The Best and Worst of 2007

As 2007 grinds to a close, it's time to look back and reflect on the wonderful things/crimes against music that were committed this year. So, without further delay, the rundown is as follows:

Best Myspace Find:
Obviously, this award goes to The Last Dinosaur, who friended me on Myspace and quickly became my new favourite unsigned band from Cambridge. These lovely boys have amazing chemistry and impressive songwriting skills. I expect wonderful things from them in the future. Download there song "Home" here.

Worst Myspace Find:
The title of Worst Myspace Find goes to the most annoying band of all time, Science Ninja Team. I actually didn't make it through all four of their songs on Myspace, because they were so bad I was considering flushing my computer down the toilet. I can't even imagine why these guys think what they are doing is a good idea. It's not. Science Ninja Team, for the sake of the world, please stop.

Most Exciting Albums:
5. Kala - M.I.A.

I was surfing the two for $10 bin at HMV when this album came on and I ended up staying in the store just to hear the whole thing. I have been a mild fan of M.I.A. since "Galang" but her new album is really something to talk about. It's refreshing to see someone who is both commercially successful and really good. Keep it up, M.I.A.

4. Alive - Daft Punk

Oh man oh man oh man. I have not heard this entire album yet (come on, Mum! Christmas Present!!!), but what I have heard is enough to make me vomit happiness all over the place. It's pretty messy.

3. Person Pitch - Panda Bear

For those of you who do not know (that includes you, Panda Bear), Panda Bear and I are in love. I'm sure his wife and child will be upset to learn this, but hey, you can't stand in the way of soul mates. It's just not done. Anyway, Person Pitch is amazing. "Comfy in Nautica" is actually possibly the best song I've ever heard, outseating "We Tigers" by Animal Collective. Clearly I only like one kind of music.

2. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon - Devendra Banhart

I bought Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon on a whim, and three songs in I was (no kidding) jumping up and down and screaming to my roommate that this album was "sooooooo good." It got panned by Pitchfork and was completely missing from their "Top 50 Albums of 2007" list, but they suck and I rule. This album is great. Seriously.

1. Strawberry Jam - Animal Collective

Strawberry Jam is by far Animal Collective's best album yet, which is saying a lot. It's super short, but makes up for it by not having one second of filler. Also, it features my boyfriend, Panda Bear, which is a major plus. I have yet to get tired of listening to this album over and over again. If I didn't have to listen to other music for research purposes, I'm not sure I would. It's just that awesome. Excellent Work, Animal Collective. I can't wait to see what you come up with in 2008.

Most Disappointing Albums:
(It speaks highly of 2007 that I could only come up with four.)
4. Night Falls Over Kortedala - Jens Lekman

Night Falls Over Kortedala is one of those albums that EVERYBODY talks about. Naturally, I assumed that they were talking about it for a reason, like maybe it was good. Not so. Sure, Jens Lekman is original, and his lyrics really are phenomenal. But I really do think he sounds like a bad lounge singer. I guess some people consider that a good thing. Those people are wrong.

3. New Magnetic Wonder - The Apples in Stereo

The Apples in Stereo had FIVE YEARS to come up with some good music and they blew it. Enough said.

2. Places Like This - Architecture in Helsinki

"Heart It Races" spent a whopping three weeks as my favourite song. Those three weeks ended when I went out and bought Places Like This only to discover the rest of the album was crap. Now I'm super pissed at Architecture in Helsinki and can't even listen to "Heart It Races" without hearing "Money You Wasted."

1. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - Of Montreal

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?... Of Montreal was my favourite band until I heard this album and now I barely think about them. From what I've read, this ultra-poppy meaningless garbage with dark, miserable lyrics is the new direction they're going in now, so I doubt I'll be thinking about them much in the future. I don't think there could have been a worse follow-up to The Sunlandic Twins. Seriously, there is one good song ("Suffer for Fashion"). Pitchfork put this album at number five on their "Top Albums of 2007" list, right above Strawberry Jam. I'm not sure how anyone can rank Of Montreal's worst album above Animal Collective's best, but whatever. As I said before, Pitchfork sucks. So does Hissing Fauna.

Best Music Video:
"Heart It Races" by Architecture in Helsinki (misleading! Don't buy the album!)


Worst Music Video:
"Peacebone" by Animal Collective (misleading! Do buy the album!)


Best News:
Ike Turner dies. What an asshole. Have fun in Hell (I picture some Dante-style poetic justice with him getting the shit beaten out of him by Tina Turner. You go girl!).

Worst News:
The Blood Brothers break up. I talk about this in like every other update, that's how upset I am. It's only because I could have seen them this summer and I DIDN'T GO! I never dreamed I would NEVER have another chance. Tragic. Totally.

So that's it for now, I think. Here's to 2008!

-Jocelyn

Interview: The Last Dinosaur (FEAT. CAPITAL LETTERS)

Welcome, friends, to a very special update of this very special blog. Today marks a momentous occasion in the history of Pretending to be Japanese. A very lovely couple of blokes, Jamie Cameron and Luke Hayden (better known as The Last Dinosaur), agreed to let me interview them, in what turned out to be an interview cherry-popping for all of us. Surprisingly, it went quite well.

So, without further delay, The Interview:

Jocelyn: It seems like you guys have a lot of projects going on musically. How did The Last Dinosaur start? What sets it apart from the other things you're doing?

