Year End Lists: Ladies' Night

It's getting close people. These next picks are crucial. For what, we don't know. Especially since it's January 13th. And congratulations Kanye! You won the iPod!
Ben's Pick:

4. She and Him - Volume One
Zooey Deschanel has been melting my heart since she played William Miller's older sister in Almost Famous. Even though she sings, hearing the news that she was pursuing a recording career, with M. Ward nonetheless, I braced myself for an indie scene clusterfuck of epic proportions. What I heard once I finally took the plunge and listened, was quite the opposite: Deschanel became the first actress-cum-musician that you don't want to poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Alternating between '60s style girl group stylings ("I Was Made For You," "Sweet Darling") and confessional ballads ("Change is Hard," "Sentimental Heart"), this album delivers emotional sincerity with a knowing wink. I'm still hoping that the title of this collection isn't just a hint at future endeavors. Volume One has a truly timeless feel; it's an album your dad will love (in a good way).

Isabelle's Pick:

4. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War)

I swear to everything sacred Erykah Badu is not human. She is a magical and spectacular goddess who was sent to Dallas, Texas to melt face. Seeing her live is life changing, and seeing her perform this album live was an out of body experience. "Telephone," her gorgeous tribute to her mentor and friend Dilla, brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. I cannot wait for the next Amerykah installment. I just want to hang out with her. You know, cruise around Brooklyn, smoking a j, listening to music that hasn't been invented yet, talking about André 3000. I mean that in the least creepy way possible, really.

Year End Lists: Good Sounds Sound Good

You get it by now, don't you? Below, our picks for the fifth best album that came out this year. First commenter gets a free iPod!*


Ben's pick:

5. Alphabeat - This is Alphabeat
Does anyone do power pop like the Danes? No. Maybe that country is not as bright and sparkly as its musical exports would have us believe. Nonetheless, if there were any justice, this band would rule the pop charts. I dare you to listen to "Fascination"and not want to dance. Ditto for almost every track on here.

Isabelle's pick:

5. Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
I cannot stress enough how much I love Raphael Saadiq. To me, he is the J Dilla of R&B. He has been behind like, 75% of the music that I love since I was I don't know, 10. Everything he touches turns to gold. This album was a departure from his prior "gospeldelic" records and instead was a straight up love letter to Motown. A Funk Brother on percussion? Check. Stevie Wonder playing harmonica on "Never Give You Up"? Double check. Snappy doo-wop steeped R&B? Triple check.

*Void outside the U.S. and in all 50 states.

Year End Lists: We Just Can't Get Enough of Partie Traumatic

Just kidding! Alright, you know the drill. Below are our picks for the 6th best album of the year. Let us know why they make you angry, in the comments.


Ben's pick:

6. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
A bummer of a record in the best possible way from this Scottish four piece. More of a breakdown album than a breakup album (though you could make a case for both), singer Scott Hutchison lures you in with lyrics that cut like a knife, like this line from "Keep Yourself Warm": "It takes more than fucking someone you don't know to keep warm/ Do you really think that for a house beat you'll find love in a hole?" The best part is this album's truly a grower; come for the anxiety laced story, stay for the music, which is raw, tight, and incredibly well produced (see also Liver! Lung! FR!, the live version released in late 2008). Last but not least, this album is perfectly paced, sucking you in at the first track with "The Modern Leper" and refusing to let you go.

Isabelle's pick:

6. 88-Keys - The Death of Adam
A punani concept album? That isn't offensive? And also fantastic? Seems too good to be true. However, producer extraordinaire 88-Keys didn't want to release just any solo record, and as a result, pulled off the unthinkable: a cohesive, fun, entertaining and above all, thought provoking story. With excellent cameos from BFFs Kanye West, Bilal, J*Davey, Phonte of Little Brother and Redman, this album is one of the greatest hip-hop records to come out in a dog's age.

