Sometimes I Look Into The Sun and Wonder What All My Worrying Was Really For

OK, I know, I know.  I started something that I couldn't finish (to quote Moz).  The Ideological Cuddle Top 10 Albums of the year started well, but never came to a conclusion.  Part of this is due to being busy, part is due to being lazy.  I think it's time to remedy this...

Album #9 - Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Now, I outlined my new-found love for Teenage Fanclub in the last post, but a few more select thoughts - Shadows continues down the pathway that the band blazed from Grand Prix forward.  It's modern pop that looks backward to the grandiosity of 60s and 70s AM radio.  The first two tracks are stand-outs - "Sometimes I Don't Need To Believe In Anything" and "Baby Lee" - and a heck of a 1-2 punch.  Here's a taste:



Album #8 - Corin Tucker Band - 1,000 Years
Another album that was outlined in its own post just a couple months ago - October, to be exact (found here).  Not Sleater-Kinney, but no less powerful and affecting, Tucker harnesses years of being a mother, a wife, and an adult (there's a concept in modern indie rock!).  It is an album that is reflective ("Riley" and "It's Always Summer"), sensual ("Dragon"), and angry (standout track "Doubt" - the closest to Sleater-Kinney that you'll hear... that is, until Carrie Brownstein's new band Wild Fang hits the ground running).  I really look forward to what Tucker has planned next.




Album #7 - Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away
This one has been a quick riser on the Ideological Cuddle list (if I hadn't finished the list in mid-December, it might have made the top 5).  Ritter's latest LP was released in special vinyl form on Record Store Day and it took quite a while to dig through all of the lyrical depths that Ritter presents.  The full impact of his prose has to be studied to be fully appreciated.  The BFF and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Ritter in concert in Toronto back in October, and he and his band absolutely tore the Phoenix Concert Hall up. The band is tight and Ritter's renditions of "Folk Bloodbath" (which premiered in fetal form on his March, 2008 tour stop to the same venue) and "Lantern" from SRTWA were fantastic.  I have been waiting months for the right time to share the video for "The Curse".  Be forewarned - this might be the only time that marionettes have ever made me cry :




Album #6 - The New Pornographers - Together
Another band that I have been singing the praises of for years, The New Pornographers stick to their formula (joyous power-pop filtered through the lenses of songwriters Carl Newman and Dan Bejar), yet allow Kathryn Calder to take her place next to Neko Case, rather than in her shadow.  You can't help but feel energized by the band's sound. Here they are performing "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" live in studio on Q TV in their native Canada (undoubtedly the best lyrical use of the word "Byzantine" ever):




Album #5 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
Another long time Cuddle favorite who swung through our region in 2010, Leo brought his trademark punk energy to venerable Buffalo dive-bar landmark Mohawk Place in June.  The place was packed wall-to-wall with every age of devotee - aging hipsters, young punks, and whatever group I belong to.  Everyone seemed to vibrate at the same frequency with the sheer frenetic energy of Ted's music, as he showcased the live intensity of the tracks from The Brutalist Bricks.  As if you ever needed another reason to see Ted Leo in concert (if you haven't you're missing out big time), the songs from this record absolutely shine live.  "Where Was My Brain?", "The Mighty Sparrow", and "Gimmie The Wire" shook the room to its foundation, while my favorite track, "Bottled In Cork" (a rumination on the state of the world filtered through a travelouge that stings of regret) was drawn out into a full-scale sing along with the tune's closing couplet" "I told the bartender/I think I'm falling in love".  The official video is downright silly and hilarious (and Paul F. Tompkins rules) :



Album #4 - Spoon - Transference
Somewhat overlooked as the year went on, owing to its release in January, 2010, Spoon continued its streak of amazingly crafted records with Transference.  As with many of the albums on this list, the band didn't really try to reinvent themselves, just merely made a few tweaks to alter their sonic delivery.  "Written In Reverse" follows in the footsteps of other danceable, funky Spoon tunes like "Don't You Evah" and "You Gotta Feel It".  "I Saw The Light" sounds like it would have fit perfectly between "I Turn My Camera On" and "My Mathematical Mind" on Gimme Fiction.  "Goodnight Laura" is contemplative and heart wrenching piano ballad along the lines of, well, nothing else in their catalogue.  Everything this band puts out sounds nothing like anyone else.  The band is truly original and fantastic.




