Hipster For A Day, Part 1

I spend a lot of time bitching about how so many of the indie music blogs' year-end Best Of lists (A) look the near-identical and (B) contain very little music that I enjoy. It's tough, because finding blogs that highlight music to my taste is pretty difficult.

But! I figured, why not give some of this stuff a try (or more of a try), right? So, here's me. Trying a bunch of songs from albums off the Year-End lists. Commenting as I listen. It's rough. It's not at all eloquent. I have little-to-no background on any of these bands. I'm flying blind. You ready?

Future Of The Left - "adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" - Okay, waiting to see if the quiet part yields an interesting beginning -- and BY GOD, it does. ...except that this singing is really, really annoying. It's kind of like The Beastie Boys without the flow. ...Okay, the sludge-y guitars are awesome, but I've gotta turn this off. I'm probably misusing "sludge-y."

Animal Collective - "Fireworks" - Ooh, this beginning is cool. What's this gonna turn into? ...this singing hurts me. This is so, so inaccessible for me. I want to like it, because everything *behind* the singing is neat. But... no. I have to turn this off.

Okay, let's give these guys another try. Maybe the frontman... grows on you.

- "Peacebone" - VIDEO GAME BLEEPS. STABBING ME IN THE EARS. Try to be patient. Maybe this will yield something non-shitty. ...Nope. What the fuck are these lyrics? Oh, God, this frontman. *shuts off*

- "For Reverend Green" - One more try, Animal Collective. One more masochistic try. ... Ew, this sounds like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. What the fuck was that random scream?! This song is like a brain seizure. ...the bridge is nice. I kind of wish the whole song was the bridge. ...You know, Schoolyard Heroes is schizophrenic-sounding like this. Except, Schoolyard Heroes is tuneful. And the vocalist can. Y'know. *Sing*. I gotta turn you off now, Animal Collective. I appreciate how weird and different you are, but Jesus Christ.

Field Music - "A House Is Not A Home" - Pleasant, though not exactly my thing. I have no idea how to describe their sound. Southern rock guitars meet... sterile British indie pop-rock? Really well-done, though, again, not quite my thing, exactly.

- "A Gap Has Appeared" - Again, really neat and slick, but not my thing.

- "Sit Tight" - I kinda like this, but it doesn't quite grab me in the guts. I'd play it on my show, though, I think. Almost Queen-ish.

The Cribs - "Men's Needs" - Dear God, this almost sounds like it's going to be accessible. Don't give me a heart attack, hipster blogs. Yeah, this could probably be on the radio. ...shit, for all I know, it is -- I'm so out of the loop, dude. Screaming in the chorus hurts me a little, more than screaming in, uh, screamo bands do, weirdly. I can listen to this without my ears bleeding, though. Is this one of those English Klaxons-esque groups that usually shows up on Good Weather For Airstrikes? ... *checks* ... Nope. But English!

The Go! Team - "Grip Like A Vice" - This isn't my thing at all, but I can see why it's fun for other people, and I'd spin it, especially with Fannypack.

- "Do It Right" - Ditto. It's hard to get snarky about this group. It'd be like going up to a bunch of kids jumping rope and kicking 'em in the face.

- "Fake ID" - More fun for me. Weirdly almost SNMNMNMN-esque, only if you add adrenaline, Pixi Stix and meth. Not something I'd really play for myself, but I'd put it in a set, easy.

Deerhoof - "+81" - WHAT THE FUCK. THIS SINGER. WHAT? What am I *listening* to? It's fun, though! What the *fuck*? This needs to go on a movie soundtrack. Background music to people robbing a minimart, seriously. It's like a track from the Girls In The Garage comp that focused on Asia, only slicker and sleeker. (Is that me stereotyping, there?) If this showed up on one of the many random compilations of lo-fi all-girl punk and garage that I've acquired, I'd be totally charmed.