2010 Countdown – #16: “Quarter to Three” / Bishop Allen

“Quarter to Three” / Bishop Allen

Earlier this year I caught Andrew Bujalski’s super DIY, “mumblecore”/mumblecore film Mutual Appreciation and was hooked into its fluid, realistic premise. Slice-of-life films are not for all, and perhaps my art-school sensibilities were feeling rather nostalgic during the viewing, but I really felt this film and all its subtle nuances.

Mutual Appreciation focuses on the dynamic between three friends caught between idyllic goals and reality. One character, Alan, is a band guy, played by real-life band guy, Justin Rice of Bishop Allen. Along with my strange emotional connection to the film’s story, I am a former resident of Rice’s band’s namesake: Bishop Richard Allen Drive (lovingly referred to by some as “The B.A.D.”) in Cambridge, MA.

Cosmic.

Upon hearing the live version of “Quarter to Three” from the film, I instantly went back in time to the damp, dark, Friday night streets of Cambridge, teaming with Harvard students, bag ladies, art students, queens, and me. The whole area had a quietly maniacal energy to it–more cerebral than the bustle of NYC, more emotional than DC, more artistic than LA and yet, more pensive than all of them put together. It was always as if everyone was on the edge of screaming at the top of their lungs. This song, and its live delivery, encapsulated all of that into a few minutes, vocal cracks and all.

I can’t claim to be a big fan of Bishop Allen’s studio fare, but this live version of “Quarter to Three” transports me to a certain zone every time. I listened to this track lots this year when escaping via memory. Let it take you where it may….

#16 – “Quarter to Three” / Bishop Allen (Live from 2004)

2010 Countdown – #17: “Silver Bells” / Paper Ships

“Silver Bells” / Paper Ships

I remember sitting on a Brooklyn bus with one of the members of Paper Ships, Steve, back in ’05. There was this roly-poly sweaty guy listening to a cassette player, singing aloud at the top of his lungs to the DMB song coming through his headphones, swinging his body in time with the beat and making a big slobbery scene. When you get that lost in a tune, you know it’s gotta be a hit. And when you don’t care if your craziness shall be burned/scarred into the memory of multiple onlookers, then you know your muse must be great.

I have caught myself making a similar spectacle while listening to “Silver Bells.” One time, my curb-side gyrations even gained me a fellow dance partner (thanks, homeless dude). Out of the few songs Paper Ships “released” on their EP before inevitably calling it quits, “Silver Bells” was the closest thing that came to a pop song. (A future post shall highlight my favorite “serious business” track.) The bouncy guitar is just so fricking catchy that as soon as this tune was secretly sent to my inbox, I couldn’t stop listening to it. I kept envisioning the singer as some sort of floating-memory to dudes on a chain gang; this whole picture rounded out entirely by the clankity clank cowbell ending.

But truly, it’s the guitar that makes this song. After years of having conversations to the sound of Steve strumming along to some “insignificant” tune which would stick in my head for days, he finally took some of my bitching to heart and stepped out of the shadows of other musicians, and concocted something pretty awesome. He has since done a small tour in the US and Canada drumming for DePedro and continues to jam with a variety of great artists, including his sister. Keep a look out for him in the future, and in the meantime, check out his blog, particularly his hilarious live-blogs of today’s tween-dreams.

#17 – “Silver Bells” / Paper Ships

Best Albums of 2010: Vote I: The Unknowns

As this year comes to a close, I realize that my situation did not allow for the usual time (and finances) I normally spend on new music. Maybe it’s a bit backwards, but instead of rehashing what albums of 2010 I loved, I want to know what albums of 2010 are worth listening to in 2011.

Voting shall be split into two polls:

Vote I: The Unknowns, is devoted to albums by bands I have never heard before, but were heavily touted throughout the year by friends and publications.

Vote Part II: The Contenders, shall decide the best 2010 releases by bands who’ve returned for round two (or three, or twenty-seven….) that are near and dear to my record collection. This post shall go live in a few days. (Don’t get your proverbial bloomers in a wad.)

So what say you, public opinion!?

Note: There are some items released this year that I adore that are not on the list [i.e. Black Keys’ Brothers, Sleigh Bells’ Treats, Dead Weather’s Sea of Cowards….] and other things that I categorically do not give a shit about [i.e. Vampire Weekend’s Contra]. There is also a whole category of new releases by bands I love–I’m thinking you, The National and LCD Soundsystem!–that I have yet to get my hands on/contribute significant attention to; that shall be noted in the  Vote II poll. I am open to suggestions for items that you think I may not know of but I warn you now that I don’t take kindly to Jimmy Buffet or any other subpar group that writes crappy songs about beverages! Now click some radio buttons!