The Bacon Review

An annual Top 31 countdown of the best albums of the year

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thesufjanstevensmodel5000:




FIVE MORE DAYS until we kick off the Surfjam Estabanopolis Christmas Spectacular Seasonal Affective Disorder Sing-a-long Sensation. IF YOU’RE ATTENDING THESE SHOWS, PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Learn all the songs on this…

thesufjanstevensmodel5000:

FIVE MORE DAYS until we kick off the Surfjam Estabanopolis Christmas Spectacular Seasonal Affective Disorder Sing-a-long Sensation. IF YOU’RE ATTENDING THESE SHOWS, PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Learn all the songs on this “Wheel of Christmas” and come ready to sing w/ gusto, bravado, vibrato, bravura, brave heart, with drunken joyfulness and zealous ribaldry, i.e. as loud as possible, with CHRISTMAS CONFIDENCE. “Holly Jolly” might be less familiar. “We Need A Little Christmas” is slightly obscure. And “Sleigh Ride” is quick, so drink your Red Bull. We won’t be doing ANYTHING in 7/8 I promise. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” will be in 3/4, as it is on the album. (If you can’t afford the album, all the songs are streaming on the interweb.com.org.edu.) We’ll be playing many other songs as well, and you are free to join us with a chorus, etc. WEAR A SANTA HAT IF YOU HAVE ONE. Wear PRADA. or Balenciaga. The band for this tour is: Rosie Thomas, Nedelle Torrisi, Casey Foubert, James McAlister, and Ben Lanz. And me. We have our work cut out for us. XXO, SS

Holy crap this is going to be insane. Be sure, also, to watch the 7 new videos he’s created for the launch of his new Christmas box set.

November 26, 2012 by Royal Stuart
November 26, 2012 /Royal Stuart
sufjan stevens, read
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November 26, 2012 by Royal Stuart

These Sufjan Stevens videos get more and more bizarre, which, considering what we’ve seen so far, is really saying something. Here’s the first of 7 videos in his “Friendship Slay Ride” series.

Can’t say I laughed out loud at any of these, but I definitely watched each one through to the end in mouth-dropping amazement.

The other 6 can be found here:

Friendship Slay Ride 2 of 7
Friendship Slay Ride 3 of 7 — my favorite
Friendship Slay Ride 4 of 7
Friendship Slay Ride 5 of 7
Friendship Slay Ride 6 of 7
Friendship Slay Ride 7 of 7

Also note if you have tickets to see his show on the “Surfjam Estabanopolis Christmas Spectacular Seasonal Affective Disorder Sing-a-long Sensation” tour, Sufjan has given special instructions on his website.

November 26, 2012 /Royal Stuart
sufjan stevens, watched
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November 21, 2012 by Royal Stuart

New Frightened Rabbit album, Pedestrian Verse, coming February 5, 2013. Here’s one of the songs from the album, “Dead Now.” A montage video, not much to it really. But still: NEW FRIGHTENED RABBIT!

November 21, 2012 /Royal Stuart
frightened rabbit, watched
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November 15, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Thanks to Sufjan Stevens, it’s going to be one of the most bizarre and twisted Christmases ever. Looking forward to the start of Christmas-music season on November 23, which means the Bacon Calendar won’t be too far behind.

November 15, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
sufjan stevens, watched, christmas
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November 15, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Here’s Trent Reznor’s How to Destroy Angels with “Keep It Together” from the band’s just-released An omen EP._

It’s oddly exciting to hear Trent’s voice after so many years of not really paying attention to him. This song leaves a little to be desired. I felt it building to something, but never really paying off.

Tease.

November 15, 2012 /Royal Stuart
How to Destroy Angels, trent reznor, Nine Inch Nails, watched
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November 13, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Sticking with the expectedly bizarre, here’s Sigur Rós with a long-form music video called “Valtari,” featuring dancers having choreographed courtship and consummation to clips from four Sigur Rós songs, all from their 2012 album of the same name.

November 13, 2012 /Royal Stuart
sigur rós, watched
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November 13, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Bjӧrk, “Mutual Core,” from last year’s Biophilia, of which the official remix album Bastards comes out next week.

(do check out that home page when you get a chance. It’s bizarrely beautiful.)

