Epic Amounts of Bass

On my thirteenth birthday, I got a bass guitar from my mother. It was the first instrument I ever owned, and the first non-keyed instrument I ever learned to play. When I picked up guitar at fifteen, that bass slowly drifted away from common use. But still, there is a soft spot in my heart for an excellent bass line, and what follows is a list of the best places to look if you, like me, like pumping the subs every now and then.

Radiohead - From the menacing drive of The National Anthem to the disconnected, atmospheric loop of How To Disappear Completely to the sheer power of the last two minutes of Exit Music (For a Film), Radiohead's bass lines are completely top notch, and they always do exactly what they need to. When they need to support the triplet guitar lines, they lay a nice, solid foundation, and when they need to push a song over the edge, they pull up their sleeves and hurl it over. An oft-overlooked piece of what makes Radiohead so darn good.

Deerhunter - During the first (more experimental) half of Cryptograms, Deerhunter emits an ambient swirl of phasing keyboards and guitar delay--until the bass comes in and starts pounding, bringing the rest of the band with it. The sonic exploration of songs like Cryptograms and Lake Somerset are led by a big, fat bass line running through the long grass with a torch in one hand a machete in the other. As for their more recent releases, the bass has been less focal, but it has nonetheless been the bedrock that the noise of the meandering guitars are built upon, and without that foundation, everything else would fall apart.

The Flaming Lips - Given the sheer mass of their output, I will limit this to two albums: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Embryonic. On Embryonic, the bass is the first thing that hits you, and it's the last thing to let go. I have described the bass lines on this album as sounding like they're out to get me, and I stand by it: they're fuzzed out, raw, and terrifying, and I can't get enough. On Yoshimi, the basslines aren't aggressive as much as they are beautiful. The bass glides up the scales during the more delicate tracks, and they bounce along with the more upbeat ones. Few acts can achieve both extremes show by these two examples, and the Flaming Lips are leading those few bands on the attack.

mewithoutYou - For all of the idiosyncrasies surrounding this band - the spoken word vocals, the free-range drums, the twin guitar lines that wind around eachother - the dubby bass guitar is my favorite. Go to a show and watch the bassist, or put on a record and pump the subs, and you'll find a bass that is always moving, with a style that's as punk as it is funk, and always, always fat. Whether it's during the band's extended jams on Brother, Sister, the punk outbursts on [A-->B Life], or the Middle Eastern vocal solo towards the end of Catch for us the Foxes, the bass is the focal point, holding the drums and guitars together, which in a band like this, is no easy task.

Fugazi - Fugazi was the personification of all of the energy, all of the rage, and all of the sarcasm that made punk rock punk rock. But beneath the squealing guitars and the sneering vocals, there's a bassist that plays as if all he listens to is jazz. While the guitars run along the fence of their sonic limits, the bass guitar stays inside, laying down the groove to end all grooves. Anyone who thinks punk+jazz=ska should promptly look here.

Gorillaz - There's a reason that animated basist Murdoc functions as de facto spokesman to his cartoon bandmates, and that reason is that the bass lines contained within the Gorillaz' records are the epitome of punk/hip-hop/electronica crossover bass lines -- aside from the fact that each bass line completely makes its respective song. On Plastic Beach, it rides under every track, walking up the scale like a jazz bassist with the swagger of a hip hop DJ. On Demon Days, it drips dub reggae influence, soaking the album with menace. You could fill a multi-volume encyclopedia with Damon Albarn's musical influences, and the bass is the clearest reminder.

Scientist - Dub reggae was built on bass loops, and every good bassist or bass enthusiast should listen and take notes.

Oh, it hurts so good...

Every so often (rarely more than every six months) I'll find a record that I just can't stop listening to. The latest record to hold this honor is the debut album from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It's noise rock with pop sensibilities that's as catchy as all get out. Essentially, it sounds like a My Bloody Valentine and The Smiths started a Belle & Sebastian tribute band. Listen to it. Just listen to it.

Explosion

The past few days have seen one of the largest music-discovery explosions in a long time. So huge that it's beginning to shift my opinion of important music. Suddenly, I'm obsessed with shoegazy, noise-centric pop music, thanks to:

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
The Unicorns
The Strokes (Is This It is still as good as it ever was)
Sonic Youth
Wavvves
Stereolab
The Velvet Underground
The Jesus And Mary Chain
and, Best Coast.

Record Player Log, Jan. 7 2011

The Stooges - Funhouse

It's often said that this is the best rock album ever. I don't know about that, but it's certainly leaves the fewest survivors. Protopunk at its best, with free jazz influence on the B side.

Atlas Sound - Logos

Bradford Cox always makes amazing music, whether it's with Deerhunter or this solo project, which features Noah Lennox of Animal Collective and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab.

Joy Division - Closer

No one will argue that this is the most joyful record in the world. Regardless, there are times where I want to be put in the claustrophobic vice of their rhythm section and free form guitars and just let Ian Curtis's monotone voice crush me.

The Velvet Underground and Nico

If you haven't heard this record, listen to it now.

Beach House - Teen Dream

I completely let this slip by me during the last calendar year. I thought, "Eh, what's the big deal?" I listened to it a few days ago and was ashamed of myself.