Friday 8-Track

OK, I need to put a check on my giddiness. Screw it. Today's 8-Track is honor of Saturday's Wrens show at the Black Cat. Beers at St. Ex followed by rockin' at the Black Cat, I can't think of a better night out. So today's theme is, loosely, indie rock that rocks. Or something. Let's get jiggy.

Built To Spill - "Out of Site" - Perfect From Now On

What a hook. And from out of nowhere, too. Doug is a genius.

Rogue Wave - "You" - Descended Like Vultures

This album is kind of all over the place. I think Zach Rogue sometimes has difficulty sorting out all of his influences but it is nice to hear varied songwriting. This track is one of the best on the album. It has got a overproduced 70's thing going on but it uses a lot of space and a simple theme very well.

Kitchens of Distinction - "Sand On Fire" - Cowboys and Aliens

The first time I heard this song -- thank you Jawn -- I could not have been happier. For an instant, this was everything I wanted to make an electric guitar sound like. A simple blog post could not fairly describe how wonderfully cool this song is. Download it. Know it. Live it. Why can't that outro last forever? [ed. note -- more readily available on the collection Capsule: The Best of KOD 1988-94]

The Hold Steady - "Stuck Between Stations" - Boys and Girls in America

Tad Kubler's riffing may the best sounding thing to happen to The Rawk since Angus plugged in and sold his soul for our salvation. I cannot get enough of this damn album.


Liz Phair - "Never Said" - Exile In Guyville

Liz, what happened? Three good albums (although some only claim one or two) and everything went out the window. Whatever, this is a great song. Simple, straight-up, and a killer hook. The little breakdown in the middle is why hipsters once fantasized about being her love slave -- now they fantasize about making her their dirty, dirty love slave.

Modest Mouse - "Trailer Trash" - Lonesome Crowded West

I love the way this song swells. The first time I heard it I was only half paying attention. It kind of creeps up on you. At one point I just said to myself, "Holy shit this song is good." Plus the end has got some good trashy jamming that sounds like a BTS outtake.

Guided By Voices - "Motor Away" - Alien Lanes

Is Bob Pollard the godfather of indie rock? I won't argue against it. While the intelligentsia may claim that Bee Thousand is the definitive GBV album, contrarian that I am, I prefer Alien Lanes. When Bob decided to shut it down and retire GBV, this song was something of an anthem at those final shows. I did some serious fist-pumping. "You can't lie to yourself that it's the chance of a lifetime!"

The Wrens - "Everyone Chooses Sides" - The Meadowlands

Surprise, surprise, surprise. Come on, you knew it was coming. If I could only write one song. One song that everyone would base their opinion of me -- as a musician -- upon, this would probably be it. I would be hard-pressed to think of another song that so fantastically musically matches its lyrical content point-for-point and rocks like hell. Great story. Great guitar playing. Great band. Is it Saturday night yet?

--Bonus Track--

The National - "Mr. November" - Alligator

A really good show last night. I'm draggin' ass this morning but it was well worth it. I must say that I was very impressed with how well they translated the album from wax to the stage. They are a really tight band and play well off of one another. This is also a band that knows how to utililze dynamic contrast, something sorely lacking in a lot of shit out there today. It makes me want to go home, whip out the DL4, and try and make a little magic. "I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November, Mr. Novemeber, I won't fuck us over!"