that even mean??

C. Hawaii loves rice. With everything. Like pizza with rice. And fried rice with rice.

D. Hawaii is beautiful. Like retardedly beautiful. Even the dirt is pretty.

(a sunrise)

E. Surfing is everywhere. I mean its the “jesus” of hawaii.

F. Shark diving is exactly what it sounds like.

(the sharks we saw)

(the cage we were in when it happened)

G. Waikiki probably isn’t the best choice of places to be when they announce the new president of the united states. I was sitting in a restaurant called something like “the best gosh darn cheeseburger in hawaii” when 1 of the 3 flatscreens in the joint showed fox news’ lovely coverage of the election (the other two showed the same football game). Ugh.

So I walk over to the tv to watch it. Passing 3 girls drinking umbrella drinks asking the waitress to take their picture. Hmmmm. The other waitress walks by. “Something happen?”. There’s an understatement.

H. My (stolen) costume of that woman who faked carving a B in her face might have been a bit too high brow for Honolulu. My friend’s outfits of American Apparell models were even too hip for most people.