En Garde! (original) (raw)

PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE A BIT- I KNOW IT'S LONG, SORRY!

I Was Totally Destroying It turns 2 years old next month, and I can safely say we've already exceeded any of the expectations we had for this group back in the first months of 2007.

2008 has treated us very well. We started the year as part of the News & Observer's Great 8 ( http://www.newsobserver.com/great8/ ), which definitely gave us a sort of confidence to keep going down the path we were on. In the early spring, I randomly received an email from Josh Cain, guitarist for one of my absolute favorite bands- Motion City Soundtrack. That was wild. He had heard our band and wanted to hear more and work with us and help us out. Getting to tour with Motion City and Margot & The Nuclear So and So's this year was a surreal experience and probably one of my favorite moments in my life. Josh and Justin from MCS have already helped us immensely and we continue to be great friends- can't wait to see what happens next! In addition to touring with MCS, we did a full national tour on our own, and also have played alongside some more of our biggest influences, including Superchunk and Portastatic- as well as Ryan Ferguson of No Knife, Annuals, Conor Oberst, Billy Bragg, and Snowden. It's really nuts to think about- Portastatic and Motion City Soundtrack in the same year? If you've known me for any stretch of time, you know I had a lot to freak out over this year...

Back in October we released a free digital EP, which you can still download right now if you haven't already checked it out: http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit

You can also get two EXCLUSIVE tracks via CyTunes- a great cause- please go check it out and download two of our songs you won't find anywhere else:
http://www.cytunes.org/artist/18/

NOW, as for what's NEXT for IWTDI in 2009....

-We're heading back into the studio in March, to track about 5 more songs for our upcoming sophomore full-length. Yeah, if you're keeping track, that means we're looking at a total of about 25 songs tracked for this project. Nuts, we know. A handful of those songs were dished out to the "Done Waiting" EP, one song is on CyTunes, about 12 will end up on the finished album, and the remaining tracks will see the light of day....somehow. We're definitely behind on our original schedule, and if you're wondering what we're up to, I'll try to lay it out as best I can: We went into the studio over the summer with a surplus of ideas, and a concept of how the album would be organized- a certain motif and feel, if you will. During the fall, we decided to sit on those recordings- shop them around a bit(which we will continue to do throughout the winter), and really just analyzed the material, in trying to make the best record possible. In the interim, we came up with a handful of new songs we feel will make for an even better record. So we're dropping some of the old ones, adding in some of the new, and restructuring the album a bit. I feel like we're about to have something really great- the only thing that might be a bit lost is an overall lyrical cohesion- the original tracklisting played out with a loose story line, which is now probably a bit looser. There's still common themes though for sure, and most importantly, we've wound up with much stronger SONGS in the end. We can't WAIT for you to hear the album- we're very much looking forward to these final sessions in March. Thanks for being patient with us- the record should be out summer '09!

Also in store for 2009: we're kicking things off on January 31st at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh- we'll be performing a set of cover songs by one band in particular. No, I can't tell you who, it's supposed to be a surprise- but it's going to be VERY COOL. This is a beloved band, and we've been having a ball learning and playing their songs. Come see this special show! A week after that is the WKNC Double Barrel Benefit- which I hear is shaping up to be an amazing lineup. And finally, we just started working on a midwest tour for April- more to come!

---------------------------------------
It's that time of year- top 10 lists. I've been making these for song long- they keep getting shorter(I used to try to cram in 20-25) and harder to make(I don't listen to a ton of new music anymore)... I guess I'm getting old. But these are 10 records I definitely enjoyed from 2008:

