With our powers combined...

We can do another year of The 26 Project. Our hope is to gain more support in the form of more writers, participants, comments and readers. We are making efforts now to attract more attention to the site by reaching out online and through local record stores.

Tell your friends and family about the site. If you'd like to help us reach out, please download this PDF file that contains three flyers to a sheet. Slice them up and take a handful to your local record store. The goal is to begin another cycle of The 26 Project on Labor Day. (Don't worry. It just starts that day, no posts are due on your day off.)

Yeah to Yeah Yeah Yeahs

By Gabriel

eah Yeah Yeahs seemed to come around at an unfortunate time when garage rock was all the rave and they simply weren't a garage rock band. I didn't get it either at the time. YYYs are simply a great art rock band with seemingly the most crazy, unattractive front woman in the history of music. That last part isn't true — she's a victim of her own terrible 80s hairdo. Aside from having a subdued guitar player and drummer that looks like Max Weinberg, Karen O totally owns the stage. Not many women performers that are in rock do that the way their testosterone counterparts do. I'd say the stage is the only acceptable forum for the male to release aggression. I respect Karen O for not only her ability to belt out a song and disregard the norms, but also her unabashed joy and enthusiasm in sharing it with us. Her outfits resemble the hodge-podge arrangements that a kid pulls from its grandparents wardrobe. The performance and music are seamless – they belong together. And talk about an infectious smile!

I didn't really fall for the YYYs when everyone else did. I caught a TV performance of the song above and became smitten with O and the boys. She rushed the stage and maintained the spaz throughout. My preference is the material from their first two albums and EPs. The latest album was too dancetronic (my word) for my liking but I appreciate the move. Unlike so many other bands that have dabbled with synth and manufactured sounds, it's the premise of their band to experiment. So, I'm content just knowing that they're still around even if I'm not on the same page.

X's & O's for Xiu Xiu

By Jason Hunter

Xiu Xiu play a blend of damaged art rock, goth drone, and noise. While it is a difficult sound to acclimate to, it's harder to understand if frontman Jamie Stewart is really this fucked up or just poking fun. Take the lines from "I Broke Up (SJ)" - "Break into children's hospitals crying out: Don't Fuck With Me!" and "This is the worse vacation ever I'm going to cut open your forehead with a roofing shingle". No one is that messed up, right? Right? Xiu Xiu get their haunting sound by eschewing traditional instruments in exchange for tape loops, Asian percussion, and electronic squeals. The most interesting and bombastic releases were the first two LPs - Knife Play (2002) and A Promise (2003). The short melodies and catchy moments found on those releases mutated into an almost-pop record on 2004's Fabulous Muscles. This LP actually had stand out singles like "I Luv the Valley, Oh!", "Clowne Towne", "Brian the Vampire", and "Crank Heart". From here though Xiu Xiu went through line-up changes and shifted to a semi-acoustical sound that swapped bombast for dirges This would go one for the next three releases (La Foret (2005), Air Force, (2006) Women As Lovers (2008) with the results varying between interesting ("Hello From Eau Clarie"), cute (a cover of Queen's "Under Pressure") and decent (everything else). 2010 saw the release of Dear God, I Hate Myself which brings back some of the good ol' bombast that I'd been missing. Check out Xiu Xiu. It's one of the few alternative bands that have a distinct sound.

X, Y and Z – The End.

The letters X, Y and Z will surely be the most difficult to cover here at The 26 Project. We encourage everyone to comment here or send in a post for artists, bands, songs and albums that start with X, Y or Z. No deadlines!

The 26 Project Admins are bringing this year to an early end. Posts and comments are open on all letters! We encourage you to continue talking about your experiences with the music you love. News on the continuation of The 26 Project to come later in the summer.

Weezer

By gaiJen, stranger in a strange land

I love confessional memoir. Autobiography may seem crass and self-serving to some, but I find it a titillating look behind the curtain, a long hard stare into the black box of an emotional inner universe. Whereas much of “serious” literature seems called into being with the expressed purpose of being ignored by the masses, celebrated only by the intellectual elite, memoir exists for the lowest common denominator. Trucking in gossip, finger pointing, name-dropping, family secrets, broken promises, and the occasional settling of old scores, memoir appeals to the deep-rooted nosiness that keeps a society twittering.

When Weezer released Pinkerton, the LiveJournal-loving side of me swooned. A follow-up to the Blue album, Pinkerton was a found Cuomo diary full of pop songs detailing the displeasures of empty, meaningless one night stands, the angsty yearning for a cello-playing, half-Japanese girl, the vagaries of aging, the unrequited love for the perfect girl (who is also looking for the perfect girl), and the general unfairness of life. It’s brilliant. I could never pick a favorite track off of Pinkerton, but “Across the Sea” embodies the ethos of this 1996 album.

(As an aside - the album concept is loosely based on Madame Butterfly with obvious nods to the opera throughout. However, a lack of familiarity with Puccini won’t detract from the listening experience.)