The Year in Rock Writing

This PopMatters roundup, the Best Music Scribing Awards of 2008, is probably of interest to a lot of our readers. Broken into a few rundowns, there are bronze, silver, and gold medal categories for music writing and a not-to-be-missed worst writing of the year category, including that Black Kids review in which Pitchfork got even more obnoxious than usual.

The Best Music Scribing Awards of 2008 [PopMatters]

Year End Lists: Punctuality is One of Our Resolutions

OK, OK. We know we promised one album per day. But just like you, we can be lazy, irresponsible and prone to lying. Don't despair though. The guilt was killing us, and we are atoning with two picks each right now.

Ben's Picks:

8. The Black Keys - Attack and Release
The blues rock two piece shows Jack White how it's meant to be done. 2004's Rubber Factory, the only other Black Keys record I'm very familiar with, was a great album of blues jams, but this album, produced by the brilliant Danger Mouse (and it sounds like he brought his keyboards with him!), truly takes the band a step further conceptually. Rather than just blasting you with gritty guitar and drums, this set of songs swirls around you, unraveling more with each listen.

7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Sometimes divorcing yourself from the buzz works really, really well. This was one of those cases: when this band's name started whipping around the internet early in 2008 I didn't want to know anything about it. Eventually, I heard the record, and I was blown away. It's such a nice record, I can't believe there was all that buzz about these breezy melodies and vaguely African rhythms. This isn't a new trick (see: everything the Talking Heads recorded) but these kids are doing it well on this LP.

Isabelle's Picks:

8. Jazmine Sullivan - Fearless
Philly jawns stand up. This album would be higher up on my list, but there are like three tracks ("After the Hurricane," "Dream Big" and "Live a Lie" could all be better) that I feel hold this record back from flawless greatness. Otherwise, Missy Elliott's protege's album has been on repeat since dropping. "Call Me Guilty" is the best abused woman revenge tune around and of course the first singles "Need U Bad" and "Bust Your Windows" are stellar. My favorite one though, is "In Love with Another Man," which is all emotion, a bittersweet ballad about being unable to move on, even though it's in every one's best interest.

7. Rhymefest - Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest in The Man in the Mirror
Technically not an album per se, but nevertheless, a cohesive and amazing effort from one of my favorite rappers out there. First of all, the "conversations" between 'Fest and MJ are nothing short of perfection and secondly, this tided me over marvelously because Rhymefest's "sophomore" record El Che got pushed back to '09. This mix tape is the ultimate low key party or BBQ record--it revisits every fantastic Jackson tune from his childhood days on, with the added bonus of Rhymefest's straight up genius.

Year End Lists: Two Hip-Hop Records That Actually Didn't Suck

Yeah, our best albums of 2008 list is late. Think of it like Nicorette: we're just trying to wean you off of the year end content slowly so you don't freak out and beat your spouse. There's no use arguing--although we encourage it in the comments.

Ben's pick:

9. Tim Fite - Over the Counter Culture
You know how I spent the whole year complaining about how hip-hop has no life, no verve, none of the sense of adventure or immediacy that made it such a vital form in the first place? Well, singer-songwriter/hip-hop folkie Tim Fite knows what I was talking about. Far flung beats, live instrumentation, even some scratching are to be found here, along with some of the most darkly comic and creative wordplay I've heard in a long time. On album opener "Place Your Bets," Fite gets deep on some anatomy shit: "Tell me true/ Can you ever win back the limb you lose?/ Or do you just lose your limbs again and again/ Until your life lies limbless/ There's limits to how much independence you can give an appendage/ Before the end of the hand is definitive/ That's why this tale is regenerative." Another highlight is "I've Been Shot," an ode to taking a cap to boost your record sales. "You know that I'm better than the next guy/ Even though we both sound exactly alike/ Is that Jadakiss or is that Tim Fite?" muses Fite on "It's All Right Here," winking at the stagnant rap scene he's trying to single handedly represent. [NOTE: I finalized my list and wrote this summary before realizing this record came out in February of 2007. Typical late discovery for me, but you know what? I don't care, this record was huge for me this year, and you can just comment your heart out if it bothers you.]

