I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud.

A shout out to my buddy Brett, for tuning in from Sedro-Woolley. Next time I’ll have to add Tullycraft to the list in honor of how we met.

The show began with a song off one of my desert island top 5 albums, and ended with a track that’s nearly thirty years old. In between was great indie rock and garage rock from the past decade or so.

Click bold playlist entries to visit related content.

“Call It Ours” by The Legends off Up Against The Legends

“Rotten Hell” by Menomena off Friend And Foe
“Melectric” by Ramona Falls off Intuit
“Cold Feet” by Lost Lander off DRRT

“Vomit” by Girls off Father, Son, Holy Ghost
“Collector” by PAPA off A Good Woman Is Hard To Find
“Hoop Of Love” by Dominant Legs off Invitation

“The Concept (Teenage Fanclub Cover)” by Blue Skies For Black Hearts
“I’m A Thief” by Fresh & Onlys off Play It Strange
“Hey Friend” by JEFF The Brotherhood off We Are The Champions
“Summer Solstice” by Crystal Antlers off Two-Way Mirror

“Burden” by The Mantles off The Mantles

“After The Call” by Electrelane off No Shouts No Calls
“Big Girl” by Darlings off Warma
“Weekends” by Teenage Reverb off Isolation Tape Night

“Punks In The Beerlight” by Silver Jews off Tanglewood Numbers
“Firedrill” by Sam Humans off Live Free & Let Loose
“Nerve Jamming” by Bass Drum Of Death off GB City

“I Don’t Wanna Know” by Shimmering Stars off Violent Hearts
“You Don’t Want Kids To Be Dead” by The Beets off Let The Poison Out
“Bring Your Love” by The Cave Weddings off Bring Your Love (7″ Single)

“When I’m With You” by Best Coast off Crazy For You
“Into The Sea” by Seapony off Go With Me
“I Will Be” by Dum Dum Girls off I Will Be
“Dead Man’s Sister” by Tea Cozies

“You Make The Sun Fry” by Ty Segall off Goodbye Bread
“You Should Close The Door” by Craft Spells off Idle Labor

“No Doctor” by Virgin Islands off Ernie Chambers Vs. God
“Brave Dumb Face” by Unnatural Helpers off Cracked Love & Other Drugs

“Smile” by The Fall off Perverted By Language

Let me tell you a story. In 2007 some notable things happened. I attended the annual music festival SXSW (the image above is of myself and The Lovely Sparrows’ Shawn Jones, taken by Abandoned Love Records/Virgin Of The Birds’ Jon Rooney), I grew a mustache, and I met a beautiful girl named Andi at the Capitol Hill Block Party. We hit it off and ditched the after-party to get a sprite (her) and coffee (me) at Denny’s in Ballard (sadly no longer there) at 1:30am. I still have the mustache and I’m still dating Andi. A lot of pretty notable things happened that year, and a lot of great releases came out…

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Ooops: Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On New Paint by The Lovely Sparrows

We begin tonight with an error, an accidental and tragic omission from 2006 as it was ultimately one of my favorites from the year; that being The Lovely Sparrows’ phenomenal EP Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On New Paint. 2007 was the first time I heard it live and it absolutely blew me away, just as the EP had many times over. Here it is, a track from my favorite show from 2007 (well, from their EP that is):

The Lovely Sparrows: Chemicals Change [mp3]

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1/3. Wizards Of Ahhhs by Black Kids

Black Kids were my #1 hype band of 2007. Shunning label and any released material, with exception to this here digital EP, the group took off with astounding force. Their debut LP didn’t quite live up to the hype, but was still pretty good. This year (2009) the album finally got a physical release, and it happened during the famed Record Store Day. The 10″ EP is sitting in my collection right now.

Black Kids: I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You [mp3]

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33. The Bird Of Music by Au Revoir Simone

You can view this band in two ways. At first glance, Au Revoir Simone’s make up is of three attractive nerdy women with Casio keyboards and an affection toward Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure. But the deeper you look into their music, the more you find that these three women are sirens and muses ready to swallow your soul in the most delightful of ways. You’ll practically beg for them to take it.