Pinkerton was not a commercial success and Rivers Cuomo hasn’t done a Weezer album as deeply personal since. Weezer released the Green album in 2001 and Maladroit followed a year later. For the longest time, I thought that the title of the first single off of the Green album was “Half Pipe”. I wasn’t sure what gravity extreme sports had to do with transvestite prostitutes, but I chalked it up to some California skate culture thing that I just didn’t get. The Green album was a return to the punk-pop sound that categorized their debut, and while it lacked the heart and soul of Pinkerton, it got it’s catchy hooks in you on the first listen. You only need to hear the first few bars of “Photograph” or “Island in the Sun” before you find your foot tapping out the beat.

Of all of the Weezer albums, I am the least familiar with Maladroit. It was released the summer I was applying to graduate schools and moving across country so perhaps it just didn’t ping on my radar. Well, other than Muppets. The Muppets song was definitely on heavy rotation ("Keep Fishin"), cause seriously, who doesn’t love Muppets?

Some people say that Maladroit was the last "good" Weezer album. I don’t necessarily agree. Make Believe, the Red album, and Raditude just represent a different kind of Weezer; a shift from punk-pop-alternative to strict pop. This isn’t the end of the world. Weezer still produces catchy songs that are fun to throw on a mix-tape. The post-Maladroit albums will never achieve the emotional connection that the other albums managed but I’m not too bothered by it. “Perfect Situation” and “The Damage in Your Heart” (Make Believe), “The Greatest Man that Ever Lived” and “Heart Songs” (Red album), and “I Want You To” (Raditude) still have that core Weezer thing that makes you want to sing along. Not every album can be a Blue album or an autobiographical Pinkerton. But after almost twenty years of Weezer, I’m content to sit back and just listen to what they want to divulge this time around.

W is for Rufus Wainwright

By Gabriel

hen I first discovered Rufus Wainwright, it was during a transitional time of learning about what music really fit me. I was visiting a friend for July 4th in Washington, DC — it was right in the middle of a college career, hot as hell and exhilarating to be traveling about on my own.

After being partially drunk most of the day and finding my way around in the city, I collapsed into a couch while my buddy had a fight with his girlfriend. My mood was more defeated even after a fun night because I had missed a chance to make a connection with another girl in our group. While they bickered, I flipped through the few channels available and stumbled across Austin City Limits – the first time I'd seen it, actually. Going through a few numbers about "April fools" and "foolish love" was a man on the piano singing with this silky, drunken voice. It seemed to capture the essence of my failure and single stature. I traveled back home the following day and used my parents' dial-up to search for the show's line-up.

That's when I became infatuated with the romantic music of Rufus Wainwright. With rock being my music of choice, listening to this new songwriter composing songs primarily on the piano seemed so… grown up. Not realizing he was gay until after his second album (I know, how could I not have?), I was impressed that his love songs felt so universal. The ballads framed so many moments of my relationship with my last girlfriend-now-wife. I also think I found some comfort in his struggle to find love and reconcile some of his broken relationships. His self-titled album and Poses revealed much of his earlier and more naive lifestyle and the "double album" of Want was this masterpiece of finding his worth and pushing his limits musically in a sober mindset. Throughout all of these, I've loved the subtle and occasionally obvious shifts of identity and sexuality. Telling stories through the eyes of a woman as if it were him in "The Art Teacher" or covering a song called "One Man Guy" by his disapproving father while also using it as a reference to his sexuality — all seem like unique ways to deliver a story in song. Even though I felt a distance to some of those specific feelings based on his sexuality, it's still so natural to sympathize and sing along with him.

Keep in mind that it's all about Rufus, though. The first four albums come from a songwriter talking about himself in a candid way. After Want however, Release the Stars and Songs for Lulu come across as completely self-absorbed. Release took all of the drama and grandeur of Want and became this illustration of Wainwright amusing himself with his own wonderful, silly life. Songs for Lulu is a calculated move to strip it all down and go back to his love for the piano, but there's no substance. In his rush of fame, it seems like he hasn't taken the chance to step outside of himself.

So, is it easy to call him the "Gay Billy Joel" and then refer to someone like Ben Folds as the "Straight Elton John"? Absolutely. They both were great songwriters in their early days and lost it after the first four or five albums. I'd definitely recommend sticking with Wainwright's first four albums, which counts Want One and Want Two as separate releases. Keep an eye on him, though. He may realize what he's doing to alienate some of his fans and create something that's less self-indulgent. In the meantime, I'll stick to the first four CDs and pianists that keep their mouths shut (see Keith Jarrett and Hauschka).

Wild for The Walkmen, Wolf Parade, and Whiskeytown

By Jason Hunter

The Walkman – Bows & Arrows (2004)

Of all the great albums released by The Walkmen, 2004's Bows + Arrows is my favorite. I spent months listening to it and twice saw them touring in support of it. Their sound is a primitive mix of tremble-y guitars, lonely organs, plinky pianos and the unique howling of Hamilton Leithauser. Songs come in two speeds - slow and pummeling and they do both so well. For the slower paced songs like "What's In It for Me" and "No Christmas While I'm Talking" the guitars seem to ebb and flow in response to the volume of Leithauser's wails. The faster paced songs like "The Rat", "Little House of Savages", and "Thinking of a Dream" pound away and don't relent until they arrive at the chorus. Once there it is a respite of doubt and vulnerability before diving back into their bad attitudes and snarl.

