Top Five Tracks of ’10…

2010 started with endless potential. The first quarter alone produced enough to begin compiling best of lists. Favorite artists of mine played a slight variation of the boy who cries wolf – with the wolf being a record. Gizmodgery will get its follow-up. With the quantity of quality that was being thrown at us faster than this blog went from something to nothing, the year was inevitably going to produce strong tracks. Some, like my favorite of this year, were songs I couldn’t get enough of numerous times a day. I hope you never pulled up to me at a red light when that song was on blast….

As I peruse this list, and you know where I stand musically, it’s almost predictable. But really, not one you’re seeing anywhere else…

#5  Robyn :: None of Dem featuring Royksöpp

Robyn, the pop princess, teams with the Norwegian duo Royksöpp to bring bounce, bass, and beats to make me shake.

#4 Hawksley Workman :: The Sweetest Thing

I never dug myself out of that rut Hawksley put me in. Care