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32. The Stage Names by Okkervil River

I really love how The Stage Names concludes with “John Allyn Smith Sails”, a song that channels The Beach Boys’ classic “Sloop John B”. The Stage Names was part one of a conceptual pair of albums, the second of which, The Stand Ins was released in 2008.

Okkervil River: Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe [mp3]

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31. In Stormy Nights by Ghost

The experimental Japanese classical group Ghost is an interesting collective of artists. In Stormy Nights is, without question, among their more accessible releases. With sole exception to the 28 minute “Hemicyclic Anthelion”, the album was pretty cohesive in its piecing together of full songs. It wasn’t a musical rant of avant garde as found in that lone lengthy track. “Motherly Bluster” and “Gareki No Toshi” and “Caledonia” were actually catchy, a term not likely included in any prior mention of the band.

You can stream the entire album over at Drag City.

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30. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago is an album of insurmountable beauty. Soft acoustics fronted by Justin Vernon’s pleasant falsetto made tunes like “For Emma” and “Flume” stand out. While not necessarily bedroom pop, the album included many of that subgenre’s sensibilities yet defied its true nature. Bon Iver is much too folky to be that.

Bon Iver: Skinny Love [mp3]

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29. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is my favorite Spoon album since Kill The Moonlight. “Don’t Make Me A Target” and “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” hinted at that earlier album’s greatness yet took the band’s progression of the years between into account. Absolutely wonderful!

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28. Cold City by Eux Autres

Their sophomore release, Eux Autres continued to pump out quality lo-fi, French-influenced pop music. Raw and at times minimal, the brother-sister duo began to expand into a trio and add keys to the guitar/drums/vocals mix. “Molly”, “When I’m Up” and “Anne Boleyn” were early favorites, but “The City All To Himself” topped them all.

Eux Autres: When I’m Up [mp3]

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27. In Camera by Arthur & Yu

Hardly Art’s first release as a label, In Camera is an album that references Summer of Love and a decade’s old style of San Francisco folk-pop. There’s plenty here to love.

Arthur & Yu: Come To View (Song For Neil Young) [mp3]

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26. Red Bloom Of The Boom by Bear In Heaven

With Red Bloom Of The Boom, Bear In Heaven followed in the footsteps of freak-folk and pop artists such as Animal Collective, but their music is also likely to find itself in the crowd with AC spinoff Panda Bear. For fans of more avant-garde indie, Red Bloom Of The Boom is a must have for your collection.

Bear In Heaven: Bag Of Bags [mp3]

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25. The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly by Le Loup

When I saw Le Loup live at CMJ in 2007, I knew I needed their debut album from Hardly Art. Somewhat of a concept album, The Throne delves into the psyche and psychosis of Sam Simkoff. Spirits are at work here—light versus dark—and the result is a miraculous journey into a brilliant mind.

Le Loup: We Are Gods! We Are Wolves! [mp3]

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24. Autumn Of The Seraphs by Pinback

Slightly more rock-centric with a bit higher production value and a little less orchestration is how Autumn Of The Seraphs came to us. Pinback continued their pointed and oft angular sounds that has always made them a wholly unique band. I’ve been kicking myself for not picking up their albums before this one, as Seraphs was ultimately my introduction to the band.

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23. No Shouts No Calls by Electrelane

The last Electrelane album before their (hopefully not) eternal hiatus is without a doubt my favorite. From the singles “The Greater Times” and “To The East” to the epic post-rock “Saturday” and “Cut And Run”, No Shouts No Calls is truly a remarkable album.

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22. The Flying Club Cup by Beirut

Condon’s voice continues to mature, though one would think it impossible. Deep and rich, his vocals and trumpet alike fill the air with boisterous glee. The album also found Condon relinquishing some of his domination on the album (as Beirut’s entire debut was put together by Condon himself) to other artists, which was a welcome feature. The Flying Club Cup is a definite must-have from 2007.

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21. The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse by The Besnard Lakes

…Are The Dark Horse eluded me in 2007; I listened to it for the first time within 24 hours of publishing my original Best of 2007 list and was devastated I wouldn’t be able to include it. There are infectious pop moments thanks to Beach Boys-like harmonies, but the instrumentation is thick and atmospheric. This band is one of a kind.