Wolf Parade – Apologies for the Queen Mary (2005)

Wolf Parade are the kind of band that Wednesday Adams would love. Their debut album is full of creaky tunes, wild stabs of guitars, organ shards, rickety drums and an off-kilter mix of singing/shouting. A third of the songs have "ghost" or "curse" in them and almost every song has some Tim Burton-like imagery. It takes me days to shake the image of someone building "a house inside of you / I'll go in through the mouth / I'll draw three figures on your heart" ("You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son"). This album has always been an exhausting listen - the first five songs are perfectly sequenced, you get a short break at track 6, then it's another rush through the final six songs. The album culminates in "This Heart's On Fire" a rave-up that just might be a Springsteen song from an alternate universe.

Whiskeytown – Pneumonia (2001)

Whiskeytown's 3rd and final album was a bittersweet listen for me. Here I discovered of collection of heart-warming and heartbreaking alt-country songs by a band that had broken up. Everything about this album sounds effortless, which is meant as a compliment. Ryan Adams rolls out a number of good songs – "The Ballad of Carol Lynn", "Jacksonville Skyline", "Mirror Mirror", "Crazy About You" – that draw a straight line to the success he experiences as a solo artist. However it's when Adams collaborates with others that things get interesting. His work with vocalist and fiddle player Caitlin Cary ("Don't Wanna Know Why", "Easy Hearts") and his work with ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha ("Don't Be Sad", "To Be Evil") have this special spark that elevates those songs above all others. Still, this album will always revolve around the song "Bar Lights". It is a perfect encapsulation of a great, modern, drinking song.

W is for Wilco

By Sean

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

ith so few bands of substance able to maintain the longevity that WILCO has obtained over the last sixteen years, and despite rotating members, WILCO seems to have formed their best line up and I believe them to be the last great American band. While I realize this is a bold statement and I anticipate that most folks will argue otherwise, one must not only look at their timeless catalogue, work ethic, professional and artist development, but most interestingly, the value system which guides these innovators. By industry standards, WILCO achieved a noble, yet relatively unheard-of bait and switch with their record label while maintaining full control over an album (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) that was deemed commercially unmarketable. There's no question that this album launched WILCO into their more ambient and experimental sound that they have become known for over the last ten years, leaving behind the "alt-country" genre that was often an unfortunate descriptor.

Essentially, Warner/Reprise explained that there would be no more funds coming in unless the record was overhauled. WILCO, with notable principles and no interest in modifying the record, and clearly beginning to redefine a new sound was asked to leave Warner/Reprise; the album was too complex and they simply did not understand it. For this reason, unlike previous albums, it was hard to determine the albums potential to generate sales. In the end, the best of all situations worked out for WILCO. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot had been recorded and mixed for six months and ready for distribution and a heavy marketing campaign when Warner/Reprise said, why don't you just take your record and allow any other ecstatic label to pick it up for release; we will eat the cost. This is basically an opportunity that comes along once, if ever, in a bands career. Nine months after the record was completed, WILCO finally signed with Nonesuch Records; ironically, Time Warner is the parent company of both Nonesuch and Reprise.

This is a classic American rock 'n roll story with the last great American band. WILCO was "released" from their contract with record in hand and then sold it back to them (parent company) for three times the money; the label paid for the record twice! Upon release, Rolling Stone cited Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as "an American classic… the first great album of the year." WILCO is one of those bands whose influence will not fully be recognized until they disband. I imagine that years from now my children (and probably yours) will be in search of your WILCO records and maybe even an old tour t-shirt.

the W weeks

The W weeks start today. Listen to your artists that fall under W. Posts can be submitted between Monday, May 10th and Sunday, May 23rd. Who are your favorite artists or bands that start with W? How about songs or albums? Why do you love them and what are your experiences listening to the music?

Tell us by commenting here, or submit your own articles. Wanna join the project? Click the ABOUT tab above for more info.

Van-effing-Halen

By Gabriel

ery often a man is judged by his clothes. Less often is a man judged by what he straddles in those clothes. The Original Man that I speak of is David Lee Roth. Legend, goofball, sex machine, singer, and… sex machine. Roth is only one part of what I love about Van Halen.

Van Halen is a guilty pleasure without a doubt. Some people like crappy bubblegum pop like Pink or Britney Spears. Older folks might not confess to enjoying bands like Boston. Somewhere in the middle I guess you'd find me who discovered this classic band well beyond its prime. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (took me over a year to recognize the acronym) was my first Van Halen album. It was intermediate school where we'd crank up the lunchroom jukebox to "Poundcake." Such a great song and done creatively, I might add.

Just so we're clear, I like Sammy Hagar. I even preferred him over Roth back then. The older Van Halen seemed just that – old – and Hagar had a stronger voice. Roth's was rich with pretentiousness and distracting from the musicians. Silly me. Roth was an artist. The truest visionary of the band. He's a smart guy, too. Sure, maybe he's a pain to work with but then again Eddie Van Halen's behavior of late is difficult to forgive.

