Golem is Annette Ezekiel-Kogan — singer, accordionist, and 5-foot powerhouse, with vocalist/tambourinist Aaron Diskin, violin virtuoso Alicia Jo Rabins, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, upright bassist Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, and drummer Tim Monaghan. This 6 piece, Yiddish-speaking, Eastern European punk band is renowned for electrifying dance floors with their globetrotting goulash of Jewish, Slavic, and Gypsy folk songs. Their style “commands your attention and demand a response” (Giant Magazine). Borne out of the dimly-lit, strangely elegant streets of old-world Eastern Europe, Golem’s music also sounds of the grit and tragedy of new-world dreams.
At the Drive-In / One-Armed Scissor I saw these guys live at the New Haven Coliseum, which no longer stands, in the fall of my sophomore year of high school. They were opening up for Gang Starr, who was opening up for Rage Against the Machine. These guys were flailing around in such an incredible tornado-like frenzy, tall, super skinny dudes with huge afros in extremely tight black clothes, flinging their guitars in every which direction while still somehow managing to play the intricately orchestrated shredding punk guitar parts which were assaulting the coliseum from their wall of amps, turned all the way up. The entire crowd hated them, and booed in between songs. At the Drive-In completely blew my mind, and on my way out of the place where as a child I used to watch Monster Trucks crush 50 cars over and over again for three hours, then I grabbed the free disc with two tracks on it, this here track and another one, “Chanbarra,” the two of which I had the worst time deciding about which one was better.
Bob Dey’s Tank Engine Man is produced by the unique partnership of Mr. Bob Dey and Mr. Talent. Mr. Talent acts as a sort of surrogate musician for Mr. Dey (who doesn’t have the time or training to pursue his musical aspirations himself) by recording and performing the songs that Mr. Dey writes. Together they create an interesting blend of many influences, which coagulate into what Mr. Talent refers to as “weird rock music.”
Jack Kittel / Psycho This song has a disturbing theme, but the music and vocals are performed almost tenderly. Thus, by the time the lyrical content reaches you, it completely mows you down. Mr. Dey is always reminding me of the “Law of Contradiction” (the importance of balance and the inevitability of double standards) and this technique fits in quite well with that.
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla (whose other production credits include The Decemberists and Tegan & Sara), Telekinesis’ debut album, Telekinesis!, is full of big-hearted songs, written quickly and from the gut. Consisting solely of pop genius Michael Benjamin Lerner (drums, guitar & vocals), Telekinesis is 2009’s most prodigous indie-pop newcomer.
Brian Eno / Cindy Tells Me Really, everything off of Here Come The Warm Jets is pretty incredible, but this song is a personal favorite. I seriously love how the crazy shrill jet sound comes in and how it is so incredibly loud. Like, if you are wearing earphones, it’s physically painful! It’s just amazing, and only Eno can pull it off.
Beginning its incarnation in Torquay, coastal Victoria, Outrun evolved out of the shared ambitions of old friends and founders Dan Preston and Josh Armistead – the latter of whom also writes and produces as part of experimental act TeamYes!, and plays in thrash-prog band, Slazenger. Brash and catchy — with an unsuppressed affection for retro synthetics and icy Italo ambiance — Outrun’s debut album, FutureNature [out on Snowball through Inertia], is thrilling, with the apocalyptic lead track, Out Of The Ashes, tracing unpleasant times of burning out and messing up, only to be reborn a better and more powerful creature.
John Maus / Do Your Best This song has been on repeat in my head for about two years. I’m not that familiar with the rest of the album, but if you go to his MySpace page, the reviews of the album are hilarious. There is something about the slow driving beat and his near monotone drawl that sucks you in. I kind of like anything to do with Ariel Pink and these guys have collaborated a bit. This song couldn’t be simpler and that’s what I love about it. This song sounds as if Joy Division were in the K Hole while fucking around in the studio.
Breakbeat duo, Evil Nine’s new album, They Live!, is one of the stand out dance releases of the year. Having already received 5 star reviews from the UK press, They Live! is powerful second album after 2005’s, You Can Be Special Too, its gruesome lyrics paying homage to all those misunderstood zombies out there. Automatom selects the first four songs here, Pardytron the second four.
Toto / Africa The epitome of ’smooth’ music, words can’t express how much this song rules! When the synths come in and the drums echo in the night, I’m immediately transported back to my youth. Some people might say this is a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel no guilt. I just stick it on and bask in their mellow might.
Psychedelic yet direct, raging but tuneful, All the Saints’ debut LP Fire On Corridor X bulldozes preconceptions at volume. Named after a section of the I-22 highway connecting the trio’s native Alabama to Mississippi, the cryptic title track is a hypnotic mind-meld of their primary influences, welding a Loop-sized space-groove to The Gun Club’s lyrical bite.
The Wipers / Youth of America Greg Sage is the man! The use of open space on this track is beautiful. A ten and a half minute punk song that gets put through the Sage psychedelic blender. This the cover of the song by The Humanoids.
Young French musician, M83, released a brilliant album, Saturday=Youth, in April, and has since been busy making 2008 his. The recording itself will take you on a journey through a sentimental and nostalgic land. In M83’s own words: ‘this is the most explicit celebration yet of how it feels to be dazed, confused and fifteen year old’, as haunting melodies are filled with overtones of Kate Bush, Human League and Boards Of Canada.
Tears for Fears / Head Over Heels This song was the biggest influence for my new album. Our track, Kim and Jesse, takes a lot of inspiration from 80s bands like Tears for Fears. This is one of my favourites.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
