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Top 10 Lists of 2009/Decade, by Steve the Record Store Geek

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

I post my Top Ten lists last.  After Joe’s List, after Andy’s, after Becky’s, after the Hall of Famers’.

Why?  a) Because making my lists takes forever, and as you can see, once I get going… I get going;  2) because I am the webmaster (I love saying that) and “poster” of the store lists, so I can push it; and 3) because it gives me a chance to peruse others lists and see if I missed anything.

Steve - the Record Store Geek in cartoonIf you are reading this, it’s possible you keep an eye on things at Hoodlums, so you may have noticed that I have been doing video recommendations about once a week. I love giving my opinion on great albums.  The process of making out “best of” lists is another great way to spread the word about good albums, so I take it seriously.  If it’s on the lists, I really do dig it.

I teased Joe in his list intro.  If Joe were to give me shit (and he does) about my list, he would probably say that I am predictable and safe, which is true.   I tend to gravitate towards groove and melody, regardless of genre… and I shy away from things that get to electronic (only actual drummers, please) or “scronky” (love “Kind of Blue”; don’t get “Bitches Brew”… although I’ve tried).  There would also be some sort of comment about my excessive love of vintage music.

My ultimate goal is to introduce people to good music.  Sure, I am a shopkeeper, and my favorite scenario would be for you to buy one of our recommendations at Hoodlums (or the indie record store nearest you) or on our digital store, but I assure you that I would still take a good bit of pleasure in thinking that your interested was piqued as a result of my list (or those of my comrades)… regardless of your method of acquisition.

Anyway, my Top Ten lists deal with 2009 and the Decade… with both new and vintage discoveries.  They are in no particular order.  I tried to avoid stuff I had used for my High Fidelity lists from Fall 2008.

Top Picks of 2009

Ten 2009 records that I really think will last for me

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears
Monsters of Folk
David Bazan
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Live)
God Help the Girl
Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johannson
Black Crowes
Devendra Banhart
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetics

Ten 2009 records I liked in the store, but haven’t listened to at home

Built to Spill
Silversun Pickups
Phoenix
Neko Case
Bruce Springsteen
Decemberists
M. Ward
Pearl Jam
Bon Iver
Dark Was the Night

Ten 2009 records I’m going to keep working on in 2010

Todd Snider
XX
Tegan and Sara
Dave Alvin and Guilty Women
Lucero
Wilco
Avett Brothers
Andrew Bird
Phish
Dinosaur Jr.

Five 2009 critically-acclaimed records I’ll probably never listen to again

Animal Collective
Grizzly Bear
Dead Weather
U2 (Boner and the boys lost me ages ago)
Bob Dylan (ditto with new Bob… it doesn’t do much for me)

Ten Movies/TV Shows I Enjoyed in 2009

Star Trek
Inglorious Basterds
Up
The Hangover
Real Time with Bill Maher
Arrested Development – Season 3
Frank Zappa – Making of Apostrophe
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Seinfeld Season
30 Rock – Season 3
NFL Football

Ten Things I’d like To see from the Entertainment Industry in 2010

The end of label/studio financed loss-leading for corporate retail (devaluing music since 1995).
The end of all things “exclusive” (the most confusing word in music retail).
The end of all CD list prices over $13 (even $13 is too high, but we’d take it).
The end of all DVD list prices over $20 (Blu Ray is ridiculous as well).
Reasonable list prices on new jazz & blues (so we can play and sell them).
A fantastic 800 – 1000 capacity venue for music in Tempe (w/no shoe removal necessary).
More Music Performance DVDs from the 60s and 70s (w/the essential lineups).
The end of Reality TV forever (although I literally watch none).
An instant stop to the escalation of New LP/Vinyl pricing (only labels can kill off a great trend).
A dynamic, diverse, cool radio FM station in the Valley (most people listen to many genres).

Top Picks of The Decade

Twenty of My Favorite Albums Released During the Decade

Michael Franti and Sprearhead – Everyone Deserves Music
Pete Yorn – Music for the Morning After
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
My Morning Jacket – Z
Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
John Legend – Get Lifted
India.Arie – Acoustic Soul
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Village Green – Feeling the Fall
Ryan Adams – Gold
Budos Band – II
Belle and Sebastian – Life Pursuit
Breakestra – Hit the Floor
Drive By Truckers – Blessing and a Curse
James Hunter – People Gonna Talk
Alison Krauss and Union Station – New Favorite
Roy Hargrove – Earfood
Minus the Bear – Menos El Oso
Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
Josh Rouse – 1972
Bob Schneider – The Californian

Twenty of My Favorites Movies Released During the Decade

Up
Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Star Trek
Lucky Number Slevin
Batman Begins
Star Wars 3: Revenge of Sith (that’s right, I like both trilogies)
40 Year Old Virgin
Sin City
Boondock Saints
The Hangover
Old School
The Departed
Almost Famous
Wall-E
Garden State
Open Range
Juno
Thank You For Smoking

In case my occupation wasn’t enough evidence that I’m an overgrown teenager… my movie list should leave no doubt.

Seven favorite “non” movie films from the Decade

What the Bleep Do We Know?
Led Zeppelin (2 DVD set)
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Religulous
Ladies and Gentleman…The Rolling Stones.
Midnight Special videos on YouTube

The Vintage Stuff of 2009

10 vintage rock records I’ve discovered and played heavily this year

Savoy Brown – Raw Sienna
James Gang – Yer Album
Dave Mason – Alone Together
Wishbone Ash – Argus
Guess Who – Canned Wheat
Kinks – Lola vs. Powerman
Bonnie Raitt – Give It Up
Tim Buckley – Greetings from L.A.
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Steven Stills – Manassas

10 Vintage Jazz and Blues albums I’ve discovered and played heavily this year

Howlin’ Wolf – Backdoor Man
Paul Desmond – Take Ten
Astrud Gilberto – Astrud Gilberto album
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Adventures of Pigboy Crabshaw
Rising Sons (w/Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder)
John Mayall – Crusade (w/Mick Taylor)
Lamberts, Hendricks, and Ross – Everybody’s Boppin’
Cal Tjader – Primo
Baby Face Willette – Stop and Listen
Captain Beefheart – Safe as Milk

10 Vintage Records my fellow record store geeks harass me for… that I still play frequently at home

Head East – Flat as a Pancake
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Eagles – Desperado
REO Speedwagon – Live: You Get What You Play For
April Wine – First Glance
Atlanta Rhythm Section – Champagne Jam
ZZ Top – Deguello
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping
Journey – Infinity
ELO – Greatest Hits

Note: This list is endless, as I still love many of the “critical dogs” I loved growing up.

10 Vintage Records I could sell you by playing them

Bebel Gilberto – Tanto Tempo
Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher
Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
Shuggie Otis – Shuggie’s Blues
Stanley Turrentine – Rough and Tumble
Nina Simone – Sings the Blues
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstacy
Kashmere Stage Band
Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

10 Vintage Albums I would never part with…

Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Cars – Cars
Dave Brubeck – Time Out
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – It’s Your World
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – S/T
Beatles – Revolver
Widespread Panic – Everyday
Various Artists – The Roots of Acid Jazz
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation
Elvis Costello – Armed Forces

Ten CDs I’m going to buy from the new batch of 6.99 classics we just ordered*

Journey – Journey (pre Steve Perry)
Dr. Seuss – Fox in Socks (to see if they read it faster than me)
Idrid Muhammad – Power of Soul
Staple Singers – Freedom Highway
Delaney and Bonnie – D&B Together
Spirit – The Family That Plays Together
Dave Brubeck – Jazz Goes to College
Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Sings Newman
Paul Desmond – Desmond Blue
Allman Brothers – An Evening With, 1st Set

* That means you can come in and listen to them whenever you want!

