Kata Rokkar’s Favorite Songs Of The Decade

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

You may notice a few differences between this list and the album list. I don’t feel I need to justify that due to the distinct difference between a song and a full album. These are the songs that I still listen to on repeat; they made me laugh, tear up, dance, think, and morph my own tastes into what they are today. So here in no particular order is my Favorite Songs of the Decade. Picking a favorite song is like picking a favorite child, it changes depending on your mood…

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[mp3] Max Richter – The Trees from The Blue Notebooks (2004)

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[mp3] Interpol – Obstacle 1 from Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

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Bon Iver – For Emma from For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)

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[mp3] Jeremy Enigk – Been Here Before [Remaster] from The Missing Link (2007)

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Phoenix – Fences from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

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[mp3] Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead from Set Yourself On Fire (2005)

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[mp3] Shearwater – Rooks from Rook (2008)

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[mp3] Minus the Bear – Pachuca Sunrise from Menos el Oso (2005)

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[mp3] Radiohead – Reckoner from In Rainbows (2007)

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[mp3] The One AM Radio – A Ghost On The East Coast from A Cloud’s Fear Of Kites (2006)

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[mp3] Jonah Matranga – Learning from All Of Always New (2000-2001)

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Justice – Genesis from † (2007)

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Daft Punk – Robot Rock from Human After All (2005)

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[mp3] Explosions in the Sky – Your Hand in Mine from The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)

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MGMT – Of Moons, Birds & Monsters from Oracular Spectacular (2008)

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The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 1 and 2 from The Crane Wife (2007)

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[mp3] Sufjan Stevens – Holland from Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State (2003)

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[mp3] Russian Circles – Death Rides a Horse from Enter (2006)

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[mp3] Cut Chemist – The Garden from The Audience’s Listening (2006)

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[mp3] The Notwist – Consequence from Neon Golden (2003)

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dredg – The Canyon Behind Her from El Cielo (2002)

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The Arcade Fire – Wake Up from Funeral (2004)

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[mp3] Aphex Twin – Windowlicker from Windowlicker [Single] (2000)

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Björk – Desired Constellation from Medúlla (2004)

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[mp3] Iron & Wine – Fever Dream from Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)

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[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains from Fleet Foxes (2008)

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M.I.A. – Paper Planes from Kala (2007)

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The Swell Season – When Your Mind’s Made Up from Once (Original Soundtrack) (2007)

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[mp3] Wintersleep – Jaws of Life from Wintersleep (2005)

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With the Night from Fever to Tell (2003)

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The White Stripes – Hotel Yorba from White Blood Cells (2001)

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[mp3] Spoon – All The Pretty Girls Go To The City from Kill The Moonlight (2002)

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[mp3] Stars of the Lid – Humectez La Mouture from And Their Refinement of the Decline [CD2] (2007)

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[mp3] Sigur Rós – Untitled IV from ( ) (2002)

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[mp3] Battles – Atlas from Mirrored (2007)

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Tags: Aphex Twin, Battles, Björk, Bon Iver, Cut Chemist, Daft Punk, dredg, Explosions in the Sky, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, iron & wine, Jeremy Enigk, Jonah Matranga, Justice, M.I.A., max richter, MGMT, minus the bear, Phoenix, radiohead, Russian Circles, Shearwater, sigur rós, spoon, stars, stars of the lid, sufjan stevens, The Arcade Fire, the decemberists, The Notwist, The One AM Radio, The Swell Season, The White Stripes, wintersleep, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Posted in Favorite Songs of the Decade, Music | No Comments »

This Week in Bay Area Live Shows: July 19th – 25th

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Lake Tahoe is in the Bay Area right? Sure it is…I don’t know I’ve only lived here for a year. It’s relivent enough to mention though. Wanderlust Festival is this weekend (July 24-26th) up in Lake Tahoe. The line-up includes Andrew Bird, Broken Social Scene, Spoon, Rogue Wave, Mates of State, Girl Talk, Kaki King, Gillian Welch, Jenny Lewis, Michael Franti & Spearhead (eww), Amanda Palmer, Spearhead, Jai Uttal, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Mutaytor, The Honey Brothers, and The London Souls. The pictures of people doing Yoga are kind of freaking me out, but it looks fun nonetheless. Anywho, here’s this week’s schedule…

Today has veteran shoegaze act Trespassers William and Robert Gomez with The Theatre Fire at the Hemlock Tavern, sfSoundSeries presents avant-garde masters Milton Babbitt, Alvin Lucier, Olga Neuwirth, Matt Ingalls, and Hans Thomalla at the ODC Theater, and the mighty Judgement Day, TRICLOPS! and The Definite Articles rock out at the Bottom of the Hill.

