For our first 2019 edition of our First, Last, and Favorite column we’re featuring YOY! YOY is a little bit local and a little global, operating here but with members from Malaysia and Japan. They make spastic playful punky noise-rock unafraid to be both odd or catchy. A look at the records these guys have been rocking will give you a good idea. Your last chance to catch them live for a good little while will be this Friday, or you can swing by the shop for the The Inner Journey Goes Wrong tape any old time.
Conner (drums), Daniel (guitar), and Moe (bass) each picked us a record from their past, present, and eternity. Let’s get into YOY’s picks for their First Last and Favorite records:
FIRST
Conner: Nirvana From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
When I was 12 years old and just starting to get pissed off at the world for irrational pubescent angst I heard this record and was instantly hooked. For more than a decade its retained the feeling of Kurt is spitting on you while Dave’s drumming kicks you in the shins and Krist is eating a sandwich. In my insignificant opinion this is the greatest Nirvana album and it got me playing drums.
Moe: Sheena Ringo Shoso Strip
When I was 13 years old, I was introduced to this artist by one of a young teacher-in-training, Mr Kimura at school. I bought a copy of this album and still remembered how it blew my mind. Even if I were reincarnated, I’d like to discover this album again.
Daniel: Nirvana Bleach
Everybody knows this record, and they should! Because it’s a great record. ‘Bleach’ came into my life at the best time. I had just given up on learning the violin because I was done getting kicked in the shins by a 70 year old man for playing ‘ode to joy’ wrong. Around this time, my older brother taught me an E minor chord and a G chord on the guitar, and I learnt to play ‘About a Girl’. It was the time of my life! I learnt to play a power chord, and suddenly I could play along to every song in the record. I really doubt I will ever be as happy as that, this was about last week.
LAST
Conner: BADBADNOTGOOD IV
This album has a little bit of everything I want to hear in 50 minutes, it's Jazz that people who don't like Jazz can get into! Instrumental adventures like “Structure No.3” “Confessions Pt.II” & “IV” and mellower numbers “In Your Eyes” and “Time Moves Slow” are notable hits.
Moe: Mitski Be The Cowboy
Around the end of last year, I saw this album as Andrew’s (from New Bloom) best album of the year on Instagram. Out of curiosity I listened to it and it was really a good album.
Daniel: V/A A Day in the Life: Impressions of Pepper
A really interesting guitar player I’ve been listening to lately is Mary Halvorson. I really like atonality and free improvisation, so I really dig her sound and method. She contributes a cover of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ that I really like to this compilation and I’m still listening to the rest of it now. So far, me like.
FAVORITE
Conner: The Mars Volta The Bedlam and Goliath
Though there are many albums that are “my favourite” this one covers a lot of ground as it was the first time I heard a record that decimated my entire understanding of what music can be. It’s an album with meticulous chaos, similar to a Rube Goldberg machine in the sense that it feels like it’s about to disintegrate into a million intricate little parts at any second but the music always pulls through through in a kaleidoscopic flurry of unparalleled musicianship, catchy melodies and an unbelievably explosive display of drumming by Thomas Pridgen.
Moe: Pavement Brighten The Corners
In 2015, Daniel sent me a bunch of music to listen to, so I put my iTunes to shuffle mode and was listening to them randomly. Then, I heard this one song. I thought it was a Radiohead song, but I knew that it was too sad and desperate to be Radiohead, in a good way. Still my favorite album now.
Daniel: Melt Banana MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity
Definitely an all-time favorite. This is a ‘Live in Studio’ type album that archives the set Melt-Banana toured the US with in 1998. I wish more bands made records in this format! It’s raw, rehearsed to death (a result of the extensive US tour), possibly done in one take; it really captures their 4-piece era at its absolute best. Melt-Banana are heroes to me. They’re like chicken soup for the DIY soul, and I think this is a great first record to get into their stuff.