The Besnard Lakes: And You Lied To Me [mp3]

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20. Parades by Efterklang

Parades blends the orchestrated pop sensibilities of Sigur Ros with a massive experimental orchestral pop sound. With emphasis on multiple vocal parts, immense percussion, and an intense horn section, Efterklang’s Parades took a sound similar to that of Anathallo and expanded it to epic proportions.

Efterklang: Cutting Ice To Snow [mp3]

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19. Everything Is A Miracle Nothing Is A Miracle Everything Is by Kickball

This pristine 10″ LP found Kickball outdoing themselves. Previously, ABCDEFGHIJ saw them capitalizing on a math-y, in-your-face style of lo-fi gritty emotive puck rock. Everything Is A Miracle Nothing Is A Miracle Everything Is took this sound to the next level, from opener “Underground Husbands” to epics like “Hotelsmotels” and “Sometimes”. It’s a truly beautiful piece of work, this album.

Kickball: Pocketknife [mp3]

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18. Eulogy For Evolution by Ólafur Arnalds

One wouldn’t expect classical music to make a list like this, but here it is, Ólafur Arnalds’ outstanding Eulogy For Evolution. As the album builds from the pleasantries of “3055″ into “3326″, it goes from a calm hypnosis into tense strings. Then the album bows out with “3704/3837″ hitting hard with an anthemic electric guitar. Arnalds is truly the modern king of classical composition.

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17. In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars

Stars always lag a bit when it comes to me. There’s a progression here that’s a bit strange, yet it’s consistent with all of their recent releases. At first, I’ll dislike the album completely. It’ll sit on my shelf for some time, possibly as long as a year or more. Then I’ll pick it up and it’ll blow me away. In Our Bedroom After The War was nowhere to be found on my original 2007 list, and I mistakenly added it toward the end of my 2008 list (oops!) and was called on the error. Yet here it is, now within the top 20. It makes me wonder what one, maybe two more years will do to it.

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16. Let’s Drag Our Feet by BOAT

D. Crane will likely remain at the forefront of my list of friendliest musicians. There’s something about his demeanor, party enhanced by his continual slight smile, that makes you simply know he’s a fun guy. It’s like he finds the world and life in general flat out amusing. And he injects that outlook on life directly into the heart of his music. “Period. Colon. Backslash” from this album was once dedicated to my mustache at a show in Seattle. Totally awesome.

BOAT: (I’m A) Donkey For Your Love [mp3]

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15. Voxtrot by Voxtrot

I often say that nothing will top Voxtrot’s debut EP and so far nothing has, simply because of the power behind the two singles, “The Start Of Something” and “Raised By Wolves”. Their debut self-titled LP is a lovable album that includes many single-worthy tracks, bringing the band forward in indiepop with a broader, slightly more produced sound.

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14. Fleeting Frequencies by Patience Please

I love these guys; it’s no secret. Their songs fill me with joy, whether it’s the tribute to your parents’ sale of your childhood home in “Exclusively Windermere” or the choo-choo drums by Chris at the beginning and end of “Coal Enough For Steam”. Jordan and Ray’s lyrics are thoughtful and clever, and Keegan’s work on keys and backup vocals round out the quartet perfectly. It was sad they disbanded a few months after Fleeting Frequencies hit stores.

Patience Please: If You’re Sure [mp3]

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13. Challengers by The New Pornographers

Twin Cinema never caught on for me. Neither did Mass Romantic. There were several tracks off Electric Version that I fell in love with, but the album was never on constant repeat. Challengers changed all that. God this is a great album!

The New Pornographers: Myriad Harbour [mp3]

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12. Andorra by Caribou

“Melody Day” continues to be one of the top songs from 2007. Andorra was somewhat of a gracious tribute to 30th anniversary of The Summer Of Love, and it fits the 70s sound of psychedelic folk-pop beautifully. Fronted by Dan Snaith, who has a Ph.D. in mathematics, it’s obvious that this album is quite a trip!

