The Big Pink‘s Debut Album A Brief History of Love is quite good but not quite enough to my liking to make my list of top albums of 2009, which, I’m still compiling. Yes, I  know. It’s already February. The Big Pink are an electro-rock duo from London England with definite shoe-gazing elements in their first collection of noise rock. “Dominos”, their first single, was probably a bigger hit in both the U.S. and England but “Velvet” takes the prize for this band’s top single so far. It’s hypnotic and draws you in each second of its 4 minutes and 25 seconds. The video’s great too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3twi3iSNQ

If you like that, check out the 7-minute remix of Velvet by Gang Gang Dance. It’s quite a ride. Download here.

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So what was my impression in our short, two-day sojourn through this parched land of mega skyscrapers? Well let’s just say that my expectations weren’t that high so they were in fact, exceeded. Gaudi decided to build the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, which is truly a wonder not only because it’s beautiful but also because  of the sheer gall that anyone could ever even contemplate such a project. Maybe the same will be said about some of the “projects” in Dubai someday? Then again…maybe not. It’s not that I don’t believe Dubai is impressive in many ways. Some of the architecture is quite interesting simply because in a wealthy autocracy there are no limits as to what can be done and no committees and hoops for architects to jump through, and plenty of cheap labor that can work all the time – Oh, I mean only when the temperature is “below 50 degrees celcius”. It’s more like Sheik says “Jump” and they do.

Abandon Car in Dubai

Well as we all know, there was a little too much jumping in Dubai, which resulted in its current bankrupt state. What would have been the Burj Dubai is now the Burj Khalifa thanks to the head of Abu Dhabi who bailed the builders out so it could be finished. Was it worth it? I kind of think so. After all, even the Empire State building was in debt and not full when it was finally finished. And we couldn’t imagine life without it now.  The Burj Khalifa is a wildly impressive structure that can be seen from just about anywhere miles away. It gives the illusion that you’re quite close when in fact you could be very far away from it. Despite how much our friend Savio wanted us to visit the “top” (the observation deck is on the 124th floor of 160 habitable floors. There are another 46 floors that can only be used for maintenance because of the building’s telescopic shape), we decided not to because of rumored 2 1/2 hour lines and 2 straight hazy days.

What about The Palm? Well, let’s just say that with the Burj Khalifa, they got it right. The Palm? A monorail that is not connected to the rest of Dubai’s metro that only has one stop at the end (Atlantis)? I guess it’s smart that they built that because of all the poor people who visit (or live in) Dubai who can’t afford a taxi out to the very reasonably priced Atlantis resort would be able to take the monorail? And what about the fact that there’s no way back to the “mainland” from the crescents on the sides except for the main truck of The Palm. Well, I guess this makes sense because people would naturally want to drive back through the trunk to see all of the individually unique condos and homes built along the way (not a single one alike)… The Palm? Really?

My Dooby Dislikes:

• Just about everything is new
• Too much shopping
• Alcohol is only permitted in hotel restaurants (unless snuck in)
• Droves of ex-pats tending to congregate together  – I would to!
• The existence of The Palm
• The Fake Twin Chrysler Buildings
• Draconian measures to keep people from speeding

My Dooby Likes:

• The Burj Khalifa
• Many other fascinating buildings architecturally
• The Dubai Creek
• The fact that you can send an SMS to extend your parking
• The climate – in January!
• The fact that it’s situated in a great part of the world for traveling
• Cool arab design elements everywhere
• The male swarth factor is off the charts
• Very cool (surprisingly not all tacky) luxury hotels with fantastic decor
• The wind tunnel cooling system in the museum area
• The Lebanese food
• Wafi Gourmet’s dates
• Cool lunar desert landscape to play in (see us dune-buggy riding in the photos)
• Everything, and I mean everything, is clean
• Lamcy Plaza
• Beautiful Mosques
• Hilla, Ankur, and Eric (how cool they are in every way)

So, I think that all in all, there are more Dooby Likes than Dooby Dislikes. This will make Adi very happy

But what is my absolute favorite thing about Dubai?