Anyway, the 1991 album was a classic for more reasons than "Right Now" and it was also the last good Van Halen album. I still haven't mined all of the older works but I'm no fool – 1984 is a masterwork. "Hot For Teacher" is one of the greatest and funniest songs ever written, not to mention a hilarious video. ("I don't feel tardy." Priceless!) At the time, it was racy enough that my dad even questioned letting me view it on MTV. I dare you to find a better, more recognizable drum opening! I DARE YOU! And what young male student hasn't felt some hormonal urges toward a teacher? Roth's voice was just as acrobatic as his body on stage. I still can't figure out how he pulled off all of the squealing and hooting from their debut record. Roth doesn't own all of the credit for this infectious fun band though. Both he and Hagar brought their own brand of ridiculous pomp and stage theatrics. And one can only assume that every song is about girls, sex or love.

Van Halen orchestrated some of my funnest times as a teenager — driving around Roanoke, rocking out in a jacked up Jimmy, playing pool and setting off homemade bombs. The Hagar works paint most of those moments but I very much appreciate Roth and his merry band of swinging dicks. Let's face it, folks, Van Halen was – and will always be – the only acceptable hair metal band.

I brought my PENCIL!!!

Versus and Velocity Girl - The Very Best of DC's Pop Scene

By Jason Hunter

Versus

ersus is the first band I became a fan of after joining the college radio station at Virginia Tech, 90.7 WUVT. The album Secret Swingers was released the fall of 1996 and it got a lot of play at the station. It was an amazingly focused, textured pop record, that had a potent mix of male/female harmonies and ambiguous angst. They also had roots in the Washington DC scene and that meant a lot to me at the time. I got that record and played it until it become the sound of my semester. Then I put it down and got their back catalog (The Stars Are Insane, Deep Red, Dead Leaves) just in time for my first trip to New York City. The sounds on those records had a more prevalent DGC-era Sonic Youth vibe which seemed appropriate since SY and NYC were synonymous in my mind. Then in 1998 Versus released "Two Cents + Tax" and it was their creative high watermark. All 10 tracks erased any notion of previous influences - they was their music. Next came the pair of stellar EP's — Afterglow (1999) and Shangri-La (2000). Afterglow has some of the most distinct and dark sounds in their cannon. Shargra-La is one of the best executed gimmicks in indie-rock. It's an EP composed of songs titled Shangri-La (one original, two covers,) and another cover song originally by the all-girl group The Shangri-La's. These two EPs, despite their short length, were always a must-take when making the 4 hour drive between home and college during my last two years at school. Sadly this winning streak couldn't last. 2000's "Hurrah" didn't have that spark and shortly after Versus went on hiatus. Versus on Myspace

Velocity Girl – Copacetic (1993) and !Simpatico! (1994)

When I was mired in punk, metal, and goth, a dear, dear friend took me aside and introduced me to Velocity Girl, who looked to the British shoegaze and C-86 scenes for influence. Lyrically, the subject matter centers around bad friendships but is peppered with an aloof sense of levity. 1993's Copacetic stole all the best British shoegazing tricks and crafted buoyant pop songs about great albums ("Pop Loser"), college towns ("Crazy Town"), and lost friends ("Audrey's Eyes"). The run of "Crazy Town", "Copacetic", "Here Comes", and "Pop Loser" (tracks 2-5) foreshadowed the greatness to come. 1994's !Simpatico! seemed poised to explode and WHFS (prior to their national rise to fame and festivals) did their best to ignite it. Obviously it didn't work out and this remain one of the greatest unsung records in both DCs' musical history and on SubPop's roster. The distortion is dialed back for cleaner, power pop sound that I've always found surprisingly danceable (see "There's Only One Thing Left To Say", "Tripping Wires", "Medio core"). This gives Sara Shannon and Archie Moore a larger stage to trade lines back and forth ("Sorry Again", "The All-Consumer", "I Can't Stop Smiling", "What You Leave Behind"). I love this record. It thing its beyond great — it's a perfect 10. Yes, this adoration may be a product of it's time – the friends, the shows, the feelings of being in on the secret of Velocity Girl – but I do think it's got something for you too enjoy as well.

the V weeks

The V weeks start today. Listen to your artists that fall under V. Posts can be submitted between Monday, April 26th and Sunday, May 9th. Who are your favorite artists or bands that start with V? How about songs or albums? Why do you love them and what are your experiences listening to the music?

Tell us by commenting here, or submit your own articles. Wanna join the project? Click the ABOUT tab above for more info.

Usual/Unusual

By Gabriel

POP by U2

2 was, not so long ago, one of those bands that I thought could do no wrong. Foolish of me to underestimate Bono's ego and unlimited aspiration. I understand that the "80's U2" was revolutionary in a sense that they kind of pulled us away from some of the pop-synth trappings of the decade. I didn't pick up on them until The Joshua Tree, though. Achtung Baby seemed too ridiculous to entertain in high school but I came around to loving it in college. I felt the same way about POP – over the top, ridiculous, homoerotic, and far too honorable of Andy Warhol's work, which I also hate. POP slipped in and somehow made it OK to dance to the sounds of 4 Irishmen with crew cuts with painted muscle shirts. I might even admit that it was a work of genius. It was a good crossover in a time when rock bands were getting tired of their instruments… again. True to form, U2 made another album that embraced both sides and their pompous artistry bled through. Then, they decided to go rock again. It was all too clear that the risk and weaker reception of POP scared them into making tired, accessible adult-contemporary crap. It was a cop out. Ever since All That You Can't Leave Behind, I've felt used and betrayed by U2. They can no longer be trusted. U2 sucks now. The end.

