The Polygraph Record:

Pop Culture for the Week of February 8th, 2010
Today the panel give some of their favourite things. Kelly endorses all things Zombie survivalist, Jessica endorses the new line-up for the Sasquatch Festival, Alex endorses Caligula, and Jeff endorses the new BBC4 Radio show A History of the World in 100 Objects. Enjoy!

February 9th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts, Pop Culture . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

For all who listened to yesterdays pop culture discussion, here’s the promised photos and video of Akron/Family’s free show at Holocene on 1-23-10. Welcome to Portland fellas! Bring on the free live music!

The sound quality of this video pretty crappy but you can get a pretty good feel of the energy in the room by following the bouncing heads at the bottom of the screen.

And just for fun here’s a video I shot this Summer at Bumbershoot in Seattle of Ak/Fam absolutely raging Set Em Wild Set Em Free’s epic jam “Gravelly Mountains of the Moon”. The sound is still not that great but slightly better thanks to the outdoor setting. Enjoy.

After the jump a few more videos from Holocene shot by people other than me.

Read more…

February 8th, 2010
Categories: General . Author: Asher . Comments: No Comments

Pop Culture Shout Outs for the Week of February 1st, 2010
Today we kick of our first round of pop culture shout outs for the new year with Asher’s boner! He’s really excited about his favourite band, Akron/Family, moving to Portland and playing a number of free shows, Angie endorses the short films Paris Je T’aime and The Ten, and Jeff endorses singles by Peter Gabriel doing a cover of Arcade Fire’s “My Body is a Cage” and Massive Attack’s “Saturday Come Slow” featuring Damon Alburn.

February 6th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts, Pop Culture . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

RJD2 – The Colossus
Today we shine a light on the new album by acclaimed DJ RJD2 and his album The Colossus. It’s a follow up to 2007’s breakthrough Third Hand and was realeased on his new label, RJ Electrical Connections, January 19th, 2010. Interesting fact about RJD2 is that he was born in Eugene, Oregon and has found a home spinning records in Philly, thus connecting him to Asher in some weird and cosmic way. Having found total creative control, many have waited for what RJD2’s unbridled and unhindered mind could create. The output is not quite what Third Hand had to offer but somewhere in between creative playing and hip-hop dance maker.

As always, the tracks below are listed in the order they appear on the podcast and the number is the track number on the album. If you click on the album cover, you can listen to the album via Lala.com.

9. A Son’s Cycle (feat. The Catalyst, Illogic & NP)
1. Let There Be Horns
2. Games You Can Win (feat. Kenna)
14. Walk With Me
6. A Spaceship for Now

February 4th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – The Road: Original Film Score
Our review today treads into some unfamiliar territory when we review the new album by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for the novel-turned-film The Road. It was released on Mute Records January 12th, 2009. The book is a post-apocalyptic look of what the world would really be like after a cataclysmic event… and all this time I thought that Mad Max was a real depiction… Director John Hillcoat did the smartest thing he could do when faced with hiring a composer to a post-apocalyptic film: he hired Nick Cave. Cave and long-time collaborator and Bad Seed, Warren Ellis have teamed up to bring you some spooky sounding shit… mixed with a little hope and some sadness for good measure.

As always, the tracks below are listed in the order they appear on the podcast and the number is the track number on the album. If you click on the album cover, you can listen to the album via Lala.com.

2. The Road
10. The Far Road
16. The Beach
13. The Cellar
4. The Cannibals

February 2nd, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

I have never seriously given a shit about The Grammy Awards to begin with, but to shoehorn a 15 second blurb about Leonard Cohen receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award between Beyonce’s big ass doing 15 year old Alanis Morissette covers and Pink’s manly ass doing a Barnum and Bailey Circus performance is beyond fucking distasteful. Fuck the Grammy Awards, fuck the music industry, and fuck you.

Long live the Cohen.

February 2nd, 2010
Categories: General . Author: larry . Comments: 1 Comment

Spoon – Transference
Our first review of the New Year is of the new album by Austin, Texas indie rock quartet Spoon. Their new album is called Transference and it’s a follow up to 2007’s hugely successful Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Their seventh studio album was released on Merge Records January 19th, 2010. After 2008 became the year that you couldn’t get away from Spoon with their singles hit “Don’t You Evah”, the music world finally deflated yet another wonderfully held secret. Good for the band, but not good if you wanted to see them at the Doug Fir. This record, now after this new success has many people wondering if they’ve lost the magic now that they have the acclaim.