Album #3 - The National - High Violet
Yeah, it's not my #1 record of the year.  Yes, it's fantastic.  No, it's not as good as Boxer, but not much out there is.  I've outlined the grandiosity of the National's live show (at both the Massey Hall and Rockin' at The Knox gigs in 2010) and sung the praises of Matt Berninger and crew over and over again.  This album helped to get me to understand that it was OK to be a thirty-something indie music fan in this day and age; that there were people out there in my age bracket making music and outlining themes that we understand (namely, having kids, struggling with a career, maintaining friendships, finding/losing love, mistaking sex for intimacy, feeling claustrophobic in our day and age, feeling paranoid about the government - you know, your  basic Top 40 radio themes).  And somehow, despite the heaviness of these topics, the band absolutely blew up this year; you could scarcely turn around mid-year without seeing The National on late night TV or being highlighted in print/internet media.  It would have been impossible for the band to have reached this level if the songs weren't fantastic (and they most certainly are).  Here's my favorite, live on The Interface in LA (and yes, I partially grew a beard this past Fall in a feeble attempt to look more like Matt Berninger):



Album #2 - The Black Keys - Brothers
Speaking of bands that absolutely blew up in 2010... After slogging along on the outskirts of fame for years, the Black Keys made their long-deserved breakthrough to the big time this past year, on the heels of their most ambitious (and, to my ear, best) album to date.  Prior to this album hitting the stores, there were plenty of folks who knew and loved the Black Keys, but they weren't exactly household names.  Now, they've played Saturday Night Live, have had their songs soundtrack commercial after commercial, and even came full circle to parody their "commercial" breakthrough on The Colbert Report (which, if you haven't seen, is an absolute riot - much credit to Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend for skewering their robust fame as well.  Check out the clip at Colbert's website here.)  The album should be enjoyed on vinyl (and that goes for all of my top 10) and can be purchased in one of many forms (I must say that I feel that I was punished for being a dedicated little fan and buying the record on its release day on double LP vinyl - it's subsequently been re-released on limited edition 10" records with 45rpm mastering and I would have preferred that version, but whatever).  The addition of bass and Hammond organ/harpsichord/keyboard is key to the album's success, as it pulls the Keys sound out of a blues orbit into more of a 60s Stax/Volt R&B vein (right down to the choice of recording studios - legendary Muscle Shoals).  "Everlasting Light", "10 Cent Pistol", "Black Mud" - these are centerpieces, but for me, the last two tracks are what cinches it for me.  The closing 1-2 punch of soul classic "Never Gonna Give You Up" (made famous by Isaac Hayes) and should be new soul classic "These Days" (imagine the late Sam Cooke or Otis Redding crooning this one) and unparalleled.  It's refreshing to see a band so confident in their songs that they can end a record with such gems.  Absolutely killed it live at Town Ballroom in September as well. 



Finally, The Ideological Cuddle #1 Record of the Year for 2010... Drum Roll, please...
Album #1 - Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
This album turned out the be the feel-good story of the year for me, as this was not only the most catchy, well-written return-to-form album, but also the soundtrack to my running resurrection.  On a personal level, this record gave me the push that I needed to get out there and get healthier.  It has been, almost exclusively, the soundtrack for each of my two and four mile runs since its release.   What Mac, Laura, Jon, and James did with this record is nothing short of amazing.  For a band that seemed to be lost to nostalgia just a few short years ago, to rebound with such a vital, triumphant record is inspiring.  That they've done it while making sure that Merge Records, the label Mac and Laura founded in 1989, continues to flourish as indie rocks' foremost success story is even more impressive.  The songs are great individually, but even more impressive when taken as a whole.  The track order is seamless, with one anthem flowing into another, but never feeling "samey".  As with High Violet, So Runs The World Away, and The Brutalist Bricks, Majesty Shredding finds its authors struggling with adult issues in a changing world.  No track that I heard in 2010 sums this up better than "Fractures In Plaster", a tune that celebrates getting older while recalling the fragility of life as we yearn to be like Christopher Robin "in the woods with your yellow bear", perpetually in childhood.  It was fitting that the band chose to remaster and re-release two of their best loved records, No Pocky For Kitty and On The Mouth, in 2010 as well, since Majesty Shredding sits right next to those two classics in Superchunk's celebrated discography.  You won't find a record that makes you feel better being an adult than this one.  It's about time, in the current musical milieu, that we can say that.



So, there you go. It took a while to get posted, but I hope it was worth the wait. I hope that everyone who reads this post will go out and check out these albums. They're all well worth your time.
Until next time (when I'll likely be drooling over the reissue of Emergency & I by The Dismemberment Plan), take some time to review the wonderful music that 2010 had to offer... and listen...