Undoing Ruin by Darkest Hour

Many would consider this to be the DC metal band's perfect album. I guess I developed an affection for them because they were so close to home. Their work has also matured in a really unique way because – being so easily categorized as thrash/speed metal – Undoing throws in the chunk for the hardcore sound that I love. Plus, it's just fun to listen to while driving through the city — an unusual but simple choice.

UN...

By Matthew

Unwound

These guys are pretty cool. While their music was interesting in the early 90's, their best feature at the moment is that they are the only artist I have on my computer that starts with the letter "U"... awesome. They range from shoegazing haze-rock to more crunchy, dissonant zaniness. Sometimes they even have the swagger of something like Primal Scream or the Rolling Stones. I really like their drone... sounds like a bleaker 'My Bloody Valentine' with a touch of fellow early indie band, Slint. Don't know much about the members of the band or anything else having to do with them, but they start with "U"!

Untrue by Burial

Do you ever just get on Metacritic to see what's highlighted on the left bar of the page? Those are the groups with the highest aggregated reviews over the last few months. That's how I found Burial. It's sparse and haunting electronic stuff and won't pick you up on a rainy day, but it might enhance the gloominess. If that sounds appealing, check them out. "Raver" is a favorite. Something about the way the song opens up at the chorus is really satisfying. I always wonder what the story of the song is.

Unknown Album

A quick shout out to all those albums that Microsoft Media Center doesn't recognize. I still believe in you. I still believe that one day MS's database will auto-recognize all the 4 track recordings of my high school musical projects. I still believe that one day I will have the will to manually update all the great music that is sitting in that black hole. I still believe that people with the indecency to upload the music that I download should have the organizational skills to label things appropriately.

U is for Under-Appreciated Albums

By Jason Hunter

The Unforgettable Fire (1984) by U2

While not U2's most popular album from those early years, The Unforgettable Fire is my favorite from this era. Greatly influenced by Brian Eno's efforts, it's got this shimmering, treble-y quality in its mix that makes songs like "A Sort of Homecoming", "Unforgettable Fire", "Bad", "Indian Summer Sky", and the handful of instrumental tracks work so well. So much of what they played around with here foreshadows The Joshua Tree. The opening notes of "A Sort of Homecoming" are glorious, but in a subtle manor unlike "War" or "New Year's Day" and hearken back to some of the more moody songs on their debut LP (see "An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart" and "The Ocean"). Also, the tribal chanting halfway through "A Sort of Homecoming" is something I can't recall in any other U2 song and it fits the emotion of this particular sound – sad, but hopeful – so well. The 2009 reissue brings some of U2's best b-sides from these sessions to a larger audience. "Three Sunrises" and "Love Comes Tumbling" are the highlights but it's "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" that is the real gem. It's got that razor-sharp post-punk sound and one my all-time favorite riffs by The Edge.

Universal Mother (1994) by Sinead O' Connor

Following her breakout album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead O'Connor ditches the acoustic guitar driven pop for a (mostly) piano and strings. The result in an very intimate and personal record with a number of stand-out songs such as "Red Football" with its creeping build to a menacing finale, the buoyant "John, I Love You" and the honest, realistic depiction of adult commitment in "Thank You For Hearing Me". The trip-hop influenced "Fire on Babylon" and the spoken-word "Famine" showcase Sinead's ability to successful incorporate various sounds into her songs, something she would do again on future releases. For all the political rants and anger present on this album it is the ballad "In This Heart" – a beautifully layered, a capella number – that haunts me. I always listen to it dangerously loud, letting each vocalist reverberate around in my head. It's the closest I can get to re-experiencing it's live performance at Wolf Trap Virginia, which was legendary.

the U weeks

The U weeks start today. Listen to your artists that fall under U. Posts can be submitted between Monday, April 12th and Sunday, April 25th. Who are your favorite artists or bands that start with U? How about songs or albums? Why do you love them and what are your experiences listening to the music?

Tell us by commenting here, or submit your own articles. Wanna join the project? Click the ABOUT tab above for more info.

Tunes from Today and Back Then

By Jason Hunter

The Thermals: The Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006)

"Locus, Tornadoes, Crosses, and Nazi Halos" is a good summation of what you're in for when listening to 2006's The Body, The Blood, The Machine. Billed as a concept album about a young couple who must flee a United States governed by fascist faux-Christians this album was the most surprising listen of 2006. Lyrically, they remind me of classic Bad Religion. Where Bad Religion made their mark with speed, a big vocabulary, and earnest pleas for change, The Thermals get their point across with mockery, power chords, and handclaps (see "Pillar of Salt", "Return to the Fold", "I Might Need You to Kill"). As great as this record is, it does not contain my favorite Thermal's song. I found that song - "No Cultural Icons" - on their Myspace page. It's chaotic and messy sound coupled with how Hutch Harris falls apart at the end gives me chills every single time.