This cool Costa Coffee Cup, bought at Dubai Airport.

I bought a cup of coffee when transiting in Dubai on the way to Karachi at Costa Coffee in the airport. Despite the beginning of my jet lag I noticed that the cup has one of the coolest designs I’d ever seen, a fact that I’m sure went unnoticed by Senor Khalifa. This cup has wavy ridges built into it so that the coffee drinker does not burn her hands AND doesn’t have to put on one of those “jackets” since it’s built into the cup. Efficient. Cool. Environmental. (I know some will disagree with that but what the heck) Cost Effective? I don’t know. But regardless, it’s cool. So the design of this cup is my absolute favorite thing about Dubai.

Oh wait a minute…. Isn’t Costa Coffee a British chain?

Thanks for reading: Dubai – The Old, The New, and The Trip – in Rants. Now check out Dubai – The Old, The New, and The Trip – in Photos!

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Cover of Actor

In today’s times, this song might be more aptly titled “Out of Work” as it applies to many more people than actors who are perenally out of work. Or maybe it refers to the actor in all of us that has to come out whenever we interview for a job or are put in a situation when we have to put on a proper face. St. Vincent is the artist name that Annie Erin Clark goes by. She’s from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has played with a lot of really cool artists – namely The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens – and released Actor in May of 2009. Here’s the video for the first single “Actor Out of Work”.

Image courtesy of RavenSingsTheBlues.com

Ok I know that it’s August so this is very late but better late than never. We can call this list “The Best of 2000 Late”. My friend Pavel feels that 2008 was quite a weak year for music compared to 2007 and 2006. I’m not sure if I agree. I guess I feel pretty good that this list of albums would still be selections I would come back to years from now. I should look back at my lists from ten years ago and see how much that holds up.

There are some great new artists out there that I want to mention. They didn’t make it into my top 10 or even top 15 albums of the year, which I detail here, but these artists are worth noting for some great singles and good albums. Here’s that list:

Adele – 19.
I never really quite got into this entire album but I thought the two lead singles, “Chasing Pavements” and “Cold Shoulder” were great. I was very impressed by the impact that Adele made in the U.S., despite her naysayers, including my friend Vanessa. Read more about Adele. Or listen on My Space.

The Dears – Missiles.
I was expected to be disappointed in this album based on my friend Chris telling me that his wife described it as “quite hard in places”. So I was rather surprised that I ended up going back to it multiple times. This band never quite made the impact that their Canadian brethren Arcade Fire have, despite their penultimate album Gang of Losers being shortlisted for a Mercury Prize. But if your a fan of Morrissey or Blur, you’ll enjoy Murray Lightburn’s voice. Read more about The Dears. Or listen on My Space.

Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair.
If you love Antony & The Johnsons and you like dance music, you’ll love this collection of tunes, especially the standout single “Blind”. Read more about Hercules and Love Affair. Or Listen on My Space.

Joan as Police Woman – To Survive.
Joan Wasser started her musical career playing the violin for a band called The Dambuilders. She’s also collaborated with a huge array of artists including Lou Reed, Tanya Donnely, The Scissor Sisters, etc. Read more about Joan Wasser. Or listen on My Space.

Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke.
This New Zealand artist named herself after one of the lead characters (played by Michelle Pfieffer) in a 1985 fantasy-film of the same name. “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” are hot singles. Hope she makes more of a splash in the U.S. with her next album. Read more about Ladyhawke. Or listen on My Space.

Lykke Li – Youth Novels.
This young Swedish indie artist has lived all over the world including Portugal, India, and Bushwick Brooklyn, NY. Her debut album is noteworthy, particular for the track and video “I’m Good, I’m Gone”. Read more about Lykke Li. Or listen on My Space.

The Verve – Forth.
Richard Ashcroft’s solo work never quite resonated in the U.S. or the UK so it’s good to see him back with guitarist Nick McCabe and company. Forth doesn’t quite match the grandeur of 1997′s Urban Hymns but it’s a step in the right direction, especially with the single “Love is Noise”. Read more about The Verve. Or listen on My Space.