Hoodlums Music Junkies (Customers) Top Picks of 2009

Hoodlums Staff Picks of 2008

Hoodlums “High Fidelity” Top Fives (Fall 2008)

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Top Tens of the Hoodlums’ Hall of Famers

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Ah yes, the hall of famers.

Hoodlums.  Each and every one of them.  Don’t let their new gigs as teachers, or bankers, or major label big shots, or whatever  “real job” they have now, fool ya.  They are still hoodlums.

(OK, there might be a suit or two.  We still haven’t heard from Martin, Justin, Marla, or Vinny, and we can’t find Ash or Alisa.  For all we know, they could be turning their backs on music.)

Anyway, when we put the call out (read: direct video harassment) to our old friends and fellow hoods, many of them reaffirmed our faith in society by actually showing us that they were still listening to new music way into their twenties (and thirties for a couple of the former little shits, eh?).

As you can see, they cover a lot of ground… and like I said in the call out… they all do their lists differently.  Sincere thanks to all of our Hall of Famers who took the time to participate.

Wanna know more about these goofballs?  There’s still some info on all the hoodlums, current and past, on the hoodlums at Hoodlums page.  And now, here’s their lists (except Maria, whose lists is with Joe’s, detailed in the Top Tens of a Diverse Household blog).

By the way… Vinny, you sorry dog, where are you?  C’mon now, you OWN a record store.

The Hoodlums Hall of Famers Top Tens

Amanda - Hall of Famer

Amanda the Hoodlum

No suprises from me! (except that I didn’t love the new Shakira)

Neko Case- Middle Cyclone
Sarah Jarosz- Song Up in Her Head
Mos Def- Ecstatic
Pete Yorn/Scarlette Johanson- Break Up
Regina Spektor- Far
Flo Rida- R.O.O.T.S
Paramore- Brand New Eyes
Norah Jones- The Fall
Mum- Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know
John Mayer- Battle Studies

Domenic the Hall of Famer

Dominec the Hoodlum

Music:

1.) Serengeti & Polyphonic – Terradactyl
2.) Converge – Axe To Fall
3.) Dan Deacon – Bromst
4.) Propagandhi – Supporting Caste
5.) The Xx – XX
6.) Burnt By The Sun – Heart of Darkness
7.) The Antlers – Hopsice
8.) Ulcerate – Everything Is Fire
9.) Gaza – He Is Never Coming Back
10.) Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Favorite Reissue: Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus

Movies (not exclusive to 2009):

1.) 3-Iron
2.) Walkabout
3.) The Elephant Man
4.) The Piano Teacher
5.) In The Mood For Love
6.) Persona
7.) Do The Right Thing
8.) Ikiru
9.) Ponyo
10.) Let The Right One In

Heath may or may not look like this today

Heath the Hoodlum

Top Eleven (no order):

Atlas Sound “Logos”
The Antlers “Hospice”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow “Ashes Grammar”
The XX “XX”
Drake “So Far Gone” Mixtape
Lightning Bolt “Earthly Delights”
Freddie Gibbs “Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs” Mixtape Baroness “Blue Record”
Japandroids “Post Nothing”
Animal Collective “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
Fuck Buttons “Tarot Sport”

Honorable Mention:

Miike Snow “S/T”
Real Estate “S/T”
Raekwon “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2″
Volcano Choir “Unmap”
Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
Neon Indian “Psychic Chasms”
Mayer Hawthorne “Strange Arrangement”

Re-discoverd:

Sonny Clark “Sonny Clark Trio”

Shameless Promotion:

Ribbons “Daytrotter Session 10/31/09″

Not with a Top Ten foot pole:

Girls “Album”
Fever Ray “S/T”
Dirty Projectors “Bitte Orca”

Lloyd (original co-owner and hoodlum)

Here’s what I enjoyed this past year:

U2 – No Line On The Horizon
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
Harper Simon – Harper Simon
The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon
Fun. – Aim & Ignite
Diamond District – In The Ruff
Kitty Daisy & Lewis – Kitty Daisy & Lewis
Imogen Heap – Ellipse

My 2009 Playlist…

1. Passion Pit – Little Things
2. Donkeyboy – Sometimes
3. Camera Obscura – The Sweetest Thing
4. La Roux – Bulletproof
5. Ryan Leslie – Never Gonna Break Up
6. Jack Penate – Pull My Heart Away
7. The XX – VCR
8. Phoenix – 1901
9. Taking Back Sunday – Sink Into Me
10. Fun. – All The Pretty Girls
11. Pearl Jam – The Fixer
12. Kitty Daisy & Lewis – I Got My Mojo Working
13. Throw Me The Statue – Hi-Fi Goon
14. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Janglin, Home
15. Harper Simon – Shooting Star
16. Tragically Hip – Morning Moon
17. Tinted Windows – Nothing To Me
18. Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls
19. Sam Roberts – Them Kids
20. Miike Snow – Animal, Burial
21. The Sounds – Underground
22. Iglu & Hartly – Jump Out Of Your Car
23. U2 – Unknown Caller
24. Luke Tierney – My New Best Friend
25. Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas
26. Neko Case – People Got A Lot Of Nerve
27. Wilco – Wilco (the song)
28. Green Day – 21 Guns
29. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
30. Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill

Other Things…

Tom Petty Live Superhighway website
Hall & Oates Box Set
Big Star Box Set and Replacements reissues
My daughters’ interest in random Paul McCartney songs (No More Lonely Nights, Take It Away)
Weeds
30 Rock
Eastbound & Down
U2 at the Rose Bowl

30+ Favorite Albums of the 2000’s (in no particular order):

1. The Format – Interventions & Lullabyes
2. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
3. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
4. Kanye West – College Dropout, Late Registration
5. Supergrass – Supergrass
6. Rival Schools – United By Fate
7. Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
8. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
9. Ryan Adams – Gold, Easy Tiger
10. Pete Yorn – musicforthemorningafter
11. The Kooks – Inside In/Inside Out
12. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
13. No Doubt – Rock Steady
14. Matt Costa – Unfamiliar Faces
15. Shelby Lynne – I Am Shelby Lynne
16. Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – The Dust Of Retreat
17. Kathleen Edwards – Failer, Back To Me
18. David Mead – Mine & Yours
19. Rooney – Rooney
20. Brendan Benson – Lapalco, Alternative To Love
21. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
22. Tom Petty – Highway Companion
23. Damone – Out Here All Night
24. The Roots – Game Theory
25. Tift Merritt – Tambourine
26. Van Hunt – Van Hunt
27. Radiohead – Kid A
28. Rhett Miller – The Instigator
29. Robin Thicke – The Evolution Of Robin Thicke
30. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Live Anthology, Runnin’ Down A Dream movie

30 Favorite Songs Of the 2000’s

1. All These Things I’ve Done – The Killers
2. Elevator Love Letter – Stars
3. The First Single – The Format
4. Square One – Tom Petty
5. I’m Dead – Instruction
6. No Tomorrow – Orson
7. Let’s Talk Turkey – Ima Robot
8. Down Here In Hell With You or Dust – Van Hunt
9. Closet – Pete Yorn
10. Good Things – Rival Schools
11. In The Music – The Roots
12. Fury – Little Big Town
13. California Waiting and Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon
14. Out Here All Night – Damone
15. The People – Common
16. 99 Problems – Jay-Z
17. Idioteque – Radiohead
18. Walk On, City Of Blinding Lights, Unknown Caller- U2
19. St. Petersburg – Supergrass
20. Longest Days -John Mellencamp
21. Big Brat or Do The Panic – Phantom Planet
22. Too Young – Phoenix
23. Wait It Out – Tift Merritt
24. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem
25. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
26. Golden Age – TV On The Radio
27. The Way We Get By – Spoon
28. New Slang or Phantom Limb – The Shins
29. If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
30. Pop Goes My Heart – Hugh Grant

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Top Lists of a Diverse Household: Joe and Maria

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Meet Joe and Maria, Hoodlums’ most diverse musical couple, and one of the most diverse music-loving households in America.

