Chris Boyd
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2011 was certainly an interesting year for me: personally, professionally, politically, emotionally, the whole spectrum. In almost all areas, it began with peril, and ended with triumph. But I guess that’s kindof the way I like it.
My dad has this theory about how music repeats itself every 20 years. For the most part, I have to agree with him. The 90′s brought echoes of Led Zeppelin and The Doors. With the Aughts came slivers of inspiration from The Cars, New Order, and a myriad of one-hit-wonders.
Of all the places on Earth I could think to be on Halloween weekend, none of them seem like they could ever quite compare to my beloved New Orleans. The place is spooky, weird, and haunted on any given day, and on Halloween it all just goes into overdrive.
Being from Louisiana, I have a certain affinity for hip hop and rap. It’s a part of our culture, like Cajun food or Mardi Gras. Even if there’s a track I’m not necessarily familiar with or wouldn’t purchase myself, I can appreciate the modern day poetry and lyrical craftsmanship that goes into it. Rhyming is hard, rhyming fast is even harder. Rhyming well, even harder. Anyone that can do that and keep a crowd entertained at the same time gets my vote.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Bear Hands weave together stories of various quirky miscreants: thieves, scorned lovers, serial killers, determined underdogs, just to name a few.
L.A.’s Health released a cover of Pictureplane’s “Goth Star” today. It’s a great end of summer track, with a super-catchy Fleetwood Mac sample. If this is any indication of what they’ve got baking for their next album, I’m pumped.
Every so often I run into an album that has a really particular vibe that’s consistent throughout each song. What’s cool about NYC’s School of Seven Bells is that their vibe runs consistently not just through each song, but through both of their full length albums. While it’s pretty hard to pin down in words exactly what this vibe is, I’ll do my best.
Got the Best Coast iTunes Session yesterday. It’s pretty amazing. The whole album sounds really intimate, like you’re in a club listening to a sound check. It’s got the trademark Best Coast reverby sound, along with the addition of touring drummer Ali Koehler.
In honor of the impending Judgment Day on May 21st, Best Coast upped the awesome ante and did a cover of Skeeter Davis’s “The End of the World.” Fantastic.
![Keep Guessin' [2005]](http://www.chrisboyd.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/keep_guessin-150x150.jpg "Keep Guessin' [2005]")
I recently stumbled on Hockey Night’s excellent track “For Guys’ Eyes Only” in my iTunes recently while building a playlist. I remember being into Keep Guessin’ briefly when I got it in 2005 but totally overlooked it for what it is: a simple and beautiful Pavement-meets-The Unicorns rock record. Totally underrated.
