Making lists is an incredibly geeky thing to do. Seriously, it pre-supposed that you not only have a stupidly large and completely arbitrary knowledge of something, but also that you care enough to rank that thing. It’s super nerdy. I realized this, of course, while standing in a 45 minute line to get into the new Star Trek movie while discussing with my friends the finer points of how Wrath of Kahn was an amazing meditation on aging. So, lets just celebrate our inner nerdiness with the geekiest rock songs in the history of the galaxy (just this galaxy, not any far, far away ones). Before we start, some caveats: there are no parody songs because otherwise it would be the “10 Best Weird Al Songs” and these songs skew towards my own geekiness. To all those people who want to fight with me about my lack of video game related tracks I say, “whatever, nerd.”

10. “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”

A little Japanese girl takes a lot of vitamins and fights the giant pink robots that are coming to destroy us. I would watch the shit out of that movie.

9. “16 Military Wives”

Alright, alright you caught me — the song itself isn’t that geeky, but damn the music video is. To understand why this holds such a close place in my heart, you have to understand that I super did Model UN in High School and College (yes, in college too), and that it holds a very special place in my heart. The song itself is The Decemberists’ critique of American international policy, but the video is a lovely story about High School MUN — even if they don’t follow parliamentary procedure at all. Besides, I can’t tell you the amount of times I said, “The United Stated moves to declare war on The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg” in my time. Oh, memories.

8. “Common People”

Let’s examine the lines of geekiness here, shall we? The once and future Captain Kirk, William Shatner, covers a song by Jarvis Cocker, who is known for his extremely literary pop songs, and Ben Folds, who is known for being a giant nerd about silly things like a capella, produced the track. So these three men made this song. Tell me it’s not super geeky, I dare you.

7. “Matter Eater Lad”

Matter Eater Lad is actually a real super hero in the DC Universe and member of the Legion of Heroes. He eats matter, obviously. Guided by Voices wrote a song about how he was mad. It’s great.

6. “The Geeks Were Right”

I take this song to mean that the future is basically a mix between Star Trek and Blade Runner. Awesome new from The Faint.

5. “E.T.”

This song is about Doctor Who even if Katy Perry doesn’t know it’s about the Doctor. She sings about someone who’s “from a whole other world, a different dimension”. Is that world Gallifrey, Katy? Is the other dimension the TARDIS’ inside? He’s also “supersonic” like the Doctor’s screwdriver and could be the devil or an angel, depending on whether you’re talking to a Dalek or most of the human race. The only thing that could make it more about the Doctor is if she started saying “Bad Wolf” or “run you clever boy, and remember” over and over.

4. “Intergalactic”

Technically, this song is included because of the Star Trek reference in the last line, “like a pinch on the neck from Mr Spock,” and anything that references the Vulcan nerve pinch is pretty geeky in my book. In addition to that killer Star Trek reference, the video features a robot that’s so awesome I kind of want a tattoo version. The robot also spends most of his time doing the robot.

3. “The Rains of Castamere”

You guys, The National covered a song from Song of Ice and Fire, the last season of Game of Thrones. It’s a sad song that’s even more fucking sad (OMG!!!) if you’ve read the books, detailing how the Lannisters will basically kill everyone in your family, including women and children, if you screw with them.

2. “Ramble On”

The best geeky songs sound totally normal and only reveal their inner geekiness upon further listening. At first glance “Ramble On” is a perfectly normal Led Zeppelin song, complete with an awesome bass line, crazy guitar riffs and pitch perfect Robert Plant yelling. Of couse, in the third verse, things go all the way to Middle Earth, mentioning both Gollum and Mordor. Plant and Page don’t seem to really understand the plot of Lord of the Rings – it wasn’t a search for a pretty lady, it was the search for The Ring of Power! And Gollum isn’t evil; he’s misunderstood! But I’ll give the Greatest Rock Band a pass.

1. “In the Garage”

Here’s a quick list of the nerdy things that are mentioned in the geekiest song by the geekiest modern bad, Weezer: a dungeon masters guide, a 12 sided die, Kitty Pryde (not the rapper, the X-Man) and Nightcrawler too and KISS posters, specifically posters of Ace Freley and Peter Criss. It touches on so many aspects of geek culture, from comics to D&D and also gets across that it can be kinda lonely. After all, even in a world where people are defining themselves more and more by the niches the love, it can still be cause for ridicule. So geeks, wear your badges proud like Rivers Cumo and Co. — I obviously do.

 ”Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”

It seemed unfair to even put this pristine example of perfect song craft in the same league as these other, lesser, songs. So, as a special bonus, I give you the geek song Ring of Power, Excaibur and Millennium Falcon: Leonard Nimoy’s “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” from the album Mr. Spock’s Muisc from Outer Space. You…are…welcome.

They’ve done it again! Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have released the first track of their forthcoming, self-titled album, and, as usual, they’ve crafted their perfect, signature blend of bursting, exuberant hope and easy playfulness. The themes of positive attitudes and silver linings don’t appear by accident — Alex Ebert has made it clear that the group’s artistic intention is to bring life and love to what they sing about: for their craft, for their fans, and for each other. As he stated in an interview once: “The goal is to be free and hopeful in the music. Because that’s really the only intention you need. From there, every natural and powerful intention and feeling will, on its own, slide right out of you — out of your spirit.”