Tortoise: Millions Living Will Never Die (1996), TNT (1998)

Tortoise is all about the rhythm, the groove, and the atmosphere until they stop it all on a dime and deliver a moment of jaw-dropping beauty. I was in college when their third LP TNT dropped and it just exploded (oh bad pun) across the student-run media companies I was involved in. You couldn't escape it. After graduation, as I drifted uncomfortably between grad school, internships, and friendships, I clung to their sound as a reminder of more assured times. Millions Now Living is a split between their Krautrock roots and the more jazzy, polyrythmic sounds they would chase on TNT. That album, TNT, is one where favorite songs shift with every listen. Although the title song "TNT" is traditionally the focal point, "Swing From the Gutters", "I Set My Face To The Hillside", and "Jetty" round out what is a landmark album in the post-rock genre.

Team Dresch: Personal Best (1994), Captain, My Captain (1996)

Team Dresch was a punk rock that I'd never heard before. In high school, my punk was limited to the artists on Epitaph, Subpop, and Discord, but nothing they had was ever this brutally personal. Of course, how could it not be? Team Dresch sang about the very personal and social issues they experienced as members of the LGBT community. That topic aside, it was the anger and resentment of being judged when you barely understand who, what, or why you are the person you are that resonated with me as a sophomore in high school. 1994's Personal Best is various stories about being judged, confused, and angry set against a mix of punk, metal, and emo sounds. 1996's Captain, My Captain took on a different tone. The raw anger got replaced with a calculated outlook and cleaner sound. It seemed that two years later Team Dresch figured out how to dodge, defy, or deflect the many social land mines meant to fuck up people psychologically (see "The Council", "Uncle Phranc". This LP was released the summer that I headed off to college and I leaned on it's theme of focusing on what you believe is important and tuning out the rest while I embarked on reinventing myself for the second time inside a decade.

Titus Andronicus

Out of all the new music I listened to in 2008 Titus Andronicus stood out because it was a debut release that dropped with a fully realized and distinct sound. Titus Andronicus toss out literary and pop culture references like Belle & Sebastian, are earnest and strident like a hungry Springsteen, and sound as tight as another great NJ band, Lifetime. I'm sorry to drop so many references to other bands. Being a recent fan, I've not a lot of personal experiences with this artist. If any of the names I've dropped catch your interest check out Titus Andronicus.

Too Many Options for T

By Matthew

has a lot of possibility. I’m going to spend a brief amount of time with a handful of acts that immediately come to mind.

T-Bone Walker

Like so many blues musicians, his music is direct and passionate. He had a silky voice that became powerful when he needed it, but his guitar did a lot of the talking. Too many musicians and producers today polish recordings to a fault. Back in the day, you heard each little partially flubbed note… each time the string was plucked without being pushed entirely down to the fret-board. Listen to "Stormy Monday." T-Bone was a bit loose and sloppy, making his recordings characterful and honest.

Toto

Who was born in the 70’s and didn’t get seduced by that crappy “Africa” song?

Television

Tom Verlaine is the man when it comes to melodic guitar solos and sparse, memorable hooks. "Marquee Moon" is one of the few extended rock-punk ballads I never get tired of listening to in its entirety. There’s such a haunted longing in the vocals. Good ole fashioned drug abuse ended their brief tenure.

TV On the Radio

These guys are inventive. Gabriel is my culture vulture. When I told him that working in I/T with a bunch of 50-somethings was making me feel out of touch, he produced a stack of discs with some of the good stuff that the kids were listening to. "Halfway Home" grabbed me right away. I don’t love all of it, but there are some real highs on their albums.

Temple of the Dog

It’s an album I like more now than I did at the time of its release. I wasn’t prepared for how soulful the union of grunge mega-acts Soundgarden and Pearl Jam would be at the time.

They Might Be Giants

Geez, I was annoyed by these guys in the past. Though I haven’t heard them lately, I get the feeling it might sound better now.

Richard and Linda Thompson

Shoot Out the Lights is Nicholas Hornsby’s favorite album. He’s a smart guy, right?

The Turtles

"Happy Together" is an all time favorite. So catchy, so dramatic, such a dumb ‘We wish we were the Beatles’ video. I’ve always wanted to cover this with a band that has a sense of irony.

Travis

Anyone remember "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” It was a good show to see with my pal, Gabriel.

Tricky

He put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I’d never witnessed such focused intensity on stage – and I’ve seen Henry Rollins, Faith No More, and Pearl Jam on tour with Soundgarden. Check out this live video for a taste. Even shown on crappy-looking YouTube in your tiny computer monitor, the guy looks larger than life… like he’s about to explode. He’s not the type to directly engage the audience, you just feel privileged to witness what’s clearly a very spiritual experience for him. Being in the same small room with the man was just horrifyingly exciting. You got the sense that you were watching someone do what they were truly born to do… I felt at the same time drawn into the world he was creating on stage and terrified by the fact that he was the ring-leader of it. He closed with an extended performance of "For Real" and he was like some kind of possessed boxer, weaving back and forth and screaming “It’s not real! It’s just passing time!” *sigh* Could I love him more?

the T weeks

The T weeks start today. Listen to your artists that fall under T. Posts can be submitted between Monday, March 29th and Sunday, April 11th. Who are your favorite artists or bands that start with T? How about songs or albums? Why do you love them and what are your experiences listening to the music?

