On the bright side, Pianos is going into the studio next weekend to record a song for a split 9″ we’re releasing with The Saddest Landscape.  I’m pretty excited to be recording again and the ideas we’re throwing around for the packaging should turn out pretty awesome.

While I’m on the subject of Pianos, here’s Mike York’s top-ten albums of 2009 list that I should have posted a long time ago…

“So this is super late. Whatever here it is.

My best of 2009.”

- Mike York

Touch Amore – …To The Beat Of A Dead Horse

Some of the most powerful hardcore I have heard in a long time. Being a recording nerd, I love how it was recorded as well. I read that the vocals were recorded by using two microphones: one at Jeremy’s mouth, and the other about 5 foot away that mostly picked up the room. The room mic was what was used mainly in the mix. Such a good idea. You get all the lyrics so clear, yet articulate enough to find their own place in the mix. This album blew me away from the first listen, both in recording technique and songwriting.

Download Touche Amore – To The Beat of a Dead Horse

Ruiner – Hell Is Empty

While at first I missed the fast paced Ruiner that was from Prepare To Be Letdown, the more I listened to Hell Is Empty the more I loved the slower/mid paced depressing sound they have for this record. Everything is really bleak and hopeless. I love depressing hardcore, and this album hit the nail on the head for me. Plus, I love all the dudes in that band and they have been a big influence in my own writing.

Download Ruiner – Hell is Empty

Bon Iver – Blood Bank

I can’t describe the feeling I get when I listen to this album. Just really sad, moving folkish music. When I read that he held himself up in a cabin to write his music, it shows. Incredibly lonely, beautiful music.

Download Bon Iver – Blood Bank

Make Do and Mend – Bodies Of Water

Just a really good rock band. Very personal. I remember finding them a few years back and thinking they were really awesome just before they released this album. Glad to see they are still making awesome music.

Download Make Do and Mend – Bodies of Water

Converge – Axe To Fall

Heavy as shit and it just gets weirder as the album progresses. This band can do no wrong.

Download Converge – Axe to Fall

]]> http://stokingtheroots.com/2010/03/16/best-of-09-mike-york/feed/ 0 http://stokingtheroots.com/2010/02/17/best-of-09-kris-fulton-iii/ http://stokingtheroots.com/2010/02/17/best-of-09-kris-fulton-iii/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:51:48 +0000 Chad http://stokingtheroots.com/?p=2744 After taking a short break with kris’ list, I will be posting the last two portions today and tomorrow.  I don’t want to overwhelm the front page with a wall of text so click through after the cut to continue reading.

This is a continuation of Kris’ “favorite movies of 2009″ list.  Part 1 can be found HERE.  Part 2 can be found HERE.

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CASH BACK

I randomly found this movie searching through the Netflix database and ended up really enjoying it. An art student, Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) is plagued with insomnia after a break-up and decides to devote is extra time towards working the late shift at a supermarket. He some how finds a way to be inspired in an otherwise uninspiring job by pretending he has the ability to freeze time whenever he wants and use the frozen people around him for his own benefit. Almost always he targets young women and uses them as subjects in his drawings. I guess the creep factor comes in with the fact that he undresses the helpless women in order to draw them and study the human form.

Despite this, the film treats the nudity of the female subjects delicately and uses it much as an artist would in a painting or drawing. Nudity is not used to be gratuitous or gain the film popularity, but in order to give an inside into the mind of an artist obsessed with portraying reality in his work. Fortunately, this film was produced in Europe where censorship laws are a lot more lenient than here in the United States.

The setting of a supermarket is really interesting when thinking of the themes of art, the human form and the female nude presented in the movie. The blinding white florescent lights used in supermarkets cast overtop the models giving the artist a complete, almost pure view originally meant for the rows upon rows of product. The women almost themselves become products and the female form is almost obviously a desire of Ben and many male artists throughout the history of art. Interestingly enough he never freezes a male subject for his drawings.

I’m not exactly sure how they shot the scenes where the actors were frozen but I’m guessing that it took a lot of takes and holding of breaths.