Jamie: Basically, Luke and I met at college (when we were 17) and have been friends ever since. I'd been recording my own songs since i was 16 by myself. We got in a band together at college but didn't actually write or record together for a while.

I started another band called Since I Was A Little Girl which attracted a small label from the UK. We agreed to release a CD in 2003, but we were in a bad car accident and James (my friend, the other guy in the band) passed away. We still released the CD though and I had a good relationship with the guy who owned the label.

Luke and I were still friends throughout all of this and eventually we started to record a mix of guitar and piano with a friend rapping over the top and the same label wanted to release our EP. That band was called Lostboy, which sort of fizzled out and there was a while where I was just recording on my own, but randomly one day late last year we decided to record something together late at night. That became the beginning of "The First Last Dinosaur Song."

And then it seemed to fall into place, and we didn't understand why we hadn't recorded together properly before! So, we would meet up and stay up late into the night when the magic seemed to be there and just record whatever we came up with. It's different from the other things we do because of what inspires it and how we approach it I think.

Jocelyn: So is that what you mean when you call Luke your "musical life partner?"

Jamie: Yeah. That's because he's always been there throughout what I've been doing and now I can't imagine doing anything in the future without him being involved somehow.

Jocelyn: How did you come up with "The Last Dinosaur" as your name?

Luke: Luke.

Jamie: Which is sort of true. When we were coming up with a name Luke randomly said "The Last Dinosaur," which he decided would be better as "Our Last Dinosaur," which became "Your Last Dinosaur." This carried on for a while until I suggested the first idea was the best (which is usually the case).

We both loved Denver The Last Dinosaur when we were younger. I guess, strange as it might sound, the name reflects certain feelings I'd have when I was younger and trying to relive those feelings that have been lost due to age.

Jocelyn: When you were kids, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Luke: I wanted to be a Thundercat.

Jamie: Did you actually?

Luke: Yeah, I had the sword. But it turns out I'm actually He-Man.

Jamie: I wanted to be a musician, which is sort of painfully boring and obvious compared to Luke's answer.

Jocelyn: You've done a better job of realizing your goal though.

Jamie: Ahah! Yes!

Jocelyn: So where do you see yourselves in five years?

Luke: Uh... I dunno... I guess... 27.

Jamie: Five years? Wow that's so far away, I wouldn't even like to hazard a guess. But there will definitely be a lot of music involved. As long as I can carry on doing music and not have to work a job that makes me horribly depressed then I'll be happy.

Jocelyn: What's your favourite Last Dinosaur song?

Luke: I have a real problem picking favourites. I like "The Song Playing At The End Of The Film Of My Life." I've listened to that the most probably, but I'm too indecisive to pick!"

Jamie: It's really hard for me too, "Home" is such a personal subject for me, but then there's "The First Last Dinosaur Song," which has a sax solo by our friend James Slade which just blows me away every time I hear it.

They were each born from such different situations and thoughts that I guess it depends on the feeling I had at the time. I think perhaps if I had to choose it would be "Home" for me though, just because I put so much into it.

Jocelyn: When you're not playing music, what do you do?

Jamie: Luke works for his dad and gets paid a lot and I work for Blockbuster and get paid very little.

Luke: PS3. I skateboard. I love my movies too. I love Donnie Darko. Not the movie, just him. Although, I do love the movie.

Jocelyn: The movie would have been better if they'd use the original version of "Mad World" instead of that sappy cover. Imagine looking at Donnie's destroyed room/dead body while listening to straight up new wave.

Jamie: Yeah, we love Tears for Fears, so agreed. And the way they used "Head Over Heels" in that film is amazing. I used to listen to that song a lot when I was younger. On a stolen mix cassette that my dad made my sister for her 10th birthday.

Some 80's bands are amazing, despite the popular opinion that they are all rubbish (except from the hipsters). Talk Talk and The Blue Nile are two of my favourite bands. Talk Talk especially. For Me, no band inspires what The Last Dinosaur do as much as Talk Talk.

Jocelyn: How do you feel about Gwen Stefani covering "It's My Life?"

Jamie: I really ony listen to the latter three Talk Talk albums, so I never felt protective over the earlier stuff.

Jocelyn: Well, you already possibly said two of them, but I wanted to know what your top five favourite bands of all time are.

Luke: Inlets, Sparklehorse, The Constantines, Elliott Smith, Kidsaredead.

Jamie: I couldn't possibly pick a top five, because I'm a geek, but here are a few people I love: Inlets, Sparklehorse, The Constantines, Kidsaredead, Broken Social Scene, Karl Blau, Atronauti, The Tupolev Ghost, Jenny Hall, Animal Collective, The Delgados, Explosions in the Sky, David Crosby, Stina Nordenstam, Savath & Savalas, Jim O'Rourke...

I could go on forever probably, so it's better I stop now!

...Jeniferever! We forgot them! We love them!

Jocelyn: Well, I think that's it. Unless you guys have anything else you'd like to say.

Jamie: Yes! Please draw us a dinosaur, befriend us on Myspace, and watch our pretty video!



Thus ends our first interview. As a special gift to you, my loyal readers, Jamie sent me "Home" in mp3 form. Here it is, available for your listening/downloading pleasure.

Good luck with the dinosaur drawings!

-Jocelyn