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11. In Rainbows by Radiohead

The hottest of hot bands and most hype-driven and noteworthy artist of the past decade is Radiohead. Snubbing their record label and the following hurrah’s of a pay-what-you-want model, the band knowingly found themselves in the eye of a faltering industry. They shunned all ties to create a pave their own path with In Rainbows, favoring the aforementioned consumer friendly model with added promotional elements in various web-casts. In Rainbows was, obviously, like virtually the entire Radiohead library: an instant classic.

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10. Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem

Sound of Silver is a more than viable follow-up to the self-titled release from a few years ago. This is obvious thanks to one of the best songs of the decade, “All My Friends”, as well as opening power trio “Get Innocuous”, “Time To Get Away” and “North American Scum”. Even the slower, more emotive tracks like closing tune “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” were awe-inspiring.

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9. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal

I remember first hearing “The Past Is A Grotesque Animal” – at a hair under 12 minutes, it was hard to miss. The song is one of Kevin Barnes’s most introspective and personal tracks yet, and the rest of the album compliments it well. “Suffer For Fashion” and “Cato As Pun” and “She’s A Rejecter” remain among of my favorites by the band. This furthered Barnes along the path toward icon status.

Of Montreal: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse [mp3]

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8. Person Pitch by Panda Bear

Panda Bear’s relation to Animal Collective is obvious beyond the group’s makeup. Added to the bizarre nature of AC’s eclectic experimental folk sounds are Beach Boys-esque vocal patterns that make Person Pitch that much more unique. “Bros”, “Comfy In Nautica”: beautiful.

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7. Cryptograms by Deerhunter

It’s amazing to think how far Deerhunter has come since Flourescent Grey. Cryptograms found the experimental band solidifying their sound with some of the year’s best tracks, including the title track, “Lake Somerset”, and “Strange Lights”.

Deerhunter: Cryptograms [mp3]

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6. 23 by Blonde Redhead

23 is a tight-knit album, but it’s to be expected from a band as solid as Blonde Redhead. It works both as a cohesive unit and as individual songs. From “The Dress” to the title-track “23” to the album favorite “Publisher”, with 23, Blonde Redhead put yet another phenomenal album under their collective belts.

Blonde Redhead: 23 [mp3]

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5. Invitation Songs by The Cave Singers

Discovering great music is a wonderful feeling, but doing so by mistake is even better. I wanted to be in the front row for Grand Archives’ Capitol Hill Block Party performance so I showed up a performance early. And that’s when I was introduced to The Cave Singers. Invitation Songs is a glorious album of semi-religious folk tunes, dusty and gritty like a dust bowl-era wanderer.

The Cave Singers: Helen [mp3]

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4. All Hour Cymbals by Yeasayer

Likened to a barbershop quartet gone eclectic indie rock, Yeasayer’s All Hour Cymbals drew a lot of hype upon its release at the tail end of 2007. “Sunrise” and “2020″ were instant favorites. Word on the street is that they’ve got a new one slated for early 2010; it’ll be interesting to see how the two albums stack up. All Hour Cymbals will be a very difficult one to top.

Yeasayer: 2080 [mp3]

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3. Friend And Foe by Menomena

I didn’t understand what was so fascinating about Menomena until I saw them live at Bumbershoot in 2007. The group added a choir in their backline, and the songs that made up Friend And Foe became instantly recognizable as awe-inspiring anthems. After that, I was absolutely hooked and I have been ever since.

Menomena: Wet And Rusting [mp3]

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2. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman

Night Falls On Kortedala took me by surprise. Lekman’s prior albums were strong with tunes about getting arrested, naughty words that begin with F, a few spanning a movie featuring Cher and Eric Stoltz, and the cool taxis of London. But none are as powerful as a whole as that of Night Falls On Kortedala. “Postcard to Nina” and “And I Remember Every Kiss” and “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar” and “Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo” are all vastly memorable tunes. Add to it plush orchestration and you have Fense’s top album of 2007.

Jens Lekman: The Opposite Of Hallelujah [mp3]

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1. Albatross by Fishboy

Theif! Fishboy stole best album of 2007 from Jens Lekman. It was close to begin with, but it’s really no contest. Concept albums can be brilliant and Albatross is a prime example, perhaps the optimum example. The album tells the story of how the protagonist “failed to save the lone star state with the power of rock and roll.” Touring the country, Fishboy plays their so-called Rock Opera in its entirety from start to finish in what I hail as one phenomenal phucking performance! The story is fodder for a low-budget indie film. The day that film is made will be the day my life is complete.

