AWmusic

Next in the series:
Part 4: #1-25
#26 Teen Creeps by No Age (myspace/live)
I’m feeling regretful of not including Nouns in my list.
#27 Eraser by No Age (video/live)
Can be #26 (tied), both are equally good.
#28 Feel The Love by Cut Copy (myspace/live)
“All the girls I’ve known are crying” Conceited but catchy.
#29 Bare Feet On Wet Grip Tape by Chad VanGaalen (myspace)
Soft Airplane’s most accessible song.
#30 God? By The Dodos (myspace)
“Oh God, where’d you go?” Agnosticism at its finest?
#31 Ottoman by Vampire Weekend (myspace)
At least we got this song from a shitty movie.
#32 Beat (Health, Life and Fire) by Thao Nguyen With The Get Down Stay Down (myspace/live)
Upon listening to this track, I’ve become a big fan.
#33 Heart of Chambers by Beach House (myspace/video)
My favorite song off Devotion.
#34 Dying Is Fine by Ra Ra Riot (myspace/video-ep version)
Sounds emo without reference to this poem.
#35 Hitten by Those Dancing Days (myspace/video)
All girl indie pop bands ftw.
#36 Let’s All Sleep Together by Team Genius (myspace)
Orgies ftw. (All girl orgies ftw?)
#37 For Emma by Bon Iver (myspace/live)
This song is simple but captures the atmosphere of loneliness.
#38 The Modern Leper by Frightened Rabbit (myspace/live)
“You must be a masochist, to love a modern leper”
#39 Rabid Bits of Time by Chad Van Gaalen
Beautifully sung.
#40 Winter ’05 by Ra Ra Riot
This song makes Winter depressing. Sad in general.
#41 Agoraphobia by Deerhunter (myspace)
“Cover me, comfort me” is stuck in my head.
#42 Skeleton Man by The Evangelicals (myspace/live)
“When someone loves you very much, you’re fucked”
#43 Why Do You You Let Me Stay Here? By She and Him (myspace/video)
Fuck you Ben Gibbard!…oh I meant congrats.
#44 Move by Cansei De Ser Sexy (myspace/video)
Another catchy CSS track.
#45 Another World by Antony and The Johnsons (myspace/video)
Antony apparently doesn’t think much of us. Still beautiful though.
#46 Uncalibrated by Bridges and Powerlines (myspace/video)
This song puts the power into powerpop.
#47 Shut Up And Let Me Go by The Ting Tings (myspace/video)
The Ting Tings are a guilty pleasure.
#48 Poison Dart by The Bug ft. Warrior Queen (myspace/video)
My introduction to The Bug. I was amazed.
#49 My Year in Lists by Los Campesinos (myspace/video)
“Send me stationery to make me horny” Mail-sex ftw?
#50 I Hate Dell by Oldfolks Home (myspace)
Dell pissed off the wrong guy.

Hailing from Winnipeg, Oldfolks Home is the project of Ricardo Lopez. Where their band name incites more a folk band name, Lopez actually creates electro music that may parallel Ratatat but with the use of vocals.

We Are the Feeding Line was initially released in 2007 (I think) to some fanfare but for whatever reason that never materialized into anything substantial. It faced a re-release on October 9 while Oldfolks Home went on a mini-tour around Canada.

I can’t quite put my finger on why I was initially interested in Oldfolks Home but I think there was just something there that most electro artists don’t have. Lopez has a real skill that is apparent on “Letter to Kerri”. The opening track is simply an instrumental, which made me allude to the Ratatat reference. The track is not a dance track but more of a track that progresses with the use multiple layers. I love the track personally, it just has some sort of calming factor but it also makes me question if the song is supposed to have some sort of message with the title. I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean but the song’s pace could signify the intended pace of letter (pulling things out of the ass).

My favorite song off the album, I Hate Dell features Rebekah Higgs about hating the computer company Dell. On Culture Bully, Lopez describes in depth the nature of the issue:

“In January of 2003, I received my very first computer which I had ordered from Dell computers a few weeks prior. I was very excited because this finally meant that I could download anime straight to my own computer and not my roommates, and more importantly, I could start recording music at home. Whilst I was waiting for the computer to arrive, I had been searching through the depths of eBay to find cheap recording gear. It all arrived at around the same time so I went about the business of learning how to use it all and getting the software, I needed. That’s when I encountered my first problem.”

Obviously, from most experiences I’ve heard with customer support, it doesn’t work. I think what makes this song both a stand out and a wonderfully awesome track is that without the title and the brand hatred, is the artistic merit. In no place on this track is the brand Dell (yes he may not want to be sued) but it’s just beautifully contrasted that can fool you into thinking it’s something else. Almost a universal song that can involve any situation where assistance you’ve paid for hasn’t followed through, your time is being utterly wasted, and frustration just sets in. Higgs’ vocals have instantly made me a fan. Even though it’s a little repetitive in the lyric department, musically there’s a lot in the background to like. In a way its sets a calm frustration and just a brilliant and artistic way of expression of feelings that I wish I could be capable of.

(While Dell would never sponsor this, if I were a competitor, I’d be so on it)

Oldfolks Home’s debut We Are The Feeding Line features just 8 tracks but there’s a boat load of experimentation. With various guest vocalists, that I don’t know the names of, each and every song has a different rhythm, structure and style. Lopez also features a foreign language poem (in Spanish) in La Devuelve Lentamente A Su Lugar, beating Peter, Bjorn and John in every aspect when it comes to background music and doing it before they did. However, I still kind of dislike the track… the poem takes away too much from Lopez’s creative efforts.

Oldfolks Home literally has it all, from Out of The Seams Pt. 2 that features vocal synthesizers that would be reminiscent of Chromeo or Whole Wheat Flour that’s a soft-rock ballad.

He is a little hit or miss with some tracks but the experimentation is fearless and admirable. The only other question is why isn’t he not bigger?

I have no idea but maybe he’s just not as big on the internet? Better yet… I think it’s where he’s located. He’s recruited a vast number of Canadian artists to contribute and the album is wonderful with some press picking up on its greatness. Maybe it’s just his sound is not as welcomed here in Canada (places like the Peg are known more for The Weakerthans) like it is in Brooklyn?

Either way, We Are the Feeding Line has been one amazing record to listen to and I strongly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5/5

I Hate Dell by Oldfolks Home

Letter to Kerri by Oldfolks Home