A cartoon of Joe just does not capture all the magic.Of course, any household that includes the tastes of the Hoodlums’ store manager is automatically in the running for this title.  If you’ve been around the store awhile, you probably know that Joe is the most “eccentric” listener of the Hoodlums’ hoodlums.

What do I mean by eccentric?  Have you heard of Pink Floyd’s song “Several Species of Small Furry Animals  Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict”?  Well, Joe probably doesn’t like that song (because it is a Pink Floyd song and Joe doesn’t do groups that have sold eight gazillion albums), but for sure if there was an actual field recording of those small animals in that cave, it would probably make Joe’s list (it might actually be on the list below).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying (although I have wondered) that Joe listens to certain types of music just to be contrary to popular opinion (I have asked “why” occasionally, and he always has solid explanations).  I am saying that he doesn’t just walk his own path… he’s in an entirely different forest.

Am I kidding?  Yes and no.  I love to give Joe a hard time in general (and he gives it right back, while taking it like a champ), so the angle of this blog is amusing me, but he would be the first to acknowledge that we don’t necessarily subscribe to the same musical philosophy.  That’s one of things, in my opinion, that makes Hoodlums a good place to shop: Lots of diversity in staff tastes.

Maria finally gets her long overdue cartoonWhich brings us to the other half of this equation, his girlfriend, roommate, and Hoodlums’ Hall of Famer, Ms. Maria.  While equally opinionated, Maria’s list can be counted on to be a little more “accessible” than that of her hubby (as are yours, mine, Andy’s, Becky’s, and the entire Hoodlums’ Hall of Fame) .

What do I mean by more “accessible”?  Uh, there’s a melody.

(OK, that was a bit over-the-top on poor Joe.  I’m sure some of the stuff I can’t pronounce is melodic.)

Anyway, Maria, like many of our Hall of Famers, was cool enough to submit a list, which is included below Joe’s lists, so you can see what I mean.

Doubting my claims?  Here’s what you do: Put together a playlist, alternating from Joe’s list to Maria’s, and put it on.  Then buy, adopt, or inherit double digit pets, and you’ll see what we mean about a diverse musical household.  It’s a veritable cornucopia of sensory stimulation.  We’ll expect a report.

Welcome… to Joe and Maria’s lists.

Joe the Hoodlum

Top Releases of the Year (in no order and a couple might be from late last year actually but I couldn’t bear to narrow it down any further so…)

1. Philip Jeck – “Suite – Live in Liverpool”
2. SND – “Atavism”
3. Skepticism – “Alloy”
4. Mika Vainio – “Aineen Musta Puhelin”
5. Phill Niblock – “Touch Strings”
6. Alva Noto – “Xerrox Vol. 2″
7. Fever Ray – S/T
8. Mika Vainio / Lucio Capece – “Trahnie”
9. Dawid Szczesny – “Luxated Symmetry”
10. Luigi Archetti / Bo Wiget – “Low Tide Digitals Vol. 3″
11. Stephen Steinbrink – “Ugly Unknowns”
12. Yoshio Machida – “Steelpan Improvisations”
13. Evan Parker – “The Moment’s Energy”
14. KK Null – “Oxygen Flash”
15. Tegan & Sara – “Sainthood”

Note: For all the shit I give my colleague, we wouldn’t trade him for nothin’.  Joe has been our alltime champion employee, and he represents a wealth of knowledge about the stuff he digs, as well as a ton of the stuff you dig.  This place wouldn’t be the same without his unique talents and contributions, and I could do a separate Top 10 list of all the great stuff he has turned me on to in the last nine years.  Thanks Joe!

Top Reissues / Archival Releases

1. BBC Radiophonic Workshop – “John Baker Tapes Vol. 2″
2. VA – “Japan: Noh – Biwa – Shakuhachi 1941″
3. Stockhausen – “Spiral – Pole – Etc…” EMI Classics
4. Oren Ambarchi – “Persona”
5. Edward Williams – “Music from the 1979 BBC Series Life On Earth”

Top records that I have been listening to this year that aren’t new:

1. Derek Bailey – “Pieces for Guitar”
2. Oval – “Dok”
3, Barton Workshop – Performs Morton Feldman 3-CD Set
4. Voivod – “Negatron”
5. Buffy Sainte-Marie – “Illuminations”

Top Ten Records of the Decade.  In no order!

1. Keith Fullerton Whitman – “Playthroughs”
2. Six Organs of Admittance – “Dark Noontide”
3. Gas – “Pop”
4. Steve Tibbetts – “A Man About a Horse”
5. Immortal – “Sons of Northern Darkness”
6. Radiohead – “Kid A”
7. Wilco – “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”
8. Boredoms – “Vision Creation Newsun”
9. Boards of Canada – “In a Beautiful Place Out In the Country”
10. Andrew WK – “I Get Wet”

Maria the Hoodlums Hall of Famer

Here’s my top 10 of 2009:

1.Florence + the Machine -LUNGS
2.Chris Isaak- Mr. Lucky
3. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus
4.Orenda Fink- Ask the Night
5.Neko Case- Middle Cyclone
6.Tegan and Sara- Sainthood
7. Amerie-In Love and War
8.Band of Skulls- Baby Darling Dollface Honey
9. Camera Obscura- My Maudlin Career
10. Fanfarlo-Reservoir

Note: In our experience, Maria has tended to favor female vocalists (Read: she never actually played a male vocalist in her history at the store).  Amazingly, there a multiple singin’ dudes on this list.  Joe is apparently having some influence?

5 things I hate about the Entertainment Industry/ Media at the moment:

1. Reality TV and the people reality shows make famous.
2. the need to continue to keep Lindsey Lohan’s name floating around. Seriously, wasn’t her last movie like 4 years ago?
3. the decision to create a new ‘Girls Next Door’…extremely bad. This is also tied with continuing to let Britney Spears release music.
4. They cancelled ‘Dollhouse’, one of the few original pieces of TV worth watching. Bastards!
5. Remaking/ ‘Updating’ classic movies. Just stop it!

5 things I am not minding about the Entertainment Industry/ Media at the moment.

1. the continued work towards preservation and release of classic films.
2. the rare release of music that is not only great but written, produced, and sung, and performed live not lyp-synched by the actual artist/group.
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox. This movie is awesome! My favorite 2009 release.
4. Finally starting to admit more and more that female actresses/singers with some curves is okay and curviness is *gasp* kind of the norm.
5. The shunning of Kanye West.