Fishboy: Half Time At The Proper Name Spelling Bee [mp3]

The second installment of A Retrospective, in which I recap my favorite albums released from 2000 to 2008, this time: 2001. Wrought with turmoil and watching a life fall apart as so many others were having similar experiences but in a different manner; that was 2001 for you. The year I turned 21 (hence the wine bottle photo above). A year that lives in infamy. Young or old, we all seemed to grow up that year. Music, too seemed to progress in ways unthought, even before that fateful day.

Again, the ideal is for this to be a friendly open dialog. Please feel free to chime in with some of your favorites from 2001 as well. Here’s my top 15 albums from that year:

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15. Stephen Malkmus by Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Malkmus has long been an influential character in music, a total nod to his Pavement days. This album, his self-titled debut, finally found Malkmus striking out on his own, and he did so with flare and agility. Stephen Malkmus was a perfect introduction to a man on his own without the confines of prior monikers. And yeah, in some ways it may have picked up where our beloved Pavement left off (quite quickly, in fact, as work on this project began almost immediately after the disbandment of Pavement). But whatever; it’s still a brilliant LP.

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14. Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever by Explosions In The Sky
I love the first explosion in “Greet Death”, the opening track to this Explosions In The Sky album; it has the ability to rock the nuts off anyone listening to it. What makes EITS such a great band is that they’re capable of creating such immense sound one moment, and in the next dropping it down to the most minimal. True to the genre, the album appears brief with a track-list numbering six, but it is anything but as no song is fewer than six minutes with most topping seven and a pair over ten. Despite their length EITS manages to maintain attention throughout; and that alone is a worthy feat.

Explosions In The Sky: Yasmin The Light [mp3]

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13. Ancient Melodies Of The Future by Built To Spill
I can remember the first time I heard “In Your Mind”, the third track off Built To Spill‘s Ancient Melodies Of The Future. I cannot remember where, or when this took place; but I can remember the emotions that rocked my mere existence. Many of the songs weren’t nearly as ‘rockin’ as found on some of the older albums, but it allowed Built To Spill to show off a different side, one a bit more delicate and personal.

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12. The Coast Is Never Clear by Beulah
Part of the Elephant 6 collective (the band, not the release), Beulah released The Coast Is Never Clear on September 11 of this year. What a day to release an album; but it was ultimately the antithesis to that cataclysmic day. Songs like “A Good Man Is Easy To Kill” and “Popular Mechanics For Lovers” just seemed so perfect. They had just the right amount of sadness, but were backed by such effortless upbeat psychedelic pop true to the E6 name.

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11. Live At Jittery Joe’s by Jeff Mangum
For anyone lamenting the demise of Neutral Milk Hotel, ex-front-man Jeff Mangum’s Live At Jittery Joe’s was a brief relapse into the obsession. Out of twelve songs, the album features ten from prior studio albums and two others: a cover of Phil Spector’s “I Love How You Love Me” and “I Will Bury You In Time”, a rare NMH track only found previously on bootlegs. Sure, it’s a completest’s album, but that’s what I am.

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10. Owls by Owls
Not to be confused with Minneapolis’s The Owls, Owls were a short-lived art-rock group from Chicago. The band channeled elements of free jazz and post-punk in their lone self-titled album. Birthed out of two groups fronted by Tim Kinsella, 90s group Cap’n Jazz and Joan Of Arc, Owls brief imprint with Owls crops up with artists that mix a similar math-y free jazz and post-punk sounds today.

Owls: Everyone Is My Friend [mp3]

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9. Your Majesty by The Anniversary
The Anniversary‘s follow-up to Designing A Nervous Breakdown, Your Majesty didn’t quite capture its predecessor’s pop strength but was a more than worthy album. It didn’t rock as much and instead delved a little more into sunny yet trippy psychedelic pop. Songs like “The Death Of The King” and “The Siren Sings” were, in effect, mesmerizing. With those massive distorted chords and warbled synth lines, fronted again by harmony male/female vocals – the songs just fit with the time. And yet in revisiting them, they’re just as great as the day I first heard them.