Monday features Blue Öyster Cult at Slim’s and hip hop acts Awol One, Factor, and Ceschi at the Element Lounge.

Tuesday will be pretty packed with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Girls, and The Champagne Socialists performing the Rickshaw Stop, electro-act Casiotone for the Painfully Alone will be at the Bottom of the Hill, and the ever-so amazing hip hop group Doomtree featuring Sims, Cecil Otter, Paper Tiger, Dessa, Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak, Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak will be playing the Elbo Room.

Wednesday has synth-pop sweetie La Roux with io echo at Café du Nord, the Fake Problems show at the Bottom of the Hill is canceled, and experimental pop group Micachu & The Shapes keep it real at the Rickshaw Stop.

Thursday, The Weakerthans play The Great American Music Hall, hip-hop legends De La Soul hit up The Fillmore, and singer-songwriter iaWillm Fitzsimmons soothes The Independent.

Friday has of Montreal and Jon Brion at the Fox Theater in Oakland and reggae acts The Lions, Bedouin Soundclash and Rootbeer featuring Pigeon John hits up Slim’s.

Saturday has the reunited No Doubt, Paramore, and The Sounds at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and local indie pop act maus haus plays with Rainbow Arabia at the Bottom of the Hill.

I’ll be at ComicCon a majority of this week, but those are your recommendations for this week. Have fun!

Olga Neuwirth – Lost Highway

Trespassers William – Sparrow

Ceschi – Frank Purpose

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan

SIMS – Muziektes

Paper Tiger – 1995

De La Soul – Big Mouf (Clean)

The Lions – Salam Hadji

Tags: Alvin Lucier, Amanda Palmer, andrew bird, Awol One, Bedouin Soundclash, broken social scene, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Cecil Otter, Ceschi, De La Soul, Dessa, Factor, Gillian Welch, girl talk, Girls, Jai Uttal, Jenny Lewis, Judgement Day, Kaki King, mates of state, Matt Ingalls, Michael Franti & Spearhead (eww), Mike Mictlan, Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak, Milton Babbitt, No Doubt, Olga Neuwirth, Paper Tiger, Paramore, Rogue Wave, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, SIMS, Spearhead, spoon, The Honey Brothers, The Lions, The London Souls, The Mutaytor, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Triclops!, Wanderlust Festival
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Kata Rokkar’s Mid-Year Review 2009

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

So far this year has been quite musically mindblowing. But wasn’t that kind of expected? With even more anticipated albums, songs, and tours on the horizon, 2009 is shaping up to be one of the better years on the decade.

Top 5 Albums That Met/Surpassed My Expectations

Simplistic and a combination of years of timeless work.

Meticulously crafted and easy to get obsessed with. An instant classic.

Too easy? STFU! This album will forever be an example of when everything we knew about experimental pop changed.

Sunlight and skill in a 12-track album. Way better than expected.

Took some time to love but there is something special going on here that is beyond a simple rock album…

Top 5 Songs That Caught Me Off Guard (in a good way)

Sleepy Sun – White Dove

St. Vincent – Save Me From What I Want

Bat for Lashes – Glass

Mos Def – Auditorium – Mos Def,

Clues – Remember Severed Head

Best Compilation For Anyone With Good Taste

The Grizzly Bear and Feist song alone is worth purchasing this perfectly crafted comp.

Top 5 EPs That Teased Me To The Point Of Joyous Anger

The amount of imagination and playfulness is undeniable. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

They never cease to amaze and pull at the heart strings.

This is the evolution of true rock music in the making. I can’t wait until August 25th for the full product.

Spoon at the their most dramatic and dreamy. An interesting listen.

Is he seriously of this world?

Top 5 Instrumental/Ambient Album That I’ve Been Reading To

This is a monster that has been awakened to destroy your eardrums.

A moving debut masterpiece.

Refusing to be pigeon-holed or classified. Gifts delivers their most personal record yet.

I am so happy this finally got a proper release. An emotionally effusive debut.

Calming and disarming for anyone with a heart.

More Albums That Are Blowing My Mind This Year

Tags: Animal Collective, Bat For Lashes, Bon Iver, Clues, dark was the night, dredg, Gifts From Enola, Goonies Never Say Die, Grizzly Bear, irepress, Jeremy Enigk, jonsi & alex, mew, mewi, mewithoutyou, Mos Def, pan-american, Portugal. The Man, sleepy sun, spoon, St. Vincent, SUNBEARS!, The mary onettes
Posted in Favorites of 2009, Music | No Comments »