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DO THE RIGHT THING

Spike Lee has always been a director that I’ve looked up to. He was probably one of the first notable black directors in Hollywood and definitely a huge role model to a lot of the kids who grew up in the neighborhoods that he presented in his earlier films. I didn’t grow up in such a neighborhood, but always went up to New Jersey to visit with my mom’s family and where she grew up in the inner city. I am a straight up suburban kid, but those mandatory family visits definitely gave me an in on city life.

Lee does films his own way and uses his experiences to portray the stories of inner city life that wasn’t being shown in the 80’s. His use of little known and first time actors in his films gave them an edge that is impossible to produce with any well trained cast. In addition, most of his younger cast went on to become big name stars: Martin Lawrence, John Turturro, Rosie Perez to name a few.

Do the Right Thing is simply a day in the life of  Mookie (played by Lee) a pizza delivery boy in Brooklyn along with a variety of other characters in his neighborhood. The film touches on a lot of issues found present in cities to this day, most namely racial tensions. Even though the people in the neighbor eat at the shop Mookie works at (which is owned and operated by an Italian-American and his sons), they still see themselves separate from them and vice versa.

The lessons that can be learned from this still are still pertaining to present day, definitely a must see for anyone living in an urban community.

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FOOD INC.

Anyone who eats food needs to watch this film.  We put so many things in our body each day without really wondering where it came from or the process that it went through in order to become what we are eating. There are so many things that are kept from us about the things that we are eating and how it effects the way that we function daily. Just now are we starting to chip away at the huge problem of child obesity which runs rabid throughout our society.

The film centers around the farming industry and though it does feature some Peta-esque footage of deformed animals, it really isn’t pro-vegetarian. What I thought was great was the emphasis on an all natural/organic farmer who processes meat and treats his animals ethically and to the best of his abilities.

I think you have to take most documentaries which are on any subject lightly and with a grain of salt. Obviously the people who are documenting whatever you are watching are trying to open you up to the subject and hopefully change your mind. The best thing to do (in my opinion) is to watch it with an open mind, digest all of the facts, and then use the information that you learned as a stepping stone towards more education on the subject. DON’T STOP WITH ONE FILM. On film is unable to give you all the information, stories, and opinions on a topic that have ever been said, published, or thought. Do your own investigation, talk to the people around you and then form your conclusions.

Or not, its up to you. Either way this film will open you up to a few things you probably didn’t know about the food you eat every day.

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I LOVE YOU MAN

This was one of the only romantic comedies that I have watched and will say with pride that I enjoyed. Paul Rudd plays Peter, a guy who’s about to get married and realizes that he has no close guy friends because he’s always been the totally devoted boyfriend. In comes Sydney (Jason Segel) , dedicated batchelor for life and all around nut case, who comes into Peter’s life and reminds him how to be a dude and do dude things.

The best part of this movie had to be the commentary between Rudd, Segel, and director John Hamburg. Essentially they just make more jokes about each scene and give you more information about how many takes certain shots took to get because everyone was laughing or when natural laughs were caught on film and used in the final film. The best part has to be Segel’s constant apologies to the viewers that he hasn’t appeared in the film until it’s almost half over.

This movie had me laughing til I was in tears. You’ve probably already seen it but you probably didn’t listen to the commentary, so you should do that.

ANGEL- A

I had recognized the cover of this film from something my friend August had posted somewhere online and decided to check it out based on that simple recommendation. This film, based in France (and also in French), follows the seemly worthless life of Andre (Jamel Debbouzeis) as he is at his wit’s end and decides to end his pointless life. He is “saved” by a beautiful woman, Angela (Rie Rasmussenwho would normally have nothing to do with a loser like himself, but seems to have been dealt a worse hand then he. They meet as both are attempting suicide by jumping off a bridge and end up sticking together after Angela pledges her servitude to Andre after he saves her from drowning.

The story line is sort of an unconventional love story centered around values of self-worth and redemption. There is somewhat of a twist at the end of the film as Andre finds out more and more about Angela as the film unfolds. In the end, a man who at first appears worthless to himself and everyone around him rises above and beyond his capabilities.