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Top Tens of 2009, by Becky the Hoodlum

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Becky is the girl.  The girl that works at the store.  She isn’t the first girl (Hall of Famer’s Maria and Amanda have submitted top tens, and I’m sure we would have gotten them from Mza, Ashlea, and Alisa if I knew how to contact the toads), but she is the only current female Hoodlum.

Becky cartoon for webThank goodness.   In addition to rolling their eyes when the BS gets too deep, the girls usually play different and often interesting stuff, which means the old guys (read: me) get to hear even more diverse selection of music (than strictly guy junk..which I also love).

Like the girls that have ventured into Guyville previously (record stores have always been lopsided on male geeks), Becky is one of us.  An actual hoodlum and a true record store geek.  Like the rest of us, Becky is here because she is a music nut.  She hung around the ASU store for years, while taking on about nine different jobs in the ASU and Tempe “music biz” (kind of like our friend Ash, who should have sent us top ten lists, but didn’t).  She finally got hired in 2009 (the interview was in 2006, truly), so she’s not a rookie anymore.  That’s her very first Hood cartoon, revealed in this blog for the first time.

Becky can be found in the store on various nights and weekends.  She helps us set up the bands that you see on the Hoodstage.

Check out her Top Tens of 2009 and then come down and have her play some cool stuff for you.

Becky the Hoodlum

Top 10 Albums of 2009

1.    Fever Ray – Fever Ray
2.    Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
3.    Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy
4.    The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
5.    Screaming Females – Power Move
6.    Music Go Music – Expressions
7.    David Bazan – Curse Your Branches
8.    Lightning Dust – Infinite Light
9.    Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy
10.    Real Estate – Real Estate

Top 5 albums I enjoyed in 2009 that were not made in 2009

1.    Lydia Lunch – Queen of Siam
2.    Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – Nothing Wrong
3.    Wanda Jackson – Wanda Jackson
4.    Mike McGear – McGear
5.    Blondie – Quarters to Dollars

Top 10 local acts of 2009

1.    Bangarang
2.    Soft Drink
3.    Stephen Steinbrink
4.    Chandails
5.    Earthmen & Strangers
6.    Becky Lee & Drunkfoot
7.    The Whisperlights
8.    Back Ted N-Ted
9.    Gospel Claws
10.    Owl Out

Top 5 albums I wish I’d spent more time with in 2009 and will in 2010

1.    Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
2.    Turbo Fruits – Echo Kid
3.    Baroness – Blue Record
4.    Jemina Pearl – Break It Up
5.    Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band – Between My Head and the Sky

Top 10 concerts of 2009

1.    Jeff Tweedy – The Orpheum
2.    Davila 666 – The Trunkspace
3.    The Donkeys – Yucca Tap Room
4.    Metric – Martini Ranch
5.    The Grates – Modified Arts
6.    Yo La Tengo – Marquee Theatre
7.    Wilco and Grizzly Bear – Centennial Hall
8.    Bruce Springsteen – Jobing Arena
9.    Flight of The Conchords – Dodge Theatre
10.    Blondie – Dodge Theatre

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Top Records of 2009/Decade by Andy the Hoodlum

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Andy Cartoon for webThese lists are from young Andy, who you will find working nights and weekends.  That’s his cartoon over there (we just unveiled it, he’s kind of a scruffy character, eh?).  It should have been drawn sooner (sorry, pal).

He did a great job, and provided lists from 2009, as well as every year of the decade.  As you will see from his “top sixes” and that sort of thing – it’s exactly like I described it in the Top Ten Lists are Fun blog: Not exactly what you asked for… but full of real music lovin’ passion.

C’mon down to the store, and you will hear this passion in action.  The kid is a wealth of knowledge way beyond his years, and he’ll be more than happy to take a good recommendation from you.

And now, Andy’s lists (plenty of good stuff on these… at least in my book).

Andy the Hoodlums’ Top Ten lists

Top 10 from 2009

1. Ben Kweller – Changing Horses
2. John Mayer – Battle Studies
3. NOFX – Coaster
4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood
5.  Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
6. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
7.  fun. – Aim & Ignite
8.  P.O.S. – Never Better
9. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
10. Brand New – Daisy

Most Listened to in ‘09

1. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St
2. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
3. Less Than Jake – Anthem
4.  Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
5.  John Mayer – Battle Studies
6. Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
7.  NOFX – Pump Up The Valuum
8. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
9.  Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
10. Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline

Albums I Probably Overplayed In-Store in ‘09

Obits – I Blame You, Cake
Cannonball Adderley ¬-  Somethin’ Else
Nat Adderley – Work Song
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses – Roadhouse Sun
Lucero – 1372 Overton Park

Albums To Ride My Bike To in ‘09

Grateful Dead – American Beauty
Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle
Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later
Records that rarely left my car in  ‘09
The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.
Less Than Jake – Anthem
Lucero -  1372 Overton Park
Osker – Idle Will Kill
Moonshine Matinee – 219

Older Albums Discovered in ‘09

Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.,  Sticky Fingers
Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy
Bad Religion – Suffer
NOFX – So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes
Millencolin – Life On A Plate
Steve Earle – Copperhead Road
The Band -  Music From Big Pink
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
Grateful Dead – Europe ‘72
Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
Sam Cooke – Night Beat
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
Tom Petty – Hard Promises

Records Found Used At Hoodlums in ‘09

1. Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
2. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.
3. M. Ward – Transfiguration Of Vincent
4. Nas – Illmatic
5.  Dwight Yoakam – Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
6.  Grateful Dead – Europe ‘72
7. Otis Redding – In Person At The Whisky A Go Go
8. The Band – Music From Big Pink
9. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
10.   The Offspring – The Offspring

Records I Bought Late Night Online And May Have Overspent On, But Don’t Really Care

1. The Movielife – Forty Hour Train Back To Penn
2. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
3. Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview (Picture Disc)
4. NOFX – The Decline
5. Nada Surf – Lucky

2008 Albums I Missed Last Year, But Overplayed This Year.

1. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
2. Old Crow Medicine Show – Tennessee Pusher
3. Valencia – We All Need Reason To Believe
4.  Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
5. Street Dogs – State Of Grace

Movies Found in ‘09

The Hammer
Trailer Park Boys – The Movie
Fanboys
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover

Favorite TV Shows of ‘09

How I Met Your Mother
The League
Bored To Death
Community
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Most Anticipated Albums For 2010

Good Old War
Alkaline Trio
Josh Ritter
Jimmy Eat World
Josh Rouse
The Gaslight Anthem
Blink 182
Matt Skiba

Concerts I Went To In ‘09

Bruce Springsteen in April at Glendale.
Bob Dylan at the Fair
Blink 182 in Tempe
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity Tour in Tempe
Jim Adkins at Modified
Yonder Mountain String Band in Flagstaff
Less Than Jake/NOFX/Bad Religion at Warped
Gaslight Anthem in Tempe
Less Than Jake in Tempe
Good Old War/Rx Bandits in Tucson

My Albums of the Decade (according to me in Dec. 09)

Top 5 from 2000
1. Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
2. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
3. The Movielife -  This Time Next Year
4. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
5.  The Wallflowers – Breach