Now here is the Top 15 albums of 2008 with the standout track of each album, which might not always be a single. I’ve listed them in reverse order. There are some cases where I may display a video, if I thought it was particularly good. Enjoy. And if I keep up with my Song of the Week posts on this blog, you’ll have some idea of what 2009′s list will shape up to be.

The Top 15 Albums of 2008

15. M83 – Saturdays = Youth
Shoegazing never seemed so electronic as it does now thanks to the terrific job that M83 (pretty much Anthony Gonzales) did putting together Saturdays = Youth. Read more about M83 or listen to them on MySpace.

14. Duffy – Rockferry.
Often grouped with the wave of retro-soul singers that followed the success of Amy Winehouse, the Welsh singer Duffy has a unique voice and sound all her own that Bernard Butler (Suede) helped her craft. “Mercy” was the first Number 1 UK single by a Welsh woman in 25 years. “Warwick Avenue” and “Stepping Stone” were also singles that helped make Rockferry a huge success in the U.S. and UK. Read more about Duffy or listen to her on Myspace.

13. Lady Ga Ga – The Fame.
This album skyrocketed Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (aka Lady Gaga) to superstardom but she had actually been signed (for 3 months) to Def Jam records at age 19. This went nowhere but Ga Ga’s burleque and performance art shows on NY’s LES got great reviews and came out of the underground with a spot at Lalapallooza. She also had great success writing songs for Akon, Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls, and New Kids on the Block. It was Akon that heard her voice once again and was instrumental in her getting to work on The Fame. She’s inspired by glam, electronica, fashion, and has been 2009′s darling of the gay community. The Fame is a great pop record that flows great from start to finish and Poker Face has to be a contender for Single of the Year. Read more about Lady Ga Ga or Listen to her on My Space.

12. The Killers – Day and Age.
The third album by The Killers is a melding of the pop sensibility of Hot Fuss and the less accessible but more substantial follow-up Sam’s Town. Tracks like “Human” and “Spaceman” bring on the singalong factor that The Killers’ hits are famous for and “Human” especially has that signature epic Killers sound. Read more about The Killers or Listen to them on My Space.

11. TV on the Radio – Dear Science.
This was undoubtedly one of the year’s best albums with this Brooklyn outfit once again sounding unlike anyone else out there but this time kicking their music up a notch in terms of acessibility. Tracks like “Family Tree” , “The Golden Age”, and “Halfway Home” are all single-worthy but the album works really well from start to finish. Read more about TVoTR or Listen to them on My Space.

10 Keane – Perfect Symmetry
Keane came back in 2008 after lead singer Tom Chaplin’s short stint in rehab with a catchy album and a departure from the piano-based sound of their first album Hopes and Dreams. In Perfect Symmetry, Keane add guitars, synthesizers, the saxophone, and strings. This departure is most evident in the first single “Spiraling” and the obviously Bowie-inspired featured track “Better than This”. Read more about Keane or Listen to them on My Space.

9 School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
Just reading about this band made me want to hear them. Ex-Secret Machines guitarist Benjamin Curtis and identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza met on tour with Interpol and decided to quit their former bands to create School of Seven Bells, a band named after a mythical pickpocket training academy. Alpinisms is an album of ethereal indie rock that reminds me of the Cocteau Twins, specifically on my favorite track “Half Asleep”, the featured track. Read more about SVIIB or listen to them on My Space.

8 Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Australia’s Cut Copy have concocted an electro-pop bath of 80′s influenced synth and new wave with a touch of 60′s psychedelia. This duo’s second album, In Ghost colours, and follow-up to Bright Like Neon Love inspires a return back to an 80’s disco – but the cool ones that no one knew about except for you. It’s my gym soundtrack of the year. The featured track is “Hearts on Fire”. Read more about Cut Copy or listen to them on My Space.

7 Black Kids – Partie Tramatic
Despite being born in ’64 and having many 70′s life influences, I feel like the 80′s are really my era for inspirational music. Jacksonville’s Black Kids kind of provide a musical tour of that decade, channeling some of the most influential artists of that era including Robert Smith, Morrissey, ABC, and The B 52′s. The melodies and lyrics are infectious and their songs just plain make me feel good. “I’ve Underestimated My Charms” is the featured track. Read more about Black Kids or listen to them on My Space.

