Dusted Features Every Friday, Dusted Magazine publishes a series of music-related lists determined by our favorite artists. This week: The Walkmen and Asobi Seksu. Tweet

Listed: The Walkmen + Asobi Seksu

The Walkmen

Rising from the ashes of late-’90s could've-beens Jonathan Fire*Eater, the Walkmen first emerged with a pleasantly mysterious EP in 2001 for the then-unknown Startime International imprint. The Walkmen were first seen in the public eye as a pre-Strokes NYC garage band, and their first full-length, Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone (Startime) was released at the peak of the 'garage' craze. While it received plenty of attention, it was often unfairly lumped in with the rest of the 2002 'NYC rock' craze. Their more recent material, however, finds them moving in a variety of directions about the garage axis, incorporating new instruments, arrangements, and textures. Their latest album, Bows+Arrows showcases all of these new techniques and more, and is out now on Record Collection.

1. NBA forward Rasheed Wallace – Perhaps the most ignorant man in professional sports, Rasheed was recently traded to the Detroit Pistons. He is an absolute bad ass on the court, so he is allowed to remain in the sport despite referring to the NBA commissioner as a "slave trader."

2. The Office – I just watched the second season of this British comedy on a DVD and it is the funniest thing out there now.

3. My iPod – This technology impacted my life more than anything else. The only problem with it is that when I am caught without it I feel naked and I discover a new level of boredom.

4. Oliver Stone - The Doors – Few movies in history have reached this level of entertainment. There is not a dull moment. Scene after scene, Kyle Mclaughlin and Val Kilmer embarrass themselves with lines about acid, witchcraft, Vietnam, anarchy, fascism, and just about anything else you can imagine. It is astounding that adults could have created this movie. Also of note is Meg Ryan's shameless portrayal of Pamela Morrison. Anyone who was a fan of the Doors in 8th grade will appreciate this movie over and over, but it should appeal to all viewers. I watched it with my family on Christmas day.

5. www.instantchess.com – There is always someone ready to play, so it is better than other Internet chess places. It costs $35 a year though.

6. Bob Dylan - "Joey" – This 2nd-sider from Desire has a great depressing vibe that really hits the spot on a sunny Tuesday (like today) when everyone else is at work, or out doing something constructive.

7. Bose noise-reducing headphones – Matt has these and they just sound so greedy, but they are $150 and considering that I can't help from breaking anything that comes into my life, I am not going to buy them.

8. Ernest Hemingway's Complete Short Stories – It is sitting in front of me on the table. It's great.

9. Malkmus – I am listening to Pavement. They were a great band. Whatever happened to Malkmus? Is he still playing with the Jicks?

10. The tennis courts at West 100th Street – Although they are $7 an hour, and I am a terrible tennis player, it is a great way to spend the day, and the wait is not usually that bad.

Asobi Seksu

New York rock quartet Asobi Seksu (Japanese for 'play sex') have earned themselves some pretty big shoes to fill. Various publications (including the New York Times) have compared these relative newcomers to everyone from My Bloody Valentine to Stereolab to Blondie. Asobi Seksu’s self-titled debut album, originally released in 2002, sold out shortly after its release, and is being universally re-released by Friendly Fire Recordings this month, with completely revamped artwork by Sean McCabe, best known for his graphic work with the band Interpol. The band performs regularly around NYC, but have yet to mount a U.S. tour. All four band members participated in this week's Listed feature.

Yuki:
1. Serge Gainsbourg (Sunnyside) - Aux Armes et Caetera – Serge is awesome by himself. Put him in Jamaica with some of the best Reggae musicians and lots of weed, you get this album. It got me through this particularly bleak winter.

2. Francoise Hardy - Je Vous Aime (Four Corners) – Yes I know, I have to be like every female Japanese singer and be influenced by French pop. No, seriously – I love her voice so fucking much. She is by far my favorite singer from that era. She wrote her own material and the arrangements are amazing. Just listen to tracks like “Et Meme” and “Je Veux Qúil Revienne” and you will see.

3. Buzzcocks - Singles-Going Steady (Reissue: 4 Men With Beards) – You just can’t go wrong with the Buzzcocks and this collection is perfect when you need a dose of good poppy punk. If you are fighting with someone and put this on, I guarantee that all will be forgiven and you will be dancing like idiots!

4. Nas - The Lost Tapes (Columbia) – Like everyone I loved Illmatic and much of It Was Written, but then I lost interest as Nas seemed to be releasing lackluster records. When I heard this, I was reminded of why I love him and why he is probably the best MC out there.

James:
1. Deerhoof - Milk Man (5 Rue Christian) – While in some ways, Deerhoof’s albums are introductions/reminders of their brilliant live shows, in some ways they plain kick ass. The one-two punch of “C” and “Milk Man” pretty much sums up why I love this band.

2. Os Mutantes - Everything is Possible (Luaka Bop) – Why is it so fucking hard to find their first few albums? While I usually cringe at the thought of “best of” CDs, I just had to own this stuff. The world really needs more songs that are as eerie and catchy as “Ave Lucifer.” I never thought tropical psychedelia could be this timeless.

3. Brigitte Fontaine - Brigitte Fontaine Est… (Saravah) – This is her first record and it sounds closer to classic French pop than her later records. While not quite as daring as her more famous albums, the instrumentation is really original and the songs are her strongest. She is so cool that Stereolab even wrote a song about her - “Brigitte.”

4. Dead Meadow - Shivering King and Others (Matador) – Early Melvins was some of my favorite music in high school. Sometimes slow, drawn out and heavy (by my tastes anyway) done well is just necessary.

Glenn:
1. On! Air! Library! - s/t (Arena Rock) – This album has atmosphere to spare, but with intelligent melodies and pop sensibilities. One of its greatest attributes is that it is worth listening to really loudly or really quietly.

2. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (Island) – Tom Waits is the greatest performer alive today. This album captures feelings and places with the most bent feel I've ever heard. Nobody can tell a story like Tom Waits or match his sense of humor.

3. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (Columbia) – Miles managed to stay on top of his game for decades and he always played with the greatest musicians. This album is the closest I've ever come to hearing myself trip………dude.

4. The Misfits - Static Age (Caroline) – Whenever I listen to this album I am amazed that it was recorded in the late ’70s. It has the dirtiest guitar sounds I've ever heard and Glenn Danzig is an amazing songwriter. There has not been a more interesting punk album made to date.

Keith:
1. The Walkmen – One of my favorites right now. On record, they beckon you to come out and party. Live, they are the party. There are only a few bands that I get excited to see live. Hamilton screams his head off and still keeps his cool. They have one of the most energetic drummers I've seen in a long time. The guitar is butter, and the basslines are smooth. The fact that they bring an upright piano on stage for one song is one of the coolest things ever.

2. Mojave 3 – If there's an acoustic guitar laying around the first thing that my fingers play is the opening chords to Mojave 3's "In Love With A View." As a Slowdive fan I have always been intrigued by Neil Halstead's transition from a My Bloody Valentine-esque wall of sound to these soft, delicate heartbreaking acoustic tunes. With a slide guitar, keyboard, acoustic guitar, and the retrained vocal style of Halstead, Mojave 3 evoke a unique time and place in every song.

3. Sonic Youth – I remember not too long ago talking to a college student and I mentioned Sonic Youth. He looked at me blankly. "Sonic Youth," I said again. "Go buy all of their albums right now."

By Dusted Magazine

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