Top 10 from 2001

1. Osker – Idle Will Kill
2. The Benjamins – The Art of Disappointment
3. Rx Bandits – Progress
4. Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary
5. Brand New -  Your Favorite Weapon
6. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
7. Sparklehorse – It’s A Wonderful Life
8. The Dog & Everything – Bandshell
9. Pete Yorn – Music For The Morning After
10. Ryan Adams – Gold

Top 5 of 2002
1. Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Allister – Last Stop Suburbia
3. Millencolin – Home From Home
4. Counting Crows – Hard Candy
5.  Tom Petty – The Last DJ

Top 10 of 2003

1. Less Than Jake – Anthem
2. Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
3. Ray LaMontagne – Trouble
4. Alkaline Trio – Good Mourning
5.  Rise Against – Revolutions Per Minute
6.  The Movielife – Forty Hour Train Back To Penn
7. Brand New – Deja Entendu
8. The Format – Interventions & Lullabies
9. Guster – Keep It Together
10. The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music

Top 6 of 2004

1.  Midtown – Forget What You Know
2. Jimmy Eat World – Futures
3. Bad Religion – The Empire Strikes First
4. Hanson – Underneath
5. Reubens Accomplice – The Bull, The Balloon, and The Family
6. Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS

Top 10 of 2005

1. The Wallflowers – Rebel, Sweetheart
2. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cold Roses
3. The Academy Is… – Almost Here
4. Limbeck – Let Me Come Home
5. Nada Surf – The Weight Is A Gift
6. Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal
7. Jack’s Mannequin – Everything In Transit
8. Park West – Aside The Winding Creek
9. Steel Train – Twilight Tales From The Prairies Of The Sun
10. Death Cab For Cutie – Plans

Top 10 of 2006

1. John Mayer – Continuum
2. Dorian Minor – Alarm Me
3. Ben Kweller – Ben Kweller
4. Old Crow Medicine Show – Big Iron World
5. Rocky Votolato – Makers
6. NOFX – Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing
7. The Format – Dog Problems
8. Albert Hammond Jr. – Everything In Transit
9. Bruce Springsteen – Seeger Sessions
10. The Killers – Sam’s Town

Top 10 from 2007

1. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests Of…
2. Against Me! – New Wave
3. House Of Fools – Live & Learn
4. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals – Lifeline
5. Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light
6. Limbeck – Limbeck
7. Rocky Votolato – The Brag & Cuss
8. Galactic – From The Corner To The Block
9. Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade
10. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky

Top 10 from 2008

1. Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
2. The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
3. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
4. Old Crow Medicine Show – Tennessee Pusher
5. Jakob Dylan – Seeing Things
6. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
7. Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
8. Nada Surf – Lucky
9. Millencolin – Machine 15
10. Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony

Top 10 from 2009

1.  Ben Kweller – Changing Horses
2. John Mayer – Battle Studies
3. NOFX – Coaster
4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood
5.  Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
6. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
7.  fun. – Aim & Ignite
8.  P.O.S. – Never Better
9. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
10. Brand New – Daisy

Top 20 of The Decade

1. Osker – Idle Will Kill
2. Less Than Jake – Anthem
3. Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
4. Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
5. Midtown – Forget What You Know
6. The Wallflowers – Rebel, Sweetheart
7. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
8. The Benjamins – The Art Of Disappointment
9. John Mayer – Continuum
10. The Movielife – This Time Next Year
11. Rx Bandits – Progress
12. Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
13. Brand  New – Your Favorite Weapon
14. Jimmy Eat World – Futures
15. NOFX – Pump Up The Valuum
16. Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
17. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cold Roses
18. The Academy Is… – Almost Here
19. The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
20. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone

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My Top Five Lists, by Wasef the Hoodlum

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

You Don’t Have This?:

“You Forgot It In People” -Broken Social Scene
“Loveless” -My Bloody Valentine
“Moon Safari” -Air
“Kick Out The Jams” -MC5
“The Shape of Punk to Come” -Refused

Watch me Sell this

“Night Ripper” -Girl Talk
“Classics” -Ratatat
“The Crane Wife” -The Decemberists
“Smile” -Lily Allen
“Armchair Apocrypha” -Andrew Bird

Top Five Artists Everyone Seems To Love That I Haven’t Fallen In Love With Yet

The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Sonic Youth
My Morning Jacket

Top Five Artists I Wish I Was/A Member Of.

The Addicts
Broken Social Scene
Daft Punk
Bad Brains
The Chemical Brothers

Top Five Vinyl Records I’ve Heard So Far

“In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” -Neutral Milk Hotel
“Time Out (Take Five)” -The Dave Brubeck Quartet
“Sharpen Your Teeth” -Ugly Cassanova
“Kick Out The Jams” -MC5
“Thick Freakness” -The Black Keys

Top Five Overrated Female Artists

Nico
Meg White
Jenny Lewis
Yoko Ono
Sheryl Crow

Top Five Female/ Female Lead Artists

Celebration
The Grates
Sleater-Kinney
The Sundays
Le Tigre

Top Five Local Artists

The Lymbyc Systym
The Necronauts
Human Mirror
What Laura Says
Get Down To Brass Tacks

Top Five Dance Albums

“Homework” -Daft Punk
“LCD Soundsystem” -LCD Soundsystem
“Thunder, Lightning, Strike” -The Go! Team
“Happy Birthday” -Modeselektor
“Surrender” -The Chemical Brothers

Top Five Most Hyper Albums

“Richard D. James Album” -Aphex Twin
“Wonderful Rainbow” -Lightning Bolt
“Sensuous” -Cornelius
“Holy Fuck” -Holy Fuck
“In Silico” -Pendulum

Top Five Movies That To Wrap Your Head Around

“The Dreamers” -Bernardo Bertolucci
“Savage Grace” -Tom Kalin
“Paradise Now” -Hany Abu-Assad
“Afterlife” -Hirokazu Koreeda
“All About My Mother” -Pedro Almodóvar

Top Five Movies In The Criterion Collection

“La Haine” -Mathieu Kassovitz
“Slacker” -Richard Linklater
“Band of Outsiders” -Jean-luc Goddard
“Rashomon” -Akira Kurosawa
“Man Bites Dog” -Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde

Top Five Animated Movies

“The Incredibles” -Pixar/Disney
“Alice In Wonderland” -Disney
“Akira” -Katsuhiro Otomo
“Wizards” -Ralph Bakshi
“Aladdin” -Disney

Top Five Music DVDs

“Directors Label Series” -Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham
“Fearless Freaks” -The Flaming Lips
“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” -Wilco
“5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem” -Daft Punk
“Screaming Masterpiece” -Björk, Múm, Sigur Rós, Ghostigital (among others).

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My Top Five Lists, by Andy the hoodlum

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Andy’s top five:

“You don’t have this?” albums (like Jack Black’s comment on Blonde on Blonde).

Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
Whiskeytown – Strangers Almanac
Neil Young – Harvest
Beatles – Rubber Soul
Counting Crows – Recovering The Satellites

“Watch me sell this” albums (like Cusack about Beta Band).
House Of Fools – Live And Learn
Hanson – The Walk
Eric Hutchinson – Sounds Like This
Dr. Dog – We All Belong
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – 100 Days 100 Nights

Albums for your hippie-chick sister.
Steel Train – For You My Dear
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses
Rosewood Thieves – From The Decker House
Allman Bros. Band – Eat a Peach
Sparklehorse – It’s A Wonderful Life

Groups you didn’t like at first – but love now.
Nada Surf
Wilco
Old 97s
The Replacements
Ray LaMontagne
Groups that critics hate – but you love.
The Wallflowers
Midtown
John Mayer
Hanson
Jimmy Eat World

Albums critics love – but you just don’t get.
Radiohead – Ok Computer
Bright Eyes – Lifted…
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come
Say Anything – In Defense of the Genre

Albums to listen to on the road
Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
Limbeck – Let Me Come Home
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses (Disc 1 in Tennessee, Disc 2 in New Mexico)
Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon
Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS

Songs about the Music Industry
NOFX – Dinosaurs Will Die
Allister – Overrated
Jimmy Eat World – Your New Aesthetic
Reel Big Fish – Sell Out
The Format – The Compromise

Punk albums  (90’s-now)
Osker – Idle Will Kill
Alkaline Trio – Goddamnit
Descendents – Everything Sucks
Vandals – Hitler Bad, Vandals Good
Millencolin – Pennybridge Pioneers

Jamming Guitar Albums
House Of Fools – Live And Learn
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness On The Edge of Town
The Living End – Roll On
Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
Refreshments – Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy

Albums you found at the ASU Hoodlums
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses
The Replacements – Tim
Manu Chao – La Radiolina
Galactic – From the Corner to the Block

Albums you have discovered at the new Hoodlums
Rocky Votolato – Makers
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You  Experienced?
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
Old 97s – Alive & Wired
Muddy Waters – The London Muddy Waters Sessions

Older albums that you have discovered recently
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
Ben Harper – Fight For Your Mind
Grateful Dead – Skull & Roses
The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass
Nas – Illmatic

Newer artists for middle-aged cats who still explore music
Jakob Dylan
The Gaslight Anthem
Ryan Adams
Wilco
Josh Ritter

Sunday-morning albums
Limbeck – Limbeck
Jakob Dylan – Seeing Things
Grateful Dead – American Beauty
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
Ben Harper – Lifeline

Concert Videos
Gin Blossoms – Chicago 1993
Ryan Adams – Live in Jamaica
John Mayer – Where The Light Is
Alkaline Trio – The Show Must Go Off
The Format – Live at the Mayan Theater

Reasons CD is better than vinyl
Because I don’t have a record player.
I can listen to it in my car.
They weigh less.
You can blind people with a CD if the sun is hitting it correctly.
Better availability

Concerts you have attended
Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band – June 2006, Tinley Park, IL
Steel Train/House of Fools -  November 2005, at Club Congress, Tucson, AZ
Limbeck/House of Fools – March 2008,  at Modified
Counting Crows – June 2006 – Las Vegas, NV
Midtown/The Movielife/Face to Face/Thrice – Cajun House, 2002

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My Top Five Lists, by Maria the hoodlum

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

You don’t have this?

1.At Last!-Etta James
2.Street Songs-Rick James
3.Doolittle-The Pixies
4.Celia y Johnny-Celia Cruz
5.The Score-Fugees

Watch me Sell this.

1.El Cantante the Originals-Hector Lavoe
2.Strawberry weed-Caesars
3.ultimate collection-the Temptations
4.mediocre-Ximena Sarinana
5.self titled-Ceu

Albums no one who works at Hoodlums understands but Maria

1. Gozo Poderoso-Aterciopelados
2. Mi Sangre-Juanes
3. Tanto Tempo-Bebel Gilberto
4. Si-Julieta Venegas
5.Cronicas de un Laberinto-Jaguares

Pop albums Maria loves but get made fun of for liking

1.The Emanicipation of Mimi-Mariah Carey
2.Nuestro Amor- RBD
3.Gold Greatest Hits-ABBA
4.Chemistry-Girls Aloud
5. Faith-George Michael

Albums angry girls should listen to instead of Alanis Morrisette

1. Bad Reputation-Joan Jett
2. Dig Me Out-Sleater-Kinney
3. Easter-Patti Smith
4. Fever to Tell-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Pussy Whipped-Bikini Kill

Top albums I listened to all the time while I was in high school

1. Live Through This-Hole
2. self titled-Garbage
3.To Bring you My love-PJ Harvey
4. Post-Bjork
5. Lovelife-LUSH

Favorite musical sequences

1. “Shall We Dance”-with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr from the Kind and I
2. “Don’t Rain on my Parade”-with Barbra Streisand from FUNNY GIRL
3. “Rose’s Turn”-with Rosalind Russell from GYPSY
4. “Singin in the Rain”-with Gene Kelly from Singin in the Rain
5. “Acid Queen”- with Tina Turner from The Who’s TOMMY

Favorite Kid movies that I still like watching today even though I don’t have kids

1. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1970’s movie with Gene Wilder)
2. Mary Poppins
3. The Last Unicorn
4. Return to OZ
5. The Sandlot

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My Top Five Lists, by Justin the hoodlum

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Due to time constraints these lists are not ordered, so please assume each is a 5 way tie. Thanks to my fellow Hoodlums for introducing me to a lot of these!

MUSIC

You don’t have this? Seriously? No really, seriously?

Love – Forever Changes
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality
Led Zeppelin – II
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

Watch me sell this.

Deerhunter – Microcastle
Warren Zevon – s/t
Jay Reatard – Matador Singles
Nick Cave – Dig Lazarus! Dig!
T. Rex – Electric Warrior

Metal albums featuring drum machines.

Necrophagist – Onset of Putrefaction
Anaal Nathrakh – Codex Necro
Agorophobic Nosebleed – Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope
****… I’m Dead – s/t
Godflesh – Streetcleaner

Roadtrip tunes. One time I listened to the complete Led Zeppelin studio recordings in a row while driving back from Denver overnight.

Tom Petty – Greatest Hits
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Greatest Hits
Neil Young – Harvest
CCR – Greatest Hits
Golden Earring – “Radar Love” (Thank you Wayne’s World)

Music to bench press or punch someone to.

Hatebreed – Under the Knife
Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
Crowbar – Broken Glass
Eyehategod – Take as Needed for Pain
Integrity – Those Who Fear Tomorrow

Awesome post-breakup tunes.

Everything But the Girl – Amplified Heart
Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Tom Waits – Closing Time

Essential party jams. Most of these double as running music for me. Also note that the MTV Buzz Ballads compilations can lead to hilarious/terrible sing-a-longs. “Lightning Crashes”, anyone?

Andrew WK – I Get Wet
Van Halen – s/t
Pissed Jeans – Shallow
Third Eye Blind – s/t (Did you know their guitar player put out a record on Shrapnel a long time ago? Also Their bass player Fractured Mike Dirnt from Green Day’s skull by breaking a bottle over his head. Google it! I wrecked my ankle during their set at Tempe Beach Park on New Years a while back, don’t ask me how. I think it was during “Jumper”)
The Damned – Damned, Damned, Damned

Heaviest riff.

Yob – The Unreal Never Lived
Electric Wizard – Come My Fanatics
Buried at Sea – Migration
Iron Monkey – Our Problem
Sourvein – Will to Mangle

Brain tickling essentials.

Aphex Twin – Richard D James
Terry Riley – A Rainbow in Curved Air
Can – Tago Mago
Brian Eno – Another Green World
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells

Brutalest female fronted bands.