1. Coldplay "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends"
-Yeah yeah, blah blah, haters. This is my number one album of 2008. Kinda by far, actually. As someone that was into Coldplay back in 2003 or so, but definitely drifted out of that in the years since, I can say, mostly as a NON-Coldplay fan- I LOVE this record. Brian Eno's production is probably what drew me in- the combination of his sonic landscapes and Coldplay's beautiful songwriting just nailed it. Don't let the singles deter you- they are probably the least memorable tracks- this is an album meant to be listened to start to finish. Also, the track "Rainy Day" from the "Prospekt's March" EP is possibly the best song they've ever written and the song most likely to fool a Coldplay-hater into enjoying the band. Give it a shot.
2. Kanye West "808's and Heartbreak"
-more haters possibly? I liked "Late Registration", I did not like "Graduation" much, but I LOVE "808's and Heartbreak". Just a very compelling piece of pop art, and no matter how much of a douche you think Kanye is- dudeman has feelings and he's pouring them out as best he can on here. The production is beautifully sparse and the auto-tune is exactly the vibe that was needed to make this project work. Certainly one of the most unique mainstream pop records in quite a while("Paranoid" is going to be a rad single!).
3. Marnie Stern "This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It is It & That Is That"
-Only found out about this recently, and I'm hooked. Crazy finger-tapped freak out spazzy jams. Definitely comparable to Deerhoof or something along those lines, although I'm finding Marnie to be a bit more...fun. Strong, strong melodies lurk beneath the insane time signature changes and polyrhythms. A challenging listen, but an exciting and vibrant one for sure.
4. The Sea And Cake "Car Alarm"
-A steady favorite every time they put something out. Like most Sea and Cake records, it took me 2 or 3 listens to love "Car Alarm", but also like most Sea and Cake records- the melodies sneak up on you and you realize the hook stuck in your head isn't from their 2000 release that you've always loved, but instead from their latest you've only heard once or twice.
5. M83 "Saturdays=Youth"
-Basically, this record is everything I want to do with music. It's an amazing balance of the 80's new wave(completely authentic- not ironic or retro/modern fusion) and ambient soundscapes that I will always gravitate towards- IWTDI keeps trying to figure out how to make this record in our own way- we've still go a lot to learn. This would be higher on this list if it only had just one more PHENOMENAL song- like "Kim & Jessie"(probably my song of the year) part 2. I know that's a weird thing to say, but as much as I love this release, I feel there's just one small thing missing that I can't put my finger on...
6. Dennis Wilson "Pacific Ocean Blue" (reissue)
-I don't usually put reissues in the top 10, but this album deserved it. A coked-out, mid-70's white soul masterpiece. When such utter simplicity can display such deep emotion, you've struck gold. A forgotten/overlooked masterpiece.
7. Foals "Antidotes"
-Almost a guilty pleasure? Foals are very derivative, and (not their fault) but seem like the last to the bandwagon of the mid-2000's Interpol/Bloc Party post-punk revival(and they even sound a lot like Battles to me too)- but they win out with fantastic hooks and a certain propulsion to the music that helps them standout a bit from the flock.
8. Torche "Meanderthal"
-They get it. Sludgy metal for people who enjoy novel things like melody, hooks, and songwriting prowess.
9. The Night Marchers "See You In Magic"
-I'll always love whatever John Reis is up to- The Night Marchers are his best thing outside of RFTC and Drive Like Jehu. If this record had horns, it would basically be another RFTC release, which would be OK with me.
10. There Will Be Blood (soundtrack)
-Saw the movie, didn't even know who's music I was listening to as it was blowing me away. As someone who doesn't jizz all over Radiohead nearly as much as the rest of the world, I was still pleasantly surprised to find out Johnny Greenwood was behind this intense, emotional noise. PTA movies always go for scores I love though. Also great inclusion of the "Fratres" by Arvo Part- beautiful!

Honorable Mention goes to The Trophy Fire "A Lifetime In The Middle Of The Ocean"- a great album by great friends, but I don't feel super comfortable putting it on the main list because I had a hand in the writing of a couple of the songs, and we used to perform a number of the songs in our old band- but yeah, check it out! I'm also enjoying new albums by Hauschka and Grouper, but I've only recently discovered those, so they don't quite make the cut this time...

Wow, thanks if you made it this far. Please send in your top 10 lists, too- we'd love to see them!!! Happy holidays, y'all- here's to the new year.
Thanks from all of us at IWTDI!
-John Booker