Here's A Song About Nothing And Everything at Once

It's been quite a while, dear readers, but we here at The Cuddle are pleased to be back on the blogging track.  Since we last had a chance to chat (and since we received our most recent threatening e-mail about removing MP3 files) there has been a lot going on in our musical landscape.  We've seen some great shows and heard some great new things that have gotten our fires stoked.  It's a time for change, as we're speeding toward the greatest time of year in sweet, little B-lo - Fall.  Just over 24 hours from now, our calendars will mark September 21st, the start of the Autumn season, and with it, Mrs. Cuddle's favorite holiday, Halloween.  We've got a lot planned between now and then, but in the meantime, on to an update:
On a beautiful late summer evening (August 28th to be exact), Mrs. Cuddle and I ventured to the Canandaigua Music and Arts Center (CMAC from now on) to see two of our favorite bands (to be fair, two of MY favorite bands, ONE of hers) - The New Pornographers opening for My Morning Jacket.  Despite being sans the rapturous Neko Case (felt more than a little slighted there), the Pornos sounded great.  Carl Newman was in fine voice as usual, the band was tight, and Kathryn Calder was downright impressive - not only singing her parts, but covering Neko's as well.  It was a little disappointing that the venue was less than 1/10th full to see one of indie rock's foremost groups, though. 
After a short intermission, the now packed CMAC was greeted by the nattily dressed quintet and its dual guitar onslaught of Jim James and Carl Brommel as they tore into "The Way That He Sings".  For the next two hours, those in attendance were held in rapt attention by what must be the finest live band playing today.  Besides the great setlist and amazing musicianship of the band, what stands out is how much fun they seemed to be having.  Jim James played a variety of guitars (among them, his signature flying-V) and danced all over the stage.  Besides playing most of our personal favorites ("Dondante" and "Wordless Chorus" were sublime), the band played new tune "Circuital" - a live version from an earlier show on 8/17/10 appears below.  This show will rank right up there with the best of our concert-going lives and made us long for their next show in our surrounding area.  A final word on the CMAC - the venue was absolutely perfect.  Great concessions, well-arranged, perfectly clean, great sound, easy parking, helpful staff.  We'll definitely make every effort to go back soon.

Just 5 days later, Buffalo's finest rock venue, The Town Ballroom, played host to another one of rock's most incendiary live acts - The Black Keys.  The room was packed to the rafters as Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney took the stage and burned through some old favorites (kicking things off, as usual, with "thickfreakness").  They were later joined by a bass player and organist to flesh out the sound of some tunes from this year's masterpiece, Brothers ("Ten Cent Pistol" was a definite highlight).  No one in the crowd left disappointed by The Keys' aural onslaught, despite the huge build-up that the show received in our local media (one would think that a band couldn't live up to the hype... The Black Keys certainly did).