Landmine Marathon
Thorr’s Hammer
Melt Banana
Look Back and Laugh
Nausea

Essential Power pop albums. Damn Yellow Pills, I’ve gone over the edge.

The Nerves – s/t
Barracudas – Drop Out With the…
Nick Lowe – Labor of Lust
Milk ‘N’ Cookies -s/t
The Rubinoos – s/t

Essential Reggae albums… including a wide range here.

Big Youth – Screaming Target
The Wailers – Destiny: Rare Ska Sides From Studio One
Toots & the Maytals – Funky Kingston
The Congos – Heart of the Congos
Jimmy Cliff – s/t

Essential Death Metal.

Suffocation – Pierced From Within
Dying Fetus – Destroy the Opposition
Decrepit Birth – And Time Begins
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Death – Sound of Perseverance

Essential Grind – I know there’s nothing very old on here.

Pig Destroyer – Painter of Dead Girls
Uphill Battle – s/t
Rotten Sound – Consume to Contaminate
Nasum – Helvete
Discordance Axis – The Inalienable Dreamless

Songs about the Music Industry.

Reversal of Man- “Get the Kid With the Sideburns”
The Smiths – “Paint a Vulgar Picture”
Black Star – “Children’s Story”
Elvis Costello – “Radio Radio”
The Suicide File – “I Hate Rock N’ Roll”

Albums discovered at the old Hoodlums.

The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
Grinderman – s/t
The Replacements – Tim
R.E.M – Murmur
Dinosaur Jr – You’re Living All Over Me

Female fronted stuff that I am a total sucker for.

Mojave 3 – Ask Me Tomorrow
Mazzy Star – So That Tonight I Might See
She & Him – Volume One (I sent Zooey a love letter on myspace but she never opened it)
Coven – Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls
Bat for Lashes – Fur & Gold

Records I’ve discovered since the new Hoodlums opened.

Stiv Bators – Disconnected
Mission to Burma – Signals, Calls, and Marches
Alejandro Escovedo – Real Animal
Holly Golightly – Serial Girlfriend
Shuggie Otis – Here Comes…

Records scored in the Hoodlums $2.50 bin.

Barracudas – Drop Out With The…
The Hitmen – Torn Together
The Plimsouls – Zero Hour
Paul Collins’ Beat – The Kids Are the Same
The Low Numbers – Twist Again With..

MOVIES

Movies starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Capote
Love Liza
Happiness
The Savages
Charlie Wilson’s War

Party movies.

PCU
The Party
Animal House
Superbad
House Party

Movies that have truly scared me. I think I may have SamNeill-aphobia.

Possession
In the Mouth of Madness
Event Horizon
Children of the Corn
Jesus Camp

Truly disturbing films. Some of these are difficult to watch.

Irreversible
Salo
Funny Games (1997)
City of God
Audition

These’ll probably melt your brain.

Adaptation
El Topo
Holy Mountain
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Begotten

Movies that deal with revenge. My favorite!

Death Wish
Over the Edge
Rolling Thunder
Oldboy
Carrie

Over the top action movies. Massive body counts!

Dirty Harry
First Blood
Rambo 4
Commando
Crank

Awesome older action movies.

The French Connection
The Great Escape
Bullitt
The Warriors
Cool Hand Luke

War movies. Band of Brothers is definitely worth mentioning, but it’s a mini-series and I don’t think I could come up with a list of 5 of those I’ve even watched.

Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Platoon
Hotel Rwanda
Rescue Dawn

Documentaries. “Frat House” is the funniest documentary ever made but it was just an HBO special.

King of Kong
Genuine Nerd
When We Were Kings
American Movie
Grizzly Man

Movies that blew my mind in the theater.

Sunshine
Irreversible
There Will Be Blood
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze (I was 7)
Adaptation

Hilarious movies.

Some Kind of Monster (Slightly funnier than Spinal Tap)
This is Spinal Tap
Blazing Saddles
Point Break
The Big Lebowski

Dark little gems.

Straight Time
Midnight Cowboy
Klute
Play Misty for Me
Last Tango in Paris

Buckets of gore.

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
Redneck Zombies
Dead Alive/Brain Dead
Ichi the Killer
Re-Animator

Awesome movies I saw for the first time this year.

The Network
Manhattan
Rockers
Short Cuts
This is England

Some of these have ruined entire days for me.

About Schmidt
My Girl
Love Liza
Dead Poet’s Society
Jack

Rock & Roll movies.

That Thing You Do
Rock & Roll High School
A Hard Days Night
Wayne’s World 2
The Harder they Come

Music documentaries.. I admit there are a lot of good ones I haven’t seen yet.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Fugazi – Instrument
Wilco – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
GG Allen & the Murder Junkies – Hated
Minutemen – We Jam Econo

Book to movie adaptations.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
No Country for Old Men
The Godfather
American Psycho
Clockwork Orange

Coming of age movies.

The Outsiders
Stand By Me
A Bronx Tale
Losin’ It
The Graduate

MISC

Failed joke bands.

Gun Metal Black
Si
Musculosity
Guitar Center
Justin Keefer

Local bands I’ve been lucky enough to see a bunch.

Earthmen and Strangers
Asleep in the Sea
Kyds vs Columbus
Existi
Graves at Sea

Comedians.

Mitch Hedburg (RIP)
Richard Pryor (RIP)
Eddie Murphy
Bill Cosby
Steve Martin

Youtube videos (Just search them).

Alec Baldwin screams at Dora the Explorer (*Contains some harsh language)
Trouble – Psalm 9 (Not funny, just awesome)
Rednecks get their just desserts in BMW chase (*Contains some harsh language)
Police officer steals marijuana
Robert Byrd Barbaric

Awesome metal music videos (Search on youtube).

Nitro – Freight Train
Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – Hangar 18, Area 51
Megadeth – Hangar 18
Immortal – Call of the Wintermoon
Black Label Society – In This River (Count the number of times Zakk Wylde points to the sky)

Bands fighting the crowd (Search on youtube).

Rolling Stones (Search Keith hits fan with guitar in the face)
Screaming Trees (Search Mark Lanegan gone crazy)
Black Flag (Search Henry Rollins fight)
Converge (Search Converge- Broken Vow.. it’s the 4:00 one)
Danzig (Search Danzig getting knocked out. I’m in the background with shaggy hair wearing a white Bob Marley shirt and a chest plate (don’t ask). You can see me pretty clearly as Glenn is falling)

Incredible interviews for better or for worse (Search on youtube).

Iggy Pop (Search Gzowski interviews Iggy Pop)
David Vincent (Search Interview with Morbid Angel’s David Vincent)
Glenn Danzig (Search Glenn Danzig Interview- on the topic of books)
Chris Holmes (Search Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P.)
Ghaal (Search Gorgoroth’s Influences)

Places to eat around town.

Chopstix
Rock & Roll Chicken Fingers
Haji Baba’s
Pita Jungle
Ted’s

Independent record stores.

Hoodlums (DUH!)
Twist and Shout (Tucson)
Eastside (Tempe)
Amoeba (LA)
Revolver (Phoenix)

Music sites/blogs.

Metal Inquisition
Deerhunter
Tiny Mix Tapes
PVAc to 44.1 kHz
Yacht Rock

TV dramas.

Oz
Six Feet Under
Sopranos
Dexter
Mad Men

TV comedies.

