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Gods and Queens (Jamie Getz)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2008?
Portishead - Third. If you're a little bit older, you'll remember there was a point around like what maybe 94-98 where everything was said to be "For fans of Portishead" or "In the vein of Portishead". And you knew damn well, that no shit with that stupid sticker on it, or that tag in a review sounded anything like Portishead. Kind of like what 2005, and Hatebreed? Same shit different thing. "For fans of Hatebreed and Terror!". Anyway, yeah, this pretty much rules. It's still dark, it's still creepy, and simply put, they're still awesome. Totally worth the wait in my book.
Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward. For whatever reason, I've listened to this record about 200 times since in came out. It's short, the lyrics are honest, and to the point, not to mention the songs are chalk full of hooks! There are certain parts that hinder at 50's garage rock, then there are other parts that are just like 2008 garage rock. This shit's good man. "We're in a band now we're called the Carrie Nations, we're movin' to LA we're really goin' places..." Yikes! There's also a whole lot of like, fuck I don't know, realization of young love gone astray? Or the realization that you're just not so into what you once thought you were. Sounds like the story of my god damned life. Maybe that's why I'm so into this record...?
The Skull Defekts - The Drone Drug. Man, I'm a pretty negative motherfucker for sure. I like to cut things down and say they suck at will. I don't know why, to be honest. Must be a factory defect in my genetics or something. Anyway, I got stuck working some Sunn 0))) show or something equally as tired, and half way through I was asked to run up to an art gallery to run a show up there because someone bailed on their slot, etc, etc. I was so excited to get out of there, that I didn't care who or what show it was. Well, it was The Skull Defekts, and some dance party DJ's, so you fucking know I was ready to talk mad shit about this band. Then this band destroyed me. Destroyed to the point that I stalked this shit out. I got NOTHING negative to say about this! This is like part Fudge Tunnel, Wire, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nicole 12, Whitehouse, or Theory Of Ruin (if you were lucky enough to know who they were!), and The Birthday Party. Talk about just slamming riffs into the ground, and beating you over the head all in one dense atonal thick line. I honestly can't get enough of this. It's killer rhythms, or soft electronic hum. Good stuff right here.
Young Widows - Old Wounds. I kind of have nothing crazy to say about this. I've known the kids in this band for a while now, and I'm always interested in what my friends are up to. Most of friends are up to garbage to be blunt. No, for real, junk. Pure crap. Most people's bands really suck, lets face it. Or more importantly, let me rephrase that. Most people, their personal tastes suck. How's that? This is one crew of my friends whose personal taste does not suck, and neither does their band. At all. I'm not saying this is the most original thing on the block or that you've never heard something like this before but, what I'm saying is that you haven't heard this in some time, and even in that time since you've heard it last, you didn't hear it as good as this is. Not only is the record killer front to back (it's actually a full record not just some songs together, a record), they pull it off pretty much pinpoint live as well.
Gods And Queens - Self-Titled. This whole record front to back is great. I can't say one bad thing about it. It's FANTASTIC. The guitar playing is perfection. The vocals are about the same. The drum work is like Led Zeppelin being ripped off by the Jesus Lizard. The bass playing is unlike what you would normally see or hear a bass player do. I could go on and on about how utterly brilliant this band is, especially the guitars and vocals. I can't even count how many adjectives I can use to describe how great this is. Did I mention this is my band?
What band did you discover in 2008 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
This is pretty much a tie, for two genres of music I wrote off as dead to these ears.
The first one, go ahead and laugh and make fun of me, I don't care. Tegan & Sara. I don't live under a rock and I actually read pretty much every magazine that comes out. So I was well aware of their existence but, never actually listened or heard a piece of their music. For some very odd reason, I decided one day to listen to "The Con," because I kept reading great things, and now here I am telling you why I like it so much. Person and place is what made it significant. Nothing other than that. It's like when you're a little kid and you associate certain smells, sights and feelings to certain memories, or actions. Like for some of you, the smell of stale beer on someone's breath, may reminds you of your father crawling into your bed late in the evening, and shutting the door... Outside of that, "The Con" made a minor impact on me, mostly because I'm at a point where I want to just listen to stuff that I think it good and easy to listen to. This fulfills that for me.
The second of the two, Black Dawn "Blood For Satan". Man, this is how I like my black metal. This shit just does not stop ever. From the first song to the last this just crushes you. I guess, I just got so burned out on the same ole' same ole', and I really haven't listened to any black metal records in a while. Sure I'd check some out, and just be like "Eh, exactly what I expected." Then a friend of mine threw this at me, and for about a full week straight, I'd strictly listen to the first .28 seconds of the first song. Over, and over, and over, and over again. I'd drive through my neighborhood of Kensington, Philadelphia with my windows down, with this at full volume. All the local "bad" crew of little kids would be like, "Man, there's THAT guy." I'm pretty sure that's why my car doesn't get broken into. Must be... Anyway, this is not your black metal of the 90's. This is thick, full production blasting your ears out of your head. And it's in the name of Satan, so you know how that goes.
How will you remember 2008? (In terms of music)
In my honest to god's opinion, 2008 was a total bum out. So much so that I actually had to go through my records, (the ones I've been listening to a lot anyway) and see if they were even released in 2008. Most weren't. Maybe I can answer this question for you next year. Because this year, I'm still stuck on 2007's records!
Vinyl record sales saw a significant increase this year while hard copy sales continued to dwindle. Is this a return to the glory days for vinyl or just a phase? Explain.
I'm sure everyone on this list is going to have something to say about this. I'm going to sum it up quickly because I don't feel like writing thirty paragraphs on this. If you think vinyl is going to save the record industry, you're like one of those kids in college who strictly listens to power electronics, and Japanese noise bands. Who think they're on some upper echelon of musical society, and their not. They're just snobby dicks with their heads up their asses.
What was the most memorable moment for you in 2008? (Can be in terms of anything)
Quitting my job of eight years. Quitting drinking and doing drugs. Sober since June!
What can we look forward to from you in 2009?
Well, if you live in Europe, or the U.K. you can look forward to seeing my band a lot. If you live in the U.S., you can expect to not see too much of anything from my band.
What three records are you looking forward to most in 2009?
I honestly couldn't tell you what's coming out in 2009. Hopefully that new Three Mile Pilot record that's been talked about for a while now. I'd really like to hear that!
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