This past Tuesday (September 14th to be exact) was quite the new release day, with 3 albums that will vie for places near the top of The Ideological Cuddle's Best of 2010 list.  First, the always enchanting Leonard Cohen blessed his fans with another postcard from the road of his almost two year 2008-2009 tour, adding to the spectacular Live in London which was released last year.  Songs From the Road is a CD/DVD combo (also available in 2 LP form - $35 was a little rich for my blood despite my obvious proclivity for all things wax) with 12 songs taken from various venues on the tour.  The CD and DVD contain the same material, but no matter.  Take it from a Cohen obsessive - the CD is great, but the DVD is essential.  Just watching a 74 year old musical genius weave his web of intrigue is worth the price of admission.  Each performance is pitch-perfect (Cohen's chilling intonation and impressive guitar playing on "Avalanche" is a highlight), but the version of "Hallelujah" from the 2009 Coachella Fest is TRANSCENDENTAL - try not to get chills as Cohen holds 100,000 kids in rapt attention and gets them to sing along.
Nick Cave's Grinderman project returned this past week with Grinderman 2, another album full of sex and sleaze with a psych-blues bent.  More sonically dense and lyrically evil than its predecessor, Grinderman 2 burns out of the gate with "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man", a wicked tune about two brothers clearly up to no good (OK, that's an understatement - felonious would be a better description).  When the band cranks the volume, thrashing ensues.  Where the first Grinderman record was clearly a mid-life crisis record about hunting tail ("No Pussy Blues" anyone?), this record presents the morose along with the deviant.  The protagonist in "When My Baby Comes" is longingly singing from his hospital bed, waiting for his beloved to show up (hint - she ain't coming), while "Palaces of Montezuma" professes the singer's deep love for his woman with all of the things (corporeal and ethereal) that he'll give to her.  All in all, another feather in Cave's crowded cap of masterworks.  While we're on the topic of Nick Cave, if you like the works of Irvine Welsh (author of Trainspotting and Filth, among others) and Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), by all means check out Cave's second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro.  This book is not for those looking for a clean, good time, but for those seeking a little bit of seediness with their literature.  I picked it up while on vacation and couldn't put it down.  I kind of wish I had known about the audio book version, as it's 7 discs worth of Cave reading his prose.  Perfect for the Halloween season.
The final new release from last week that has our ears ringing and our hearts leaping out of their collective chests is the thundering return to form by Merge records superheroes Superchunk.  Majesty Shredding can't be called a return to form, nor can it be called a new direction for the band.  What it can be called is a modern masterpiece of indie power-pop.  Coming through the speakers like a New Pornographers LP turned up to 45 speed, Mac McCaughan and company spin through 11 tracks without a dud in the bunch.  First single "Digging for Something" starts the proceedings off right and the band refuses to slow down throughout 42 minutes of perfection.  Most affecting might be "Fractures in Plaster" or "Everything at Once" - as each muses on getting older, and hanging on to what matters.  I must admit being a little late to the Superchunk party (only falling in love within the past 5 years and becoming full-on obsessed while in Boston earlier this year), but consider me a full convert.  It's hard to believe that there are millions out there unaware of this band's prowess and power.  This record is clearly one of the 3 best that 2010 will see and just might supplant The National's High Violet or The Black Keys' aforementioned Brothers at the top of this year's list.

Here's a live taste of some of the best that My Morning Jacket and Superchunk have to offer:

My Morning Jacket:
Live in Japan - February 6, 2009 - "Dondante"
Live in Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion - August 17, 2010 - "Circuital"

Superchunk:
Live at Duke University - September 26, 1997 - "Shallow End"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Throwing Things"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Fractures in Plaster"
Live in Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - September 17, 2010 - "Everything at Once"

Until next time, please head out to see a band that you love live in concert and check out the new Superchunk LP - it'll make your day... just listen...

I Don't Think I'm Gonna Last Very Much Longer

After another long break, the Cuddle is back, sweltering in some of the hottest weather we've seen here in Buffalo in July in ages. The entire East Coast seems mired in this heat wave, and what better way to celebrate sweating to death just breathing than an Ideological Cuddle Mix Tape. This means to be a series of mixes based on Summer themes. What better way to start than...

The Ideological Cuddle Sticky, Steamy Summer Mix

1. "Ten Cent Pistol" - The Black Keys - from Brothers
2. "Chest Fever" - The Band - from Music From Big Pink
3. "Evil" - Howlin' Wolf - from His Best: Chess 50th Anniversary
4. ""You've Got A Killer Scene There, Man"" - Queens of the Stone Age - from Lullabies To Paralyze
5. "And Then (The Hexx) (extended version) - Pavement - from Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition
6. "Ventilator Blues" - The Rolling Stones - from Exile on Main Street
7. "Shade (I Know You, Pt. 4)" - Morphine - from At Your Service
8. "Red Clay" - Freddie Hubbard - from Red Clay
9. "Too Much Sorrow" - The Greenhornes - from Dual Mono
10. "The Lure Would Prove Too Much" - The Twilight Singers - from A Stitch in Time EP
11. "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" - The White Stripes - from Icky Thump
12. "Prison Girls" - Neko Case - from Middle Cyclone
13. "Root Down (And Get It)" - Jimmy Smith - from Root Down
14. "Angels and Fuselage" - Drive-By Truckers - from Southern Rock Opera
15. "What Needs Must Be" - Dead Meadow - from Old Growth
16. "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" - Miles Davis - from Bitches Brew
17. "Ogeechee Hymnal" - Baroness - from Blue Record
18. "Sunstroke" - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - from Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
19. "I Still Want To Be Your Baby (Take Me Like I Am) - Bettye LaVette - from The Scene of the Crime
20. "Neglekted" - The Afghan Whigs - from 1965
21. "Run Thru" - My Morning Jacket - from Okonokos

Until next time, chill. And listen.

Lock Your Bedroom Door and Listen To Your Records...

Yes, Ideological Fans, the drought is over. After two long hiatuses, we are back at it at the Cuddle. And what a hiatus it has been. Since Record Store Day, we have been working hard at keeping up with all of the new vinyl releases out there, while stocking our shelves with old favorites as well.