Sledgehammer
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Upright Citizen’s Brigade
Mr. Show

Best shows that I partied far too hard at (I’m sure Heath is expecting to see Cursive on this list. Joe probably expects YOB).

Jay Reatard/Deerhunter/Pissed Jeans @ The Echo in LA, 2007
****** Up/Iron Age/Repercussions @ Lamar Bridge in Austin, 2007
High On Fire/Opeth @ The Marquee, 2008
The Darkness @ The Marquee, 2004
Tragedy/Landmine Marathon/George Moshington @ The Phix, 2006

Shows this year!

CPC Gangbangs @ The Smell in LA
Seun Kuti @ some huge outdoor mall in LA
Nick Lowe @ The Rhythm Room
Sourvein @ Hollywood Alley
The Germs/Black ***/White Flag @ The Scene in LA (So bad it was awesome. Pat Smear wins geriatric stage dive of the year award. Shane West had sharpie on his face and was making jokes about Old School)

Shows. This would probably look different if I thought about it longer.

Megadeth/Slayer/Pantera/Black Sabbath @ Bank one Ballpark, 1998
77 Boadrum @ some park in Brooklyn, 2007
Dinosaur Jr @ The Irving Plaza in Manhattan, 2007
Black Sabbath in Cincinnati, 1976 (My dad was there, it’s in my blood)
Locking Your Car Doors @ The Phix, 2006

Famous people I’ve encountered, generally with hilarious results.

Chloe Sevigny
Josh Homme
Ice-T (Oh man)
Wesley Willis (RIP)
Whoopi Goldberg

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My Top Five Lists, by Joe the hoodlum

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Top 5 “Watch me sell this” albums:

1. Kruder & Dorfmeister- K & D Sessions

2. New Pornographers- Twin Cinema

3. Sloan- Between the Bridges

4. Cathedral- The Carnival Bizarre

5. D’Gary- Akata Meso

Top 5 “you haven’t heard this?” albums

1. My Bloody Valentine- Loveless

2. Beach Boys- Pet Sounds

3. Charlie Parker- anything

4. Black Sabbath- Vol. 4

5. Kate Bush- Hounds of Love

Top 5 music myths that need to be corrected:

1. Classical music is only for old people

2. Nico was a valuable member of the Velvet Underground (John Cale dammit, it’s all about John Cale and Sterling Morrison)

3. Extreme metal is satanic puppykiller music. It’s just awesome kick-ass music. And only most of it is satanic.

4. Ambient music and New Age music are two different things. Good ambient and good new age are the same exact thing, ambient musicians are just better at marketing themselves to college students. James Johnson, Steve Roach, Michael Stearns, Robert Scott Thompson, all great musicians you will find in the New Age section. I skipped out on picking up a lot of CDs over the past few years because they looked too ‘new age” even though I’ve always been big into Eno and Kompakt records stuff. I could have gotten CDs by Tuu and O Yuki Conjugate at clearance for like 3 bucks, but I was spooked by cheesy cover art or song titles. Now I’m buying them new for 15 bucks if they are even available at all anymore. DOH!

5. Guitar Hero is fun. If the kids who spent hours on Guitar Hero used that time to learn the actual guitar, they would be able to play all those songs for real, on an actual musical instrument.

Top 5 bands everyone has heard and the people that influenced them that far less people have heard:

1. Bjork– Kate Bush

2. Sigur Ros– Cocteau Twins

3. Radiohead– Aphex Twin, SND, early Autechre

4. Coldplay– the song “Talk” from X&Y was an exact copy of “Computer Love” by Kraftwerk. The whole song. It angers me.

5. Kings of Leon- vocal style influence from the mushmouthed football coach played by Chris Kattan on SNL.

Top 5 metal guitar riffs:

1. Voivod- Brain Scan

2. Megadeth- Wake Up Dead (at 2:38)

3. Immortal- Tyrants

4. Enslaved- Convoys to Nothingness

5. Darkthrone- Transylvanian Hunger

Top 5 guitar players who few people have heard but more should:

1. Steve Tibbetts

2. Ben Monder

3. Davy Graham

4. Keith Fullerton Whitman

5. Steve Hillage

Top 5 great singers that nobody ever talks about when they talk about great singers:

1. Lena Willemark

2. David Sylvian

3. Cyndi Lauper

4. Daryl Hall

5. Pat Suzuki

Top 5 metal singers:

1. Ronnie James Dio

2. Tom G. Warrior

3. Abbath

4. Lee Dorrian

5. Wino

5 records that I surprisingly like considering that I’m such a grumpy bastard:

1. Jonathan Richman- Jonathan Goes Country

2. Survivor- Vital Signs

3. Kylie Minogue- Fever

4. Vashti Bunyan- Just Another Diamond Day

5. Expose- Exposure

5 artists that others would probably consider a guilty pleasure that I like unapologetically:

1. Christopher freaking Cross

2. Toto

3. Stephen Bishop (the guy who wrote the “It might be you” song from “Tootsie”)

4. America

5. Carpenters

5 records I heard for the first time in the past year that I enjoyed:

1. Orb- Orbus Terrarum

2. Robert Rich/Alo Die- Fissures

3. Huong Thanh/Nguyen Le- Fragile Beauty

4. Krallice- s/t

5. Virus- The Black Flux

5 movies/tv shows I saw in the past year that I enjoyed:

1. The Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner- A Herzog documentary from the 70s about a Swiss Ski Jumper

2. Sunshine- An awesome and mind bending movie about solar extinction

3. Primer- An awesome and mind bending movie about a couple of guys who accidentally invent a time machine and the worlds most confusing plot

4. The Mighty Boosh- A surreal British comedy about a couple of zoo workers who travel to limbo and the arctic tundra among other places- also an endless well of amusing catchphrases

5. The IT Crowd- a british comedy about “a computer genius, a young go-getter, and a man from Ireland”

5 reasons I like records and CDs better than MP3s and Ipods

1. compressed digital files sound lousy and music is meant to be heard through a stereo, not crappy computer (or Ipod) speakers

2. When everything is free and digital it’s just like flipping through cable, music becomes something that has no value unless it grabs you in the first 5 seconds, just like an advertisement.
You learn to ignore anything that takes some time to develop, and everything becomes 15-second sound bite music. Imagine if that happened with movies or books. “I didn’t like ‘the Godfather”. I watched it for 2 minutes and nothing happened so I turned it off and watched ‘Baby Geniuses 2′ instead.” Do YOU want to be the person who likes ‘Baby Geniuses 2′ more than ‘Godfather’? Didn’t think so.

3. You miss out on any album art and design. Part of the music listening experience is sitting and reading the liner notes and looking at the art while listening to a CD for the first time.
That little square in the corner of your Itunes doesn’t count.

4. Listening to a record, you have to actively put it on, pay attention to it, and flip it when the side is over. Babysitting the record makes you pay attention to it.
It’s a more rewarding music listening experience, you end up noticing details and depth that makes it much more enjoyable and interesting.
On your computer or Ipod you just hit a file on Itunes and let it burble on for hours as wallpaper for your internet surfing or whatever. With records and CD’s you have invested money in a physical piece of music and you learn to invest time in listening to it accordingly, and reap the rewards. With free digital you have invested nothing in it, and you will probably get little out of it. Records teach you to pay attention to music; MP3s teach you to ignore music.

5. Having an awesome MP3 folder never got anyone laid.

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