19 Jul 2019

Thanks Mark. Spoon falls into that category of bands that I've seen more than 5 times, which is rare. Every festival I've attended when they are playing I dip in and catch their full set, and every local show I'm attending no matter who they are playing with. I think this comp does it's job as far as giving a handful of good to great Spoon songs, but I'd have added songs like "Don't Make Me a Target" arguably one of the greatest opening tracks for an album post-2000, and from "A Series of Sneaks" the following: Reservations Minor Tough Car Radio Execution To date, the Pavement comp "Quarantine the Past" is the best compilation for a modern indie rock band. Spanning all albums, deep cuts and hits. More should follow that approach.

29 May 2019

Trying to include everything was a task. Spectres was for sure an omission, as I did enjoy their first record. In defense of m b v: the feeling that overcame me the night it was released was otherwordly. Having waited such a long time for it, wondering if it was going to be a complete mess, or not live up to the expectations was maddening. But it didn't disappoint to me. The moment the warmth of "She Found Now" started, I knew it would be a classic. no other album has had that kind of an impact on me in recent memory.

29 May 2019

I legit struggled with YLT's inclusion. On the one hand, I totally agree that they have elements that could constitute dream pop and/or shoegaze, I ultimately felt that they leaned a little more post-rock.

28 May 2019

I think my favorite is Lust for Life, front to back. It has everything I want out of an Iggy album.

2 May 2019

Hmmm. Not a huge Wilco fan but I do like some. I'd rank them this way... 1. Summerteeth 2. YHF 3. Star Wars 4. Wilco 5. The Whole Love 6. Being There 7. SBS 8. A.M. 9. A Ghost is Born 10. Schmilco A whole, I prefer their rougher stuff. That mid-2000s period of being in commercials just sounds too polished to me.

29 Apr 2019

I really think that Adriane Lenker is improving as a songwriter as the years progress. She opens up more, and starts giving more of herself to the music. Definitely one of the best bands going right now, and very excited to dive into this on Friday. Great review Mark.

25 Apr 2019

Some more Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Adrianne Lenker - abysskiss Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai Cindy Lee - Act of Tenderness Beach House - Depression Cherry

25 Apr 2019

Good list. I'd put Elliot Smith a little bit higher, as that guy was pretty sad. Here's some more recent omissions that I'd include: Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me The Antlers - Hospice Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak Nirvana - Unplugged in NY Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree David Bowie - Blackstar These New Puritans - Field of Reeds Just to name a few.

24 Apr 2019

Thank you for putting the self titled as number 1. It for sure is.

24 Apr 2019

Hmmmmm. Confused by this list. Its in chronological order, so I'm guessing it's not "the best" unless you're stating he got worse over time. But I definitely disagree with your statement that Lulu is a masterpiece. Lulu is garbage, and even he knew that. A lot of folks just stick with the tried and true VU & Nico as the best ever thing he did, and that's so untrue. The self titled album is my favorite release by him, and the VU has a perfect discography so there's no real bad answer for "best VU record" but a lot of folks just default to Nico. List is incomplete too, as the long lost VU record from 1985 deserves recognition as it's pretty damn great too. Could make a case for Another View too. New York and Blue Mask are really the only 80s records worth your time. The self titled Lou Reed record is nothing special, but Transformer and Berlin are top notch. As my favorite band of all time, I can talk extensively about the Velvets, and I take lots of shame in admitting that Lou Reeds solo output comes no where close to the highs of VU. There's some good stuff scattered, but it's pretty hit or miss.