That beautiful creature you see above is none other than the Ideological Dog, Jack, with two of his favorite new purchases. On the left, you'll note a beautiful 12" single of Billy Bragg's classic, "You Woke Up My Neighborhood", a single more famous for its first B-side - "Ontario, Quebec, and Me", a song that holds an esteemed place in Bragg lore. The sleeve has a couple of blemishes (note the slight peel on the record sleeve's lower right corner) and the vinyl has been well-loved (at least on side A), but it's still a welcome addition to the Cuddle's vinyl museum.

On the right in the picture above is our favorite new release, the record that allows The National to stake its claim as the best, and most important, band of the moment, High Violet. While it's not the highly-sought limited edition version on violet vinyl (no stores in the Buffalo area carried it... closest location would be Lakeshore Record Exchange in Rochester and a trip down the Thruway after a long day at work was NOT in the cards this past Tuesday), it was the only vinyl copy that our esteemed Record Theater had (thanks, BFF!!!!).

Now, those of you who know me know of my extreme love of The National, so anything that I say about how amazing this record is needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Look no further than Metacritic.com's current metascore of 86 to see that almost everyone agrees with me. Pitchfork's review really hits the nail on the head of how I feel about this album. It is a literate, mature, brooding work by a group of upwardly mobile thirtysomethings lamenting the slings and arrows faced by upwardly mobile, literate, educated, thirtysomethings as they face the drudgery of everyday life, the realities of marriage and parenthood, the fears of one's future, the examination of one's past, and insecurities that each of these challenges creates. It is definitely NOT for those who like their music wrapped up into tidy, neat little pop-radio-ready packages, with easily understandable themes. You won't hear "Afraid of Everyone" or "Bloodbuzz Ohio" on Top 40 radio anytime in the near or distant future (waaaaaay too intelligent for the average music fan - and if that's snobbery, so be it). Matt Berninger's voice is in it's usual state of baritone perfection (and sounds even more sonorous on vinyl). "Bloodbuzz Ohio" perfectly deals with coming to terms with one's past and one's hometown with the stellar lines - "I never thought about love when I thought about home" and "I still owe money/to the money/to the money I owe" - words that anyone with higher education school loans can commiserate with. "Runaway" is my runaway favorite, as the singer stands in the face of his issues and boldly declares, "I won't be no runaway, 'cause I won't run", yet admits that he'd prefer to be elsewhere - "What makes you think I enjoy being left to the flood?". Rarely do the songs hit an uptempo, driving pace (no "Mr. November" or "Abel" to be found here), but they don't need to. The dour mood of the album reflects the subject matter. It sucks facing reality in all of our daily lives - whether you're a physician from Buffalo or an indie rock front man from Brooklyn...

The National - "Runaway" - from the 4AD release, High Violet

Adding to a banner three weeks of new releases (which will conclude with Tuesday's releases of The Black Keys latest barn burner, Brothers and an Audiophile 180g 2 LP remaster of The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street) were the newest gems from favorites The New Pornographers and The Hold Steady. Each of these records are gems, but one is more flawed than expected.

Whenever The New Pornographers choose to release a record, it's a time of rejoicing in indie pop circles. Together is, simply put, their strongest album since, their first, 2000's Mass Romantic. Each of the band's songwriters is in strong form throughout the record with Neko Case, Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, and Carl Newman trading lead singing duties. The Pornographers finally make use of the combination of Bejar and Case's voices together in the standout "Daughters of Sorrow". In an alternate reality, this band's power pop songs would top the Billboard charts. It's fine with me that they never will.

The Hold Steady have always had substantial buzz preceding their records. Unfortunately, their latest, Heaven is Whenever, had plenty of negative buzz surrounding it. Gone is keyboard and mustache maestro Franz Nicolay, and along with him goes some of the go-for-broke, over the top sound that the band has been famous for. Now, some of the reviews for this record have praised the fact that Craig Finn and company sound a little more in control - more "mature" as some would put it - but this truly works to the band's detriment. I can only get into a couple of songs on the record and album opener "The Sweet Part of The City" can't come close to touching any of the previous three openers - "Hornets! Hornets!" from Separation Sunday, "Stuck Between Stations" from Boys and Girls In America, or "Constructive Summer" from Stay Positive. I want to think that, when played live, these songs will take flight (a recent performance of "Hurricane J" on The Colbert Report seems to back this up), but I'm not holding my breath.