As always, the tracks below are listed in the order they appear on the podcast and the number is the track number on the album. If you click on the album cover, you can listen to the album via Lala.com.

1. Mystery Zone
7. Trouble Comes Running
4. Who Makes Your Money
1. Before Destruction
6. I Saw the Light

February 1st, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

So I decided to put all of these lists together and add them all up. I was curious to see what were the best albums if you averaged out everything. This would then be a list of the best albums, according to the Polygraph Record, but not really… just what were the most mentioned and the highest ranked. I won’t go into how I put the list together (unless you ask. Trust me, it’s boring) but I do think it’s accurate and a maybe a bit damning.

Here goes:
1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
(tie)3. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
(tie)3. Akron/Family – Set ‘em Wild, Set ‘em Free
5. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
6. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Passion Pit – Manners
8. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
9. Raekwon – Only 4 Cuban Linx… II
10. White Denim – Fits
11. Black Heart Procession – Six
12. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
13. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
14. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next
15. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

January 31st, 2010
Categories: General, Podcast-related . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel has given their top 10 lists and today is the last day with mine. Hope you liked our lists and found them interesting. Tomorrow we start back up again with our normal reviews.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Jeff’s List

1. The Horrors – Primary Colours
2. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
3. The Black Heart Procession – Six
4. Gallows – Grey Britain
5. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
6. Raekwon – Only 4 Cuban Linx… II
7. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
8. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
9. Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper
10. Iggy Pop – Preliminaire

Honourable Mention:
Passion Pit – Manners
Morrissey – Years of Refusal
YACHT – See Mystery Lights
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx
Rodrigo y Gabriela – 11:11
Clutch – Strange Cousins From the West
Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky
Flaming Lips – Embryonic
Major Lazer – Gunz Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do
The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die
Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure
Sonic Youth – The Eternal

January 27th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Kelly Welch giving her run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Kelly’s List

1. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
2. White Denim – Fits
3. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
5. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
6. Metric – Fantasies
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
8. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
9. Gossip – Music For Men
10. And So I Watch You From Afar – And So I Watch You From Afar

January 26th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Jessica Bair giving her run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Jessica’s List

1. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next X
4. Fever Ray – Fever Ray X
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
6. The Dead Weather – Horehound
7. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone X
8. Passion Pit – Manners
9. NOFX – Coaster X
10. Air – Love 2

January 25th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Brian Billing giving his run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Brian’s List

1. White Denim – Fits
2. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
5. Akron/Family – Set ‘em Wild, Set ‘em Free
6. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next EP
7. Pissed Jeans – King of Jeans
8. Dead Weather – Horehound
9. Obits – I Blame You
10. Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine – The Audacity of Hype

January 25th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Alex Deeley giving his run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Alex’s List

1. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
2. Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night
3. Third Eye Blind – Ursa Major
4. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt II
5. Iron & Wine – Around the Well
6. The Thermals – Now We Can See
7. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
8. Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar- One Fast Move or I’m Gone
9. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
10. Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

January 24th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Dan Trudo giving his run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Dan’s List

1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
3. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
6. Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
8. Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
9. Black Heart Procession – Six
10. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures

Honourable Mentions:
Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light
The Dead Weather – Horehound
The xx – The xx
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Raekwon – Only 4 Cuban Linx… Pt II
U2- No Line on the Horizon
Passion Pit – Manners

January 23rd, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments

The entire panel will be giving their Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists for the next few weeks. Today we have panelist Asher Loverdi giving his run down of the year’s best.

Top 10 Albums of 2009 – Asher’s List

1. Akron/Family – Set ‘em Wild, Set ‘em Free
2. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years
3. Oneida – Rated O
4. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt.II
5. Various Artists – Psychedelic Guide to Monstersism Island
6. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Eating Us
7. Cave Singers – Welcome Joy
8. Brakes Brakes Brakes – Touchdown
9. Mastadon – Crack the Skye
10. Elvis Perkins – Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Honorable Mention – The Warlocks – The Mirror Explodes

January 20th, 2010
Categories: Podcasts . Author: Jeff . Comments: No Comments