Tell us by commenting here, or submit your own articles. Wanna join the project? Click the ABOUT tab above for more info.

3 Short Summaries

By gaiJen, stranger in a strange land

St. Vincent – “Actor Out of Work”

I am quietly horrified by the video for St. Vincent’s “Actor out of Work”. I've watched this video so many times and I can't quite put my finger on it...her wide eyes, her slow enunciation of every word, the slight shake of her head, the actors in the chair across from her? I don't know. At any moment Annie Clark looks as if she might unhinge her jaw and swallow us whole. :::shivers:::

Everything Everything – “Suffragette Suffragette”

I love this kind of pop kookiness. Who *will* sit on our face when you're gone?

Weezer – “Undone (Sweater Song)”

I'm bending the rules a bit with this one but as most people know this as the sweater song, I thought I might be able to slip it under the fence as it were. I plan to give a deeper treatment to Weezer in a few weeks but I wanted to mention this song here because this is the first Weezer song I ever heard. The Blue album came out in 1994 which was many many years ago and probably before some of your birth years, you sweet young things, you. I remember leaving a concert at the Sunken Gardens in San Antonio, a bronco full of high school girls belting out this song, windows down, arms out, totally freaking obnoxious. It was great. This song and this album are an emotional touchstone for me. All I need is to hear the opening few bars and I am back in that bronco, laughing and annoying everyone within hearing distance.

Sounds of the Pacific Northwest and Beyond!

By Jason Hunter

Seaweed - Weak (1992) and Four (1993)

eaweed recorded two classic LPs for SubPop - Weak and Four. Weak had that dirty crunch synonymous with the Seattle sound -a potent mix of metal and punk. What set their sound apart on this album was the big, sing-along chorus heard on "Recall", "Baggage" and "Taxing". The follow up record Four sandblasted the sludge away resulting in harsher, crisper guitar tones and more varied tempo from song to song. "Oversight" has remained one of my all time favorite songs with its hazy, soaring breakdown in the middle. I didn't hear too many punk bands try that at the time and it was transcendent.

The Softies - It's Love (1995) and The Softies (1996)

Their name says it all - The Softies - two ladies singing about heartbreak and mistreatment, strumming along without a need for basslines or a drum. It sounds so precious and saccharine. What keeps this from being sickening is the bite, anger, and cold tones of a hard lesson learned tucked in behind the two guitars. "Charms Around Your Wrist" is packed with some of their sharpest critiques of hypocritical friends while "Count To Ten" is year's worth of mistreatment crushed into 3 minuites and 14 seconds. It's not all bitterness though - "It's Love" and "Snow Like This" are cheery songs that keep the albums from becoming a total downer.

The Spinanes – Strand (1996)

For me this is a perfect record both sonically and lyrically. Rebecca Gates weaves tales out random details that let you put it together as whatever story you want. A long time ago I decided that this is a record about the first flush of loving someone. Nothing better exemplifies this than a line from "Lines and Lines" - Tell you I love you, there's no one else I'm thinking of and all the hands that clasp mine are no match for your burning touch". I love the smokey, inviting sound of Rebecca Gate's voice and the ringing, twisting guitar lines. I love the chaotic drum work Scott Plouf. I love the little production details like how Scott picks random lines and words to harmonize with Rebecca Gates and the mini suite of guitar feedback that introduce "Lines & Lines" as well as the extended minimal drum beat that introduces and outros "Maddening". "Valency" made the rounds on 120 minute back in the day and while it packs the hardest punch, those soft whispers of Rebecca Gates will leave its lipstick stain on the collar of your mind.

Sleater-Kinney

S-K were an amazing and rare band. What started out as a love for their punk blister and critique of society turned to a fascination with their unique sound - vocals and guitar number one (Corin Tucker), vocals and guitar number two (Carrie Brownstein) and with the addition of Janet Weiss for their third LP, drums and harmonies. Each artist doing something different yet all of it propelling songs forward. Nothing better illustrates this than "One Beat". Every new release brought something new to their sound and something to challenge the listener with. Sometimes I got it right away (Call The Doctor, Dig Me Out, All Hands On The Bad One); sometimes I had no idea what the hell I was hearing (The Hot Rock, One Beat, The Woods) and in the case of the latter it would take many months before it sank in. What I loved most about S-K is that their entire canon was challenging, introspective and of high quality. Of all the band I've obsessively followed they are one of the few who still excites after all these years.

Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra

Sun Ra was a jazz artist that believed he was from outer-space (actually born in Philly). He wrote many songs about it and released about as many albums as there are stars in the sky. Each year some label releases about 3-6 albums comprised of unreleased material or long out of print recordings. I'm always excited to hear about new releases because you never know what version of Sun Ra you may get. Even though Sun Ra is pegged as an avant- garde Jazz figure, he recorded so much more. Yes, there is the scronk and screach, but there is also the Big Band version, the Moog and Organ version, and the out-there Jazz version. If you've got an itch for something that sounds like it was recorded on another plant, you can't go wrong with Sun Ra.