As for vintage vinyl that has come into our clutches lately, we've added some beauties by Miles Davis, including a pretty nice copy of In A Silent Way, each of the two different sleeves of Tribute to Jack Johnson, and a passable copy of At Fillmore. We were also able to snag a nice copy of the Concert for Bangladesh 3 LP set with beautifully intact booklet, a first pressing of Herbie Hancock's jazz-funk masterpiece, Thrust, and an excellently preserved first pressing of Rush's first live album, All The World's A Stage (which sounded AWESOME being blared on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning while Mrs. Cuddle and I puttered about). Mrs. Cuddle has even gotten in on the act, seeking out old pop/rap/dubstep/club records for her new DJing hobby. She even encouraged a trip to check out some record stores in St. Catherine's on this past week's trip to The Great White North (we had a lot of fun digging through dusty crates of LPs and finding her a copy of her favorite Aerosmith record, Draw The Line - lots of sentimental value with that one).

Hopefully there's much more vintage vinyl to be had, as the BFF and I venture to Boston to visit friends, visit The World's Greatest Sporting Venue for Red Sox vs. Royals, and do some shopping. I've already got my vintage record stores planned out for the trip...

Until next time, be well, for heaven's sake, pick up the new National record (vinyl preferred), and listen...

She Want You To Hold Her at Night When She's Lonely and Blue

I'm not quite sure what a smoking Volkswagen bug has to do with the next band in our Decade's Best, but it just seemed like it fit very well... onward and upward...

NUMBER 6:

The Black Keys - The Big Come Up/thickfreakness

Again, too hard to pick one of these two albums. They have to be taken together, and listened to as a whole. By this point, most music fans in the know are aware of The Black Keys and their brand of swampy, Delta blues. I can clearly recall the exact first moment that I heard The Big Come Up. Mrs. Cuddle and I had gone to visit a close friend of ours and he insisted that we check out this new band that he had heard. In fact, the Keys had opened for a local band in Buffalo (the legendary Dai Atlas... they rocked hard, and faded quickly) at the legendary Mohawk Place. They wouldn't open for small change local bands for long...

The sound coming out of the speakers clearly said old-school, elderly, southern, grizzled bluesmen... but the liner notes said twenty-something white kids from Akron, Ohio. Huh? You sure about that?

Could 2 white guys from the Midwest really create this much beautiful noise? Oh yes, they could. The Big Come Up is clearly the rawer and less polished of the two records. Warts and all are present, and the record wouldn't sound the same without them. "Heavy Soul", "Leavin' Trunk", and "Do The Rump" would have sounded right in the hands of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal (an Ideological Cuddle favorite), or Lightning Hopkins. Their cover of "She Said, She Said" is (and yes, I'm about to commit blasphemy here) better than the Beatles version (there, I said it).

thickfreakness doesn't widen the Keys' sound much from The Big Come Up, but the songwriting is clearly sharper. "Midnight In Her Eyes", "No Trust", and "Hold Me In Your Arms" are beautiful snapshots of the new blues movement. Dan Auerbach's guitar playing is unparalleled, Patrick Carney's drumming is savage and primal.

A blues band unlike any other, the way to catch The Black Keys is live in concert. Mrs. Cuddle and I have caught this band about 3-4 times (mostly in Toronto - maybe they haven't forgiven Dai Atlas for resigning them to an opening slot in the B-lo). Each time, the performance improves, the guitar solos are hotter, the drumming harder, the tempos more break-neck. As the decade progressed, Mrs. Cuddle and I listened to The Black Keys together more than any other band. We purchased each of their records and stuck with them through their changes in sound - widening the scope on Rubber Factory, returning to heavy rock riff roots with Magic Potion, and getting Danger Mouse involved for Attack & Release. Each album shines on its own, but can't compare to the 1-2 punch of their first two recorded classics. By all means, catch the Keys live in concert, and you won't be disappointed.

The Big Come Up - "She Said, She Said"

The Big Come Up - "Leavin' Trunk"

We've finally reached the Top 5 of the Decade's Best. I promise not to wait another 2 weeks to post the rest, as I have a bunch of other great posts planned for the rest of this month.

While you're surfing the interweb (as MMJ would call it), check out one of the Ideological Cuddle's favorite new blogs - it's brought to you by one of our dearest friends, Julie - julesandremi.blogspot.com - as she cooks with her beautiful daughter, Ada, OH, Wait! She's in the kitchen... don't dream of calling her anything other than Remi.

Until next time, enjoy, listen, and love...