THE BROWN BUNNY

I would consider this an “art film” and if you don’t have an open mind or an hour or two to set aside I wouldn’t bother with it. I found out about this film from some “most scandalous films” list or something like that. It is mostly known for a scene in the movie where Chole Sevigny performs fellatio on (at the time boyfriend) actor/director Vincent Gallo. The scene was apparently shot in a room with just the two of them by a camera Gallo set up himself. If you’re trying to watch the film to see this, I would just skip to the end if I were you or just look up a clip or videos of it online. The film is centered around motorcylist Bud Clay (played by Gallo) as he travels with his motorcyle in a van towards his next race. He interacts with only a few characters along the way, all of which are women and all of which he shares an incredibly intimate but short moment with. He is lamenting over a lost love and has “lost the ability to love” even when it is presented in front of him and both he and the woman he’s with are willing.

The story line and way that this film are shot really amazed me. It’s such a personal film and the audience begins to feel intrusive while watching Bud take this trip. Outside the hardcore porn style ending, the film’s conclusion is both powerful and telling of Bud’s journey and his current state of mind.

The film was shot in 16mm film and then enlarged to 35mm in order to give it a certain grain effect found in a lot of older films.Among the controversy of this film was a small battle between Gallo and reknown film critic Roger Ebert who said that the film was the worst film in the history of the Cannes Film Festival where it was first shown. Other critics said that the film was too long and dragged on in certain scenes, particularly in the beginning of the movie with footage of a race track and another of Bud while he is driving.  Gallo ended up cutting around 25 min of footage in the final version of the film, which still has its moments of drag.

I didn’t really mind how much this film dragged because I thought that it related well to the storyline. A long roadtrip anywhere is very boring especially if you are driving alone. It’s an event usually characterized with exciting events and self-discovery but in reality there is a lot of downtime in between. That a long with the mental state of depression and lonliness of the main character made the long scenes of nothing in the movie acceptable.

Watch this movie with an open mind and you’ll be rewarded in the end.

Kris is most well known for being the singer of the Baltimore screamo band Age Sixteen but he’s also an excellent photographer and a writer (as well as being an awesome dude).

I decided to break his article into a series of posts because each film is written about extensively and I don’t want the homepage turning into a wall of text.  Thanks for contributing Kris!

“I’ve always enjoyed the experience of watching films since I was a kid. My family had a pretty extensive VHS collection growing up so there was always something that I could find that I hadn’t seen yet or couldn’t appreciate before. After going through an art program and taking a handful of classes based on analyzing film, I’ve come to love it even more. There is definitely a difference between a “good” film and a “great” film. Most audiences can appreciate a good film but I think that there is a level of nerdom that comes with picking out great films. I hope to someday take more classes on the art of film, until then I settle with obsessively watching films and even going the extra mile of watching “the making of:” ’s, listening to commentary from directors and actors and doing research of the films on wikipedia and imdb.

A lot of really good films came out in 2009 as did a lot of bad. I actually didn’t end up seeing most of them due to how much I hate going to the movie theater nowadays. The combination of the ridiculous ticket prices and disrespectful people talking through the movie or constantly kicking my chair is a huge turn off for me. I feel like a 50 year old man asking the kids next door to stop throwing their ball across my yard and then hopping over to get it, thus crushing my prize winning summer squash, but I just rather not spend $10 on an overall unpleasant experience. Not to mention that there are few movies that I would even want to spend that much money on watching anyway.

Long story short, I’ve really come to enjoy Netflix especially after they finally added their “Watch Instantly” feature to Apple computers. There I have access to thousands of movies, some of which I’ve always have wanted to see, some which I should have seen but haven’t, some that I never would have watched in a movie theater, and others which I stumble upon randomly.

Since I haven’t seen a lot of the movies that came out in 2009 yet because they aren’t on DVD yet or I haven’t gotten them in the mail, I figured that I would go back in my Netflix history and suggest 10 movies that I saw in 2009 and think are worth the readers of this blog to take the time to view (out of my humble opinion) if you haven’t already. Each will have the link to it’s respective imdb page if you want to find out more about them.”