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8. The Photo Album by Death Cab For Cutie
Another treasure from the Death Cab For Cutie vault, and another timeless record from Barsuk. From the subtle opening “Steadier Footing” to the tear-jerker “Styrofoam Plates”, The Photo Album was an album that worked it in every way possible. And if you were lucky enough to snag this baby on vinyl (as I was), it made the experience of listening to this record all the more perfect.

Death Cab For Cutie: A Movie Script Ending [mp3]

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7. The Glow Pt. 2 by Microphones
How to describe and album that set forth a generation, backed by a man that had lived the definition for some time, and a sound that even today seems both timeless and ahead of the times. That’s The Glow Pt. 2 by Microphones for you; again finding Elverum expanding worlds by giving us a glimpse at his. Truly a stand-out, 2001 or otherwise.

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6. Rock It To The Moon by Electrelane
Rock It To The Moon was Electrelane‘s first LP and it technically debuted in 2001 (UK), though it wasn’t released stateside until 2002. It took what so many of us wanted from post-rock groups like EITS and experimented a bit more with sound and melody rather than just loud and soft. Prime example is the second track, “Long Dark”, which opened with a two minute avant-garde piece before dropping in the Pink Panther bass-line and expanding into a swirling synths and punchy percussion, all of which gave the track an experimental cohesion. They had yet to fully integrate vocals, which made their follow-up albums all the better, but Rock It To The Moon was still a more than viable debut.

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5. Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi by Camera Obscura
After banding together in 1996, Camera Obscura didn’t release their debut full-length until November of 2001; that being Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi. Soft and lovable indie pop with light hints of orchestration, the album remains a collection of some of their greatest songs, even today after three additional releases. “Happy New Year” and “Eighties Fan” are mainstays in my playlist and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Originally released in 2001 on Andmoresound Records and in 2002 on Elefant Records, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi was reissued by Merge in 2004.

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4. Club 8 by Club 8
To this day, “Love In December”, the opening track of Club 8‘s self-titled LP, remains my favorite song by the Swedish duo. Johan Angergård pops up in virtually every year’s list and it’s easy to see why: his work extends from Club 8 to include the indie-pop collective that is Acid House Kings, as well as the always refreshing group The Legends. In Club 8, Angergård is joined by Karolina Komstedt. Much softer than their earlier stuff, Club 8 is an album that is entirely dreamy in its relaxed nature with Komstedt at the vocal helm. A rarity, Angergård joined Komstedt for backup vocals on the near trip-hop track “Falling From Grace”.

Club 8: Love In December [mp3]

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3. Oh, Inverted World by The Shins
Oh, Inverted World remains The Shins strongest work thus far, though Chutes Too Narrow came pretty damn close. While most will give “New Slang” or “Caring Is Creepy” the nod for best song on the album, I choose “Girl On The Wing”. Elitists might discount this album for its association with the wildly popular Garden State soundtrack, but as a whole the album is a striking collection of great tunes The Shins have yet to truly match in overall strength.

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2. Quiet Is The New Loud by Kings Of Convenience
Kings Of Convenience has, in my opinion, always been considered the epitome of folk-pop. With romantically-tinged guitars and non-stop harmony vocals, Quiet Is The New Loud found Kings Of Convenience creating one hit after another. Perfection comes in many forms, and when it comes to albums, Quiet Is The New Loud can be considered truly perfect.

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1. You Should Be At Home Here by Carissa’s Wierd
I have long been obsessed with Carissa’s Wierd, of which many members have gone on to form successful follow-up groups like Band Of Horses, Sera Cahoone, S, and Grand Archives. You Should Be At Home Here, while not my introduction to the band (that came with Ugly But Honest), has been the favorite thanks to beautifully orchestrated slowcore tracks like “Brooke Daniels’ Tiny Broken Fingers” and “All Apologies & Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine”. In fact, at the release of Grand Archives’ self-titled debut last year, Mat Brooke took the stage with S’s Jenn Ghetto (his female counterpart in Carissa’s Wierd) for a duet of “All Apologies” that brought tears to my eyes the moment they started playing it. Having never seen Carissa’s Wierd before their demise, it was a dream come true.