November 13, 2012 /Royal Stuart
bjork, watched
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November 06, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I left SXSW back in March very excited about Cold Specks, based entirely on — I kid you not — a 15 minute set. But then I got her debut album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion a couple months later, and was thoroughly unimpressed.

But now, here we are, 7 months after SXSW, and my head is back in the game. This new video for “Hector” is just right, and the song is great, too. Enjoy!

November 06, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Cold Specks, watched
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November 06, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Well that’s fun. I know pretty much zero about Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, but this video for their song “Hoshi Neko,” from their 2011 album YT//ST, is a good use of stop-motion animation. This is what David Lynch or Tim Burton would do if they were making music videos in 2012.

November 06, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Yamantaka Sonic Titan, watched
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October 26, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Heard this for the first time this morning and have now played it on repeat 5 times. Such a great, simple song by this new-to-the-scene Irish band Little Green Cars. The video’s full of unhappy hipsters (cf), but the song is so good, I’m ok with that.

(also — since when did bands start performing on Dr. Phil, especially as part of their first US tour?)

October 26, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, Little Green Cars
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October 25, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I missed this performance by Magnetic Fields front man Stephin Merritt at KEXP earlier this year. Words cannot express my love for this man and his gorgeous music.

October 25, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, magnetic fields, stephin merritt, restroom
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October 25, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I have tickets to see Sufjan Stevens’ “Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant on Ice” show when it comes to town in the beginning of December. Seeing this video makes me equally excited and frightened for what’s in store.

October 25, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Sufjan Stevens, Christmas, watched
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October 13, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Thank god Sharon Van Etten released this new video from her early 2012 release, Tramp. I put this album down shortly after SXSW and forgot to pick it up again. Until now. Good stuff.

October 13, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, Sharon van Etten
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October 04, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Take the best parts of Passion Pit, Tilly and the Wall and Mates of State and you end up with Norway‘s Team Me, at least that’s what it seems like from the only song I’ve heard of theirs, “With My Hands Covering Both of My Eyes I Am Too Scared to Have A Look At You Now.”

Great song. Pretty crazy video, too.

October 04, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, team me, tilly and the wall, mates of state, passion pit, norway
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October 03, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I’ve not heard of the Wooden Sky, but this video, and this song, “I’m Your Man,” from their album Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun, is downright haunting.

That guitar. Those chords. That SOLO.

Must learn more.

October 03, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, wooden sky
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October 03, 2012 by Royal Stuart

There goes Grizzly Bear, “Yet Again” with the crazy music videos. This song’s from their recently-released album Shields.

October 03, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, grizzly bear
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September 20, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I really like the place Jon Hamm has taken in pop culture, willing to make himself look like a fool day in and day out. Here he is in Aimee Mann’s awesome new video for her song “Labrador” from her new album Charmer.

The video is a complete scene-for-scene remake of ’Til Tuesday’s hit “Voices Carry,” with some comic twists. As you probably already know, Aimee got her start as the lead singer in ’Til Tuesday, and that video came out in 1985. This new version of the video has Aimee reprising her role, with Jon Hamm directing, and Superchunk/Mountain Goats’ Jon Wurster as her love interest. Also starring Ted Leo, Michael Hausman, Daniel Ralston and Leah Giblin.

September 20, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, aimee mann, ’til tuesday, jon hamm, john wurster, ted leo, michael hausman, daniel ralston, leah giblin
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September 18, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Chris Hardwick, Rob Corddry, Anna Kendrick and Fraggles: nothing could signal the triumphant return of Ben Folds Five better. “Do It Anyway” is the first single from the band’s recently released fifth full-length, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind. I like Ben Folds’ solo work, but I’m super excited that he got the band back together.

September 18, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, ben folds five, fraggles, chris hardwick, anna kendrick, rob corddry
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September 07, 2012 by Royal Stuart

David Byrne and St. Vincent, with “Who” from their forthcoming collaboration Love This Giant. This video is pretty much exactly what I thought a video with these two wackadoo performers would be like.

September 07, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, david byrne, st. vincent
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August 31, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Not sure what to think of this new Moonface video, but hey, it’s Spencer Krug. From the 2012 album, With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery.

August 31, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, Moonface, Spencer Krug
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