Top Ten Movies I saw in 2009 (in alphabetical order)

ALMOST FAMOUS

This was one of the many movies that I have wanted to see at one point, but just forgot about for whatever reason. A “coming of age” movie loosely based on the true life of director Cameron Crowe’s (Fast Times at Ridgemont High (book), Jerry McGuire, Vanilla Sky) experience as a writer for Rolling Stone. Crowe started writing for the magazine as a teenager as does the lead character William Miller (Patrick Fugit). The story portrays what you may think of a typical “rock n’ roll” lifestyle of touring bands in the 70’s and this introverted, naive teenager who becomes a part of it and experiences several life lessons in an otherwise atypical environment.

I think what I liked most about this movie was how much I could relate to the main characters and thinking about how insane it would be to both go on a nationwide tour and start to make it big as a musician(from the standpoint of the guys in the band) as well as hang out and experience the lifestyles of individuals who you hold to such a high, unrealistic regard. Having the director actually have lived the story that he was retelling really reflected in the acting, locations and believability of the movie. While watching it you don’t feel like this is something that could and would never happen in real life because of the relationships and interactions of the characters in the film. It all feels real and you start to relate to the characters – you want Stillwater to make it big as a band, you want William and Penny (Kate Hudson) to settle down together and for him and Russell (Billy Crudup) to stay close friends.

There is a lot of trivia and interesting facts about this film which you can read on imdb one of which is that the music budget was $3.5 million due to the over 50 different original songs used for the film. Supposedly most films have a budget of less than $1.5 million. You can also read the direct relationships of scenes in the movie to the actual experiences of Crowe.

AMERICAN BEAUTY

Such an amazing film with so many iconographic scenes: plastic bag floating in the wind, roses flowing out of the shirt of Mena Suvari, etc. After watching it, I felt a really weird and indescribable sadness for the characters and the reality that it was mimicking. I knew a lot of the memorable scenes already when I saw them, but in the context of the movie they mean so much more. The attention to detail in this film is ridiculous and I would definitely recommend reading the “trivia” about it on imdb. I love when movies leave you wanting more and with unanswered questions because that means that the director and actors did their jobs in making you believe in the world that they created and its story so much that you want more. Apparently the original script of the movie included more scenes which extended the story past the way it ends and also changes key decisions made by characters within the film.

The title of the film comes from a breed of rose actually called the American Beauty which is beautiful in appearance but tends to rot from underneath at the roots and branches of the plant. The flower, like the suburban life portrayed in the film, seems perfect from the outside but has hidden flaws which can not be seen at first glance.

“So Some of the records that would have made this list came out very late in 2008 so i’ll just stick to 2009.  Chad mentioned some I may have put on here but in order to do ten I left the records that were in both or our lists out.  Here is my top 10 in no particular order:”

CHRIS WOLLARD AND THE SHIP THIEVES – S/T

Chris Wollard used to play for Hot Water Music. I loved this record as soon as I heard it.  Its just straight forward country/Rock. It has a distinct sad tinge to it and it just stuck with me.  Im slowly noticing that I am leaning towards heavily country influenced sounding records the older I get.

THE TEMPER TRAP – Conditions

I played this record so much this summer on tour.  This record is so unlike anything I usually listen to.  I would go as far as saying everyone in my band will think of me whenever they hear this record.  Every song is Unbelievably catchy and the singer has so much soul in his voice.

MAKE DO AND MEND – Bodies of Water

I fell in love with this EP as soon as I heard it.  Its so melodic and the lyrics got to me.  I felt like I related a lot to this record.  They were great live and we got to hang out a bit.  Its the best when you become friends with bands you love.

CLOUDKICKER – Portmanteau

Instrumental Metal. This is a machine of an EP.  It is so complicated but so easy to listen to at the same time.  While driving around at work, i listened to this on repeat for a week straight.

DARKEST HOUR – The Eternal Return

They have always been one of my favorite bands.  Although i rarely listen to metal like this anymore, darkest hour will always hold that sweet spot for me.  This record didn’t blow my mind but they definitely did not disappoint and can still write amazing music.  Some of the riffs on this record are so memorable

MY HEART TO JOY – Seasons in Verse

These guys are friends of ours and I feel like this record reminded me of when I was 18.  Just has a very nostalgic feel for me

RUINER – Hell is Empty

I have a lot of personal ties with ruiner.  I think I would love anything they put out.  One of my favorite bands of all time.

