ADAM N. COPELAND
Time to revive the Coyote Park name again, as I’ve gone and recorded something all by my lonesome. This time it’s a cover of “Claxxon’s Lament” by Blackout Beach, which is the solo gig of Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes. Blackout Beach put out a fantastic album this year called Skin of Evil. The way I try to describe Skin of Evil it to people is that it sounds a little like Scott Walker, a little like Suicide, and a little like the Dead Man soundtrack by Neil Young.
“Claxxon’s Lament” is not on a Blackout Beach album, but you can nab the original from HERE for free.
My version is not a straight cover because I do not have Mr. Mercer’s voice, but nonetheless is done (mostly) in the spirit of the original.
I had been asked again by the venerable Tris McCall to answer his Critic’s Poll. For posterity, here are my results. A year’s worth of listening distilled into a few days worth of thinking and organizing.
name: Adam N. Copeland
location: Lafayette, Sussex County, NJ
best album of 2009
1. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
2. The Horrors - Primary Colours
3. Blackout Beach - Skin of Evil
4. Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead
5. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
6. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II
7. Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
8. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
9. Cass McCombs - Catacombs
10. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
honorable mention (list as many as you’d like):
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
Atlas Sound - Logos
The xx - xx
Islands - Vapours
Extra Golden - Thank You Very Quickly
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
best single of 2009:
1. Cass McCombs - “You Saved My Life”
2. Neko Case - “This Tornado Loves You”
3. Bat For Lashes - “Daniel”
4. The xx - “Crystallize”
5. Twilight Sad - “I Became A Prostitute”
6. Lily Allen - “The Fear”
7. Jay-Z - “Empire State of Mind”
8. Big Boi - “Shine Blockas”
9. DOOM - “Gazzillion Ear”
10. Beyonce - “Halo”
best album title: Extra Golden - Thank You Very Quickly
best album cover: Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
biggest disappointment: I am unsure if this counts but: You recommended 808s and Heartbreak as your album of the year of 2008. I guffawed. I scoffed even. Then I listened to it. I was entranced. I started telling people about it, waxing poetically about its merits and then - IMMA LET YOU FINISH. Kanye had to go and be a total jackass this year and produce absolutely nothing of redeeming value. Unless you like his character on The Cleveland Show or his work with 30 Seconds To Mars. Scoff. Guffaw. Even the President called him a jackass. Still, “Coldest Winter” is fucking awesome.
most welcome surprise: Mos Def putting out a pretty good album despite being so busy otherwise.
worst song of the year: Pitbull - “Hotel Room Service”
best singer: Dave Longstreth
best rapper: Raekwon
best songwriter: Carey Mercer
best lyricist: John Darnielle
best producer: How is J Dilla still producing better shit from the grave than most living producers?
best drummer: Kid Millions, Oneida / Steven Drozd, Flaming Lips
best guitar player: Andy MacFarlane of Twilight Sad
best backing vocals: Alicia Keys
song that got stuck in your head the most in 2009: Empire State of Mind
2009 album that wore out the quickest: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
artist you don’t know, but you know you should: Vic Chesnutt
album that felt most like an obligation to get through: Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
song that would drive you craziest on infinite repeat: Jemina Pearl - “I Hate People”. It’s like listening to Iggy Pop dying.
most overrated: Girls - Album. Hey, two great singles, really but OMG WOW they have a video that has a guy singing into a penis!
song/album you feel cheapest about liking: IYAZ - “Replay”
hoary old bastard who should spare us all and retire: Axl Fucking Rose.
young upstart who needs to be sent down to the minors for more seasoning: Wavves, Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking, lo-fi, etc, etc.
song/album that should have been shorter: Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
most overplayed song: I GOTTA FEELING THAT TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT
most unsexy person in pop music: Lil Wayne wins this every year for me, as long as he’s alive
most thoroughly botched production job: Swan Lake - Enemy Mine
will still be making good records in 2019: Considering what he did 10 years ago and this year, Raekwon seems like the obvious candidate here.
biggest musical trend of 2010: Can we get lower fi than glo-fi?
best album of 2010?: I am hoping the new album by The National will be good, yes.
additional comments? your own miscellaneous smartass questions?
Birthday sex
Birthday sex
Birthday sex
That song is so bad, it’s good.
This was a tough year for the top 10, so I basically did the top 5 at random.
I appreciate what Lady Gaga has done for Pop Culture by making people uncomfortable. I just don’t like her tunes very much. Sorry.
For Hallowe’en this year, I am masquerading as a sick person. I think I’m pulling it off well.
I worked very hard today trying to nail down a song idea but as usual I got carried away with the production side of things and not the songwriting side of things as I ought to. So - I only have this 1 minute long clip at the moment.
does Texas Governor Rick Perry appear to (appropriately considering his penchant for the death penalty) be wearing a death mask on top of his normal face?
Too much time on the ranch in the tanning booth!
I’m sorry but between this B.S. and his rampant gerrymandering of Texas congressional districts in 2003, this is a man that deserves scorn and ridicule. And a kick in the balls.
Here’s a little hypnotic loop that I hope to turn into a full fledged song soon.
The best essay in the world about growing up as an awkward and crazed food-obsessed teen aged non-musician, jamming, summoning Zeus for power, and so much more is being written right now by the venerable Carey Mercer on his blog:
http://cloudofevil.blogspot.com/2009/09/selected-memoirs-part-1-origins-kurt.html
My comedy routine at the time was to declare myself Straight-edge, and then as soon as 5:30 hit, I’d start shot-gunning real, hard-core brews. When stunned X-ers complained, I would answer that “Straight-Edge was my job, like a fucking carpenter, and just cuz you’re a carpenter don’t fuckin’ mean you’re hammerin’ nails day and night. And fuckin’ speaking of nails”, and I’d pull out a nail and shotgun a Molson XXX.
Which has spawned perhaps the greatest turn of phrase this side of the century:
awkward as a cop-band playing its one reggae song
Here’s the home, back in January of last year when we were getting the new roof put on. As you can see, it was painted in a color I can only presume was being sold for $5 a gallon because it was leftovers from Naval Battleships. Flat gray. Then it was lovingly left to rot for a couple of decades with no mention of even the slightest scrub.
And here she is today:
A favorite read of mine is the always informative You Suck At Craigslist. I’ve been doing a little bit of Ebay shopping lately and have come across some great material that would work perfectly for a You Suck At Ebay equivalent.
Check out this gem:
First of all, $38.46 shipping for one microphone?
And oh yes. It’s in fabulous used condition. Check out that lovely photo. Oh wait. I guess I should have shopped out that freaking timestamp from two and a half years ago.