6 Glasvegas – Glasvegas
Glasvegas has to be one of the coolest names for a rock band I’ve ever heard. For that alone they deserve a position on this list. Glasvegas is a Scottish band that recorded their self-titled debut at Brooklyn Recording Studios in New York. Nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2009, Glasvegas is drenched in Jesus-and-Mary-Chain style noise guitar and Scottish brogue. This quintessentially British quartet are definitely a band to watch out for. “Geraldine” is the featured track. I love the reference to her being a social worker at the end. Read more about Glasvegas or listen to them on My Space.

5 Coldplay – Viva La Vida and Death to all his friends
There is the fact that I sometimes think their lead singer looks completely dorky in videos and in live performances. There is the overly emotional lyrics on previous albums and the get-the-crowd-swaying-with-cell-phones-instead-of-lighters-held-high stadium image. There’s the expectation for commercial success by their label. There’s the accusation that they stole a riff from guitarist Joe Satriani on their biggest hit single. But despite all this, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida and Death to All of His Friends is by far their best album and one of the highlights of 2008. “Violet Hill” is the featured track. Read more about Coldplay or Listen to them on My Space.

4 Grace Jones – Hurricane
Grace Jones has always been one of my favorite performers and pop personalities. Her Jamaican-American roots and Euro mystique have always intrigued me along with her fabulous androgenous and fierce look. In her 10th studio album and first album in more than 19 years, Grace Jones is still as interesting, engaging and scary as ever. The album cover features chocolate heads molded in her image. “Williams Blood” is my favorite track but “Corporate Canibal” definitely resinates in today’s world of corporate greed. I would love to send Grace in to teach some of these greedy bastards a lesson. “Corporate Cannibal” is the featured track. Read more about Grace Jones or listen on My Space. Listen to “Corporate Cannibal” here and read my earlier entry about her, featuring “Williams Blood”.

3 Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
The debut album by the Seattle-based band of the same name, Fleet Foxes reminds you of something you might have heard in the 70′s. It has an instant appeal and has been heralded by critics on both sides of the pond as “An American Classic”. Described as folk rock and baroque pop, this album complements an autumn afternoon with a hot cup of tea and a good book. “Ragged Wood” is the featured track. Read more about Fleet Foxes or listen to them on My Space.

2 Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend’s debut album was a bit of a surprise to me, not expecting to like it as much as I did. Lead singer Ezra Koenig formed the band while attending Columbia University and self-produced their first-and-only album. They’ve been quoted as calling their music “Upper West Side Soweto” as their hit song Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa exemplifies. This song clearly conjures memories of Neil Simon’s Graceland lp. Vampire Weekend’s hyper-presence on the blogosphere paved the way for their self-titled debut to peaking at number 15 and 17 on the UK and US charts respectively. “Oxford Comma” is my favorite song on the album. Read more about Vampire Weekend or listen to them on My Space.

1 Bloc Party – Intimacy
This British band has been classified as everything from indie rock to post-punk to alternative dance. Intimacy moves one from where their penultimate album, A Weekend in the City, leaves off but definitely veers more in the experimental electronic direction than before. The band of three is led by Kele Okereke who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Born to Catholic Nigerian parents and known for being extremely shy, Kele creates a lyrical roadmap his breakups and personal traumas with Intimacy – a departure from the more political A Weekend in the City just a year earlier. Bloc Party’s music can feel obtuse and somewhat “all over the place” upon first listen but it all makes sense after a while. Mercury was the first single. Read more about Bloc Party or listen to them on My Space.

British band Editors‘ third album In This Light and On This Evening still brings on the brooding darkness of previous efforts but does so without sounding like a one-trick pony, which the second album came close to doing.

‘Papillon‘ is the first single from the new album and you can really hear the Joy Division influence.

The entire album is quite good. Here’s the video for ‘Papillon’.

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