Over on the site proper, I just posted a column about the EP, but I wanted to open up the discussion over here on good to great EPs, because I know I already left off a bunch both new and old. Here are some of the ones I didn’t end up writing about, but seriously considered:

Annuals/Sunfold - Wet Zoo
Living Colour - Biscuits
Land of Talk - Applause Cheer Boo Hiss
Radiohead - Airbag/How Am I Driving?
Ben Folds - Sunny 16
The Promise Ring - Boys + Girls

Any other nominees for the EP Hall of Fame?

I’m a loser (baby, so why don’t you kill me.) This can not be ignored for even another minute, and it’s my own fault. For some reason I just recently discovered Beck.

Now, of course I knew who Beck was. Like most people my age I know most-to-all of the lyrics to “Loser” even if I don’t particularly care for that song anymore (”drive-by body pierce!”.) Like most people my age that attended college, I heard Odelay! ad nauseum for the entire year of 1996, most of 1997 and even some of 1998. And that’s where the problem lies. I have always known about Beck, I just never took the time to really dig into what he was about and that was an egregious error on my part.

I won’t mince words here: I was–and probably still am to some degree–overly elitist about music. In college, however, this inexplicably meant a shift from my HS days of listening to Pavement and Smashing Pumpkins to anointing bands like Korn, Orange 9MM and Limp Bizkit as the “new guard” (yes, I actually used to use the words “new guard” in casual conversation about these bands on multiple occasions) and actively promoting them to everyone I knew (note: yes, I realize I am now fired from this publication.)

I relate that story to relate this story: during this time, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was listening to Beck (and probably turning it up as loud as possible to drown out the drone of my reedy voice), and I was missing out, even though I was too busy complaining to notice much. I often loudly complained about Beck as a one-hit wonder and “fake alternative” artsist at house parties and the like (I mentioned I was insufferable, no?), but all the while I secretly suspected that “Loser” was an anomaly in Beck’s catalog (even though that song has it’s place, too) and that 10 years down the road (or thereabouts) Odelay! would be hailed as an all-time classic (I realize I just said I was too busy complaining to notice, however, I wasn’t so blind to notice that I was pretty much the only one complaining, aside from this dude who complained about pretty much anything that wasn’t Pantera.) Turns out I was right, even though I didn’t want to be. It also turns out I didn’t know I actually wanted to be right, either.

The other night as I was CD shopping (why do my CD buying excursions always inspire some barely enjoyable blog from me?–I’ll have to blog about it.) I stumbled across both Odelay! and Guero right next to each other in a used bin. Initially, I skipped over them both, the Beck-hating has been ingrained for so long it’s just Pavlovian response at this point, but then I started thinking about what a good song “Devil’s Haircut” is and how much I like “Hell Yes” from Guero. I bought them both and then proceeded to kick myself for not owning them sooner. After thinking about why I had really started to hate Beck in the first place, I realized that it was that one of my college neighbors that had really started the ball rolling. She listened to what I considered unforgiveably bad music (Counting Crows, Live, Hootie, etc.) but loved, loved, loved Beck so I immediately hated her (insufferable, remember) and Beck by association. I have made a mistake but there is nothing I can do now but admit it and move on.

Has anyone else done this? Hated a band for reasons that only become fully clear much later? Does anyone still hate Beck for “Loser”? Do you hate me for taking up valuable space and wasting you time?

Hey y’all,

Matthew Ryan’s one of my all time favorite singer/songwriters and he’s got a great album coming out on April 1st called Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State that any Springsteen and Steve Earle fans would do well to check out (or really just anybody who likes heart felt class conscious singer/songwriters). Anyway Matthew recently digitally “re-released” two albums of demo recordings he had formerly been selling on his website a few years ago. Translation: he allowed downloads to be re-posted on a blog and directed his fans to it via his MySpace page so the man must be cool with it. Both the albums are available for free download and well worth checking out, they’re def. rougher than his proper albums but the spark of creative genius is still plenty evident. You can grab them here

http://earcandies.blogspot.com/2007/09/matthew-ryan-dissent-and-hopeless.html

Expect a proper MR feature down the road once the album hits stores and his band hits the road. In the meantime also check out the stunning songs streaming on his MySpace page

In the next few weeks, everyone and their neighbor will be coming up with their top ten albums of the year. Following that, people will debate them until roughly the Fourth Of July.

What I’m wondering, though, is if they really mean anything at all. You can’t hear every single album released in any calendar year, and, from a persnal perspective, every year I hear something from the previous year that I kick myself for not having found just a few months earlier. So by March I have essentially lied on my previous year’s list. But again, does it matter?

Does anyone pay attention at all? I know I have a select few critic’s lists that I watch for because I trust their taste and know they will have at least one album on it that I will have been on the fence about (or an album that I completely missed) and it will be the final push I need to go get it.

What about everyone else? Is it just critics metaphorically masturbating, coming up with clever phrases about semi-obscure albums that the general public cares nothing about? Or is it a legitimate source of interest for you? Does it make you reconsider buying anything you may have passed on (or sort of disliked) during the year?

This press release was originally put out by Olson’s label, Hacktone Records.

“Victory is spelled O-L-S-O-N.”

——————–

KANYE OUTDUELED BY MARK OLSON IN NORWAY BEEF

The rock-solid numbers just don’t lie: alt-country troubadour and founding member of The Jayhawks Mark Olson has outsold hip-hop popster Kanye West in Norway’s hottest music feud.

Explains a relieved Olson, “I said I would retire - just plain stop making records - if I didn’t outsell him in Norway. Luckily, my fans still believe in the power of romantic folk rock.”

After a tense few weeks spent combing the blogosphere and eyeballing the charts, Olson heaved a sigh of relief, learning that his solo opus The Salvation Blues has clearly trumped West’s Graduation, selling hundreds and hundreds and hundreds…and hundreds more copies to Norway’s esteemed audiophiles. The beef is over and Norwegian music fans have declared Olson the undisputed winner.

As of press time, the defeated West has yet to comment. Critics are abuzz with speculation that Olson’s Norwegian triumph in the sales wars may even push the embattled 50 Cent further towards retirement in the wake of West’s Scandinavian flatline. The message is clear - Olson’s got game and the hits will keep on comin’.

The trash talking leading up to this point has been fairly nonexistent, mostly because Olson’s a nice fellow and because, well, Kanye probably wasn’t even aware of the Salvation/Graduation feud in the first place. But that doesn’t stop HackTone Records’ David Gorman from commenting:

“This is a great day for romantic folk rock and for HackTone in general. We have nothing but respect for Kanye and we look forward to a rematch when both he and Mark are ready to drop their next joints on the Norwegians. Either that or Kanye and Mark could just bury the hatchet and collaborate on a new track. Mark’s a wonderful lyricist and a terrific harmony singer, qualities Kanye can no doubt appreciate.”

Team HackTone remained professional throughout the nail-biting chart-climb, but maintains Gorman, “We always secretly knew that when squared off, Mark would totally top Kanye, especially after the Norwegian press went bonkers over the album. Victory is spelled O-L-S-O-N and man, it’s sweeeeet.”

Indeed, the Norway critics still can’t stop throwing stars at a pleased Olson and his album. Says popular daily paper Dagsavisen, who rated Salvation 6 out of 6, “Et fint etterord til et album som fra før var så godt som perfekt.” Not to be unsportsmanlike, but it’s pretty much a sure thing that Kanye was barely a blip on the Dagsavisen radar.

Olson, ever the kind soul, is quick to add, “But that Kanye’s a good guy-seems real nice, a hard worker…salt of the earth.”