Isabelle's pick:

9. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Having this album on my list is huge for me. Apart from some random singles (like the wonderful Dilla-d out "Let's Ride" and "Get Involved," a Saadiq collaboration from the PJ's soundtrack) Tip's solo career has been less than titillating for me. However, with this new record, we finally get the passion and essence of the former ATCQer that we have been missing. Even his track with Norah Jones is dope. With cameos from Saadiq, Amanda Diva and the mighty D'Angelo, The Renaissance eschews all that flashy "Vivrant Thing" bullshit and brings Tip back to basics. He produced the whole record himself, apart from the Dilla beat used for "Move," and the result is strictly butter.

Year End Lists: It's Like an Advent Calendar...But Without Chocolate and a Few Days Late

The new year is here and we are all looking forward to a musically productive and provocative '09. That being said, here at 2DOS we don't like our superior opinions getting lost in the end of the year clusterfuck. So starting now, we'll be revealing one record per day from each of our Top Ten Albums of 2008 lists. And don't worry. We know you're sick of these lists, but trust us; Lil' Wayne is NOT going to be mentioned. And as always, let us know what you think in the comments!

Ben's pick:

10. Baby Elephant - Turn My Teeth Up!
Turn My Teeth Up shows that he knows how to bring Worrell’s experimentation into a cohesive work of funk-pop-soul-jazz-rock. The record is rounded out by guest vocals from David Byrne, Reggie Watts and George Clinton, among others. This is the album I was hoping Gnarls Barkley would release this year.

Isabelle's pick:

10. Mariah Carey - E=MC²
God is she my favorite crazy. I will hang out in her Hello Kitty themed room any day of the week if it means she cranks out more bouncy R&B gems like "I'm That Chick" and "Touch My Body." Yes, it's not as epic as The Emancipation of Mimi, but it is pure pop greatness, from the Queen of Pop Greatness. The "Mine Again" of the album is the James Poyser produced "I Wish You Well," which makes me cry, further proving that just like Mariah, I am forever a 12 year-old girl. Also, props to Mimi for having the balls to name her record after the mass-energy equivalence formula, because we all know she can barely add.

It's a Sad Day When You Got Young Buck Cryin' on the Phone...

As I returned to work this morning, I found myself wondering what happened to Skillz' Rap-Up, his annual one-liner filled wrap up in verse of the year's events. So was Idolator, I guess, because they linked me to the track which just hit his MySpace. Enjoy! And check out Skillz' Million Dollar Backpack LP, it really is quite good--after all, the man's got more than just one novelty track a year going for him.

'08 Rap-Up [MySpace]

Year End Lists: Ooh...That's My Song!

As the new year approaches and the year end lists start multiplying, it's time for us at Two Day Old Shit to take a look at our iTunes' play count and decide which songs truly made '08 so musically great. You may find that many of these songs come from records featured on our top albums of the year lists, but since we are equal opportunists here at 2DOS, some of these picks were the solitary bright spots on otherwise disappointing and embarrassing records. That's just how we roll.

So, here are our Top 5 Songs of 2008; the jams that we played repeatedly, considered using as ring tones (but didn't because we didn't want the magic to wear off and wanted to pretend that we are adults) and listened to so much that they drove roommates, family and friends completely up the wall (my number one pick led my sister to call me "thirsty"). Enjoy! And please, let us know what your favorite songs from the past year were.

Isabelle's picks:

5. 88-Keys f. Bilal "M.I.L.F."
My favorite part of Adam's saga, this second to last track on the brilliant Death of Adam (a "punani concept" album) has the magical and totally weird Bilal (I swear he is an alien) cooing about baby mama drama and the ins and outs of unplanned parenthood over twinkly piano. Getting baby trapped NEVER sounded this good before.