The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream

By Sean

The Smashing Pumpkins single-handedly changed the trajectory of my life. In 1994, I was 13 years old, playing drums in the middle school band and had formed my own garage band. Jimmy Chamberlain, albeit a terrible role model secondary to his chronic heroin abuse and days of drug benders, was my drumming icon and I knew at that time that I would devote a large part of my life playing drums; my interest, style of drumming, and marginal success was in part due to Jimmy Chamberlain and The Smashing Pumpkins. When I reflect on my decision to continue with my instrument, it was because of the influence of this band. Moreover, being a musician took me to many places in the world, and I can remember it spawning from one night in Salem, VA in 1994.

In the wake of the grunge scene, The Smashing Pumpkins were pegged as the "new Nirvana." In the early and mid-90's I stumbled across Siamese Dream (1993), what I believe to be one of the top five alternative records of all time; Rolling Stone ranks it number 360 of 500 best records of all time. I was fortunate enough to catch their tour in 1994 in Salem, VA with the Meat Puppets, a show that I consider so lucky to have attended. The production on this record from rock-legend Butch Vig provided the most progressive rock with deep distortions, melodic vocals - both fantastical and angry and overbearing drums beats, creating the most sonic textures and moods for grunge rock. Nevertheless, I will say that many aspects of Siamese Dream did not and cannot translate well in live shows, as I remember and have seen on recorded performances. In reading old interviews with Corgan, many of the dreamy and atmospheric tones that are heard on some songs had between 40-100 overdubbed guitar sections, all compressed into one track; the beauty of studio work - I guess.

The Smashing Pumpkins had an excellent run for five years; I would argue '91-'96. Sadly, this was a band that peaked fast, with bizarre musicians - primarily a cast of one, with inner-band dating, extreme drug addiction, rehab and depression. Then again, I suppose that is often how bands implode. Moreover, it didn't help that after 1995 every album was worse than the previous and half of the original members were leaving and disengaged with one another.

Although major music awards are by no means the objective mark of critical acclaim, I'm always dumbfounded when such influential bands never receive such recognition by the music industry. Even though they did receive a Grammy nomination in 1994, they never topped the Billboard charts and sank quickly. Multiple attempts for a reunion tour have been poorly attended and quite honestly will never work: Corgan is boring and washed up, Iha is a cog in Corgan's machine (though dislikes him), D'arcy is too busy suing Corgan, and the real talent, Jimmy Chamberlain, can't get his act together. If a reunion of this four-some were ever to take place, only then would I bust out my old ripped jeans, Addidas Sambas, flannel shirt (open of course), t-shirt (insert band logo here) and thank God for the return of the awkwardness of adolescence and 1994!

See the video above for footage of The Smashing Pumpkins at what I believe to be '93-'94 - the most ideal lineup and ego check.

S is for Elliott Smith and Supergrass

By Gabriel

Elliott Smith

mith's music should be the soundtrack to Portland. The buildings should have speakers that pump his albums to conduct people on the street. Everything about his work reminds me of my time there, and I was exposed to everything but the last album before I actually moved there. The songs paint images of every street, building and event specific to the city. This is a more romantic vision of his music since he ultimately left Portland for Los Angeles. Regardless, he seemed to be the ghostly saint of the rainy city. As sad as he was in his life, it felt like you were taking care of him by listening to his music.

On a less serious note, this dude could pick. His playing, although different, sounds like it could stand up against some old-school country and bluegrass players. Again, like Sam Roberts, Dr. Dog and many others I love, Elliott Smith channeled The Beatles. I'd bet that he had an affinity for George Harrison's sound over the rest of the players because of his lean towards balladry and crunchy guitars in upper tempo tunes. Smith also delivered something unexpected with every album. You're lead through with soulful, poetic and heartfelt compositions and then taken off guard by a gritty, groove-filled tune towards the end. When he chose to do a rock song, he did it really well. The other great thing that surrounds it all is that his work didn't really belong to a genre or movement in music. The music stood on its own.

From Heatmiser to his solo career, Elliott Smith's library is something to cherish as he was one of our greatest modern songwriters.

Supergrass

You know the saying about certain things that how you either really love them or really hate them? With Supergrass, I've never heard of anyone that hated them so if you like them, then you really love them. It bothers me that Supergrass coasted in on the 90s wave of Britpop because they seem so removed and beyond everyone else associated with it. I believe I first learned of them by seeing their video for "Cheapskate" on 120 Minutes. At the time, I wasn't buying into the whole British Invasion Part 2. Skeptical about the album In It for the Money as a whole, it took me a year or two to go all in.

These guys are what they refer to as "cheeky." Every album is fun, rambunctious, clever and earnest. They even touch on loss, love and that ongoing search for self. I can't accurately describe their sound but Gaz Coombe's voice is part of the draw. Sharp, high-pitched and full of personality, Gaz adds the arousing cheer to the zippy pop-punk sound. While being a highly reliable band, they've also developed a bit of a pattern in their albums. Every other record is standard, infectious Supergrass music with wide appeal. Those in between take a break from the usual and require more patience and consideration. I'll let you figure out the pattern for yourselves but In It for the Money is a great starting point.