“Better Days” is a perfect example of what makes Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ music so enchantingly uplifting. Laden with distant clapping, choral-style background vocals and embellishments from Jade Castrinos, the focus of the song is Ebert’s singing about sorrow, faith, dreaming, some “cliché shit,” and a sweet tomorrow. With a vast collection of powerful instrumental forces in the 12-person band, “Better Days,” like some of the group’s greatest hits (“Man on Fire”, “40 Day Dream” and “Home”), swelling and settling down with ardor as powerful as the lyrics — “Just know that every time I look in your eye, I see better, I see better, better days.”

With album number three on the way (mark your calendars, July 23!), it’s astounding to hear how this band of merry pranksters has sustained their homemade sound and feeling throughout their rise to fame. If Ebert claims that Edward Sharpe is his messianic alter ego, I believe it, and if Alex Ebert is going to sing about “Better Days”, I honestly believe that “Better Days” are, indeed, coming.

So…after all the hype, preview videos, tracklist reveals, collaborator interviews and feverish anticipation, Daft Punk’s fourth studio album, Random Access Memories, has finally landed. After a masterclass in prolonged promotion, does the record match the anticipation? Has it been worth the wait? The straightforward answer to that question is yes! It has indeed been worth the wait. With that satisfaction, however, comes a couple of complications — this record is, in many ways, not the release most people we’re probably expecting.

Although they can’t be held responsible for the recent surge and popularity of EDM, the robots’ earlier work definitely planted a few seeds in its eventual development. Their high-octane, energized mix of techno and funk not only moved the masses onto the dance floor but acted as an inspirational catalyst for those dabbling in dance-orientated electronica. Rather than capitalize on the movement they helped initially spawn, Daft Punk have moved several degrees away, producing a body of work that some might say is the antithesis of contemporary dance music.

Random Access Memories is more than simply the duo’s fourth album. This collection of songs represents an invite aboard their orbiting spaceship, giving us a taste of the observational material the pair have gathered since their arrival. They’ve encoded an audible cypher of memories, influences, inspirations and an understanding of both humanity and music. The album, in its very essence, is a retrospective look at how we envisioned the future thirty to forty years ago. The disco era guitar licks and deep bass bring back the lost art of the groove and place it front and centre, while analogue synth’s, spacey pads, jazzy organs and vintage vocoder vocals brilliantly encapsulate the sounds of tomorrow as it was back then! The best example of this, and a sheer standout achievement on the record, is “Giorgio by Moroder”, which not only acts as a living testament to the work of Giorgio himself, but see’s Daft Punk craft a near ten minute odyssey that encapsulates his ideas in a brilliantly-composed, free -flowing and evocative manner.

The album begins to tear off into another dimension, though, when the duo get a bit more experimental than previously seen. Whether it be the slow burning piano work courtesy of Chilly Gonzalez on “Within”, the far reaching ambience meets soundtrack work of “Motherboard” or the sensory experience that is “Touch”, several songs see Daft Punk implement new ideas and try their hand at some very different approaches. During these moments in particular, the pair actually show a lot of heart and expose a lot more emotion than before. Most notably, there are moments of genuine melancholy peppered throughout, which will either lead to respect or disappointment. For me its very much the former.

Having said all this, as good as Random Access Memories is, it could be better. At a run time of nearly one hour, fifteen minutes it does occasionally feel a little bloated. There are moments of clinging repetition which could have been cut and tracks like “Instant Crush” and “Fragments of Time” (featuring Julian Casablancas and House music guru Todd Edwards) do nothing for me personally and do nothing to develop or solidify the album. In comparison to the album’s pros, though, R.A.M.’s cons are pretty minor, and what works on the record vastly outweighs what dosen’t.

This may not have been the record you or many others expected, anticipated or even wanted, but by bringing soul and imagination to their musical output, Daft Punk have shown signs of significant growth. Furthermore, their ability to scale down, strip back and expose a more loving, learned and vulnerable side shows that after all this time, the robots may be human after all!

Photos and review from Jackie Roman

JEFF the Brotherhood returned to New York on Saturday with a spiffy four piece line-up.  I was particularly glad to see Tina (former Black Belle) on keys. The stage at Mercury Lounge also included Hunters, Shellshag, and everyone was hanging out backstage with a host of old friends reuniting over a bottle of tequila.

JEFF the Brotherhood

Hunters

Shellshag

Toronto’s retro-pop threesome, Bravestation, have just released the second single from their EP IV entitled “Somewhere We Belong”. Although the song isn’t a blow away hit, it’s packed with easy listening, reggae-vibing goodness. The track is also laced with addictive tropical beats, funky synths and an R&B focused groove — ready yourself for some full volume listening. The two brothers and friend who make up this band have a lot going for them. You should perhaps start following them before everyone else does!