POLAR BEAR CLUB – Chasing Hamburg

This record sounds huge.  Its so anthemic and is ust a feel good record.  They deserve to be as big as they are.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY – New Again

TBS will always be a guilty pleasure for me.  Although they are insanely polished and huge now, they still write tunes that are catchy as hell.  I found myself putting this record on a lot more than I’d like to admit.

TOMBS – Winter Hours

If you want to know how to write a record that is insanely heavy, and even more melodic and dark, and sad listen to this record.  I don’t think they could have come up with a better record title than “Winter Hours. “

*Click the title to d/l*

P.O.S – Never better

This album was actually a tie for first with Defeater’s Lost ground EP but with that being Chad’s number one I figured Id go with P.O.S. This album is indie hip hop at its finest. A punk and hardcore fan to the bone P.O.S mixes that in with his songs on Never Better. With songs about politics, the state of hip hop in satirical fashion and last but not least the fear of getting old without ever loving someone and being forgotten. I highly suggest this for anyone who has even the slightest interest in hip hop.

Defeater – Lost Ground

This EP blew me away at first listen. The story and all the intertwining of other aspects like friends, family and religion that pop up at different times throughout the album are amazing. The writing makes you feel like you know this fictional person better than some of your closest friends by the end of the album. Couple that with the instrumentation that is so thought out and interesting you have one of the best things to be put out by a hardcore band in a long time.

Brand New – Daisy

As many people who know me have found out Brand New is my favorite band. They have grown leaps and bounds with every release and their albums have always come out at times in my life that they have been able to affect me in profound ways. Daisy is different. When I first listened to this album I got a sinking feeling in my stomach because for the first time their album did not immediately blow me away. I thought for the first time they had dissapointed me. Luckily with every listen this album grew on me. A lot of the textures and noises of the instruments take a while to sink in or even be heard. Now I love this album and love it more and more. Darryl Palumbo once said that if you love an album the first time you hear it, its probably a pile of shit. You will forget about it just as quickly. That is not true for every album but definitely this one.

Astronautalis - Pomegranate

Andy a.k.a Astronautilus has done a lot of growing up and getting creepy. Astronautilus started out as a normal rapper rapping over normal beats and was pretty good at it. Then Pomegranate came out of nowhere. The album has beats pulled out of sometimes indie songs and sometimes country songs. There is not as much rapping and the lyrics are sung with a raspy growl. The album is very hard to explain all I have to say is that it is great.

Touche Amore – To the beat of a dead horse

This band came out of nowhere for me. While pianos was on tour this summer we encountered countless people talking about them or wearing their shirts. So as soon as I came home it was the first thing I downloaded. The album blew me away not only for how strong the actual songs were but for the way it was recorded and the tones. The guitar tone is raw and lacks any resemblance to what you think is a modern hardcore guitar tone and the drums sound like they were recorded in a closet. But for some reason it not only works but sounds perfect.

Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

I am a sucker for country style rock/folky whatever you wanna call it. Andy Hull’s southern sing yell vocal style mixed with his writing makes Manchester a special band. Mean everything to Nothing is a great follow up to Like a virgin losing a child with the songs being more streamlined and to the point.

Converge – Axe to fall

It’s Converge. what more could you possibly want. In my opinion the best and most important Heavy band of our generation has never dissapointed and with this CD continues to hone their craft and make their strong points stronger.

Enjoy, and thank you Alex!

Hey Dude,

I understand, 2009 was a little disappointing as far as groundbreaking or “new classic” albums coming out. I did have like a top 10-15 list of albums i enjoyed this past year, but i figured i’d whittle it down to albums that really left an impact, or at least left some sign of hope to me for the future of music. So here it is my Top 5!

*click the record name to download*

Telekinesis – S/T,  Merge Records   (check out “Coast of Carolina”)

Screaming Females – Power Move,  Don Giovanni Records

Sholi – S/T,  Quarterstick Records

Horse Feathers – House With No Home,  Kill Rock Stars Records  (“Curs in the Weeds” is a life changing song!)

David Bazan – Curse Your Branches,  Barsuk Records