4. Erykah Badu "Honey"
The last song on her spectacular New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War), "Honey" doesn't exactly fit with the rest of the albums tone, but that's why it was placed last on the track list; it's a bouncy palette cleanser to a record heavy with politics, death and reflection. And the video is hilarious.

3. Jazmine Sullivan "Bust Your Windows"
This tangoish scorned woman lament is way more interesting once you consider that she admits to feeling worse after she destroyed her cheating man's shit. I like a little bit of emotional struggle in an angry relationship song. 'Cause let's be real: no one feels 110% great about spray painting their man's Basquiat painting.

2. Al Green f. Anthony Hamilton "You've Got the Love I Need Babe" All the elements of this tune are amazing on their own, and together, they make Southern soul greatness: Al Green. ?uestlove. James Poyser. Anthony Hamilton. Dap-Kings. Spanky Alford. The fluttering guitar arpeggios Spanky plays are just beautiful (especially the one that fades out at the song's end, where Green goes "won't you play that one more time?") and the punchy horn soaked chorus is so Hi Records.

1. Estelle f. Kanye West "American Boy" Holy shit, do I love this song. So catchy, so breezy, so R&B disco charming. It's the ONE thing Will.i.am did right all year (will the Brazilian consulate PLEASE take away this man's visa?). The sample for "American Boy" comes from Will.i.am's terrible song "Impatient" (which incidentally, makes me feel like I am shopping in a Zara in Ibizia) but with Estelle's sexy and coy vocals (and Kanye's amusing little rap) it got turned into one of the best club tracks ever.

Ben's picks:

5. Los Campesinos! “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed”
This band’s first album (also released this year) was a much more fun release, but their best song lies in the second package of songs they gave us this year. The band coasts on Gareth Campesinos!’s verbal stops and starts until he goes into full-on, over-caffeinated threats: “You said he got his teeth fixed/I’m gonna break them.” The best part? He sounds fucking delighted at this prospect. This song gets extra points for featuring the ultra rare indie rock spoken breakdown.

4. Santogold “Say Aha”
Surf-techno-hip hop? Yes please.

3. Black Kids – "I’m Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You"
This song, all gawky synth lines and Robert Smith-aping vocals, boils down all the best synth pop tricks into one of those indie jams that you can’t tell if you’re supposed to dance to or not. I think you are. Too bad this is the only thing worth listening to by this band (so far).

2. MIA – "Paper Planes"
The best, most innovative, banging beat to come out all year. Kala (which actually dropped in 2007, though the “Paper Planes” single was released this February) is nowhere near as strong as 2005’s Arular, but this track stands as the greatest of MIA’s career thus far. “Straight to Hell” + MIA’s swagger = unfuckwithable jam.

1. Estelle f. Kanye West – “American Boy”
Looks like Isabelle and I are on the same page here. Much as I thought I’d be sick of this one, somehow I never tired of the grinding synth pulse of this new classic. Will.i.am, who I will go on record as saying I think is one of the best producers working today (though I concede this is only true half the time) takes one of the most terrible tracks from his truly awful solo record and makes lemonade.

Soul America

Tonight wrapped up Nelson George's Soul Cities, an excellent Vh1 Soul production, which showcases a different soul steeped American city each week. It debuted in November with Philly (here George chatted with ?uestlove, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) and it's finale found us across the country in L.A., (on the way there were stops in Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans and the Bay area) where George ate Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles with Angie Stone, shopped the aisles of Amoeba and caught up with Babyface. If you haven't seen this delightful half hour show, do check it out On Demand (or just tune into Vh1 Soul, they repeat like crazy). Nelson George (pictured above with Goapele from the Bay episode) is awkward on camera, but extremely enthused, and watching him take a trip down memory lane while he digs through vinyl and eats delicious soul food is very enjoyable. And very enviable, may I add. Hosting this show would be my dream gig as it allows a platform for spotlighting my three loves: soul music, meat and record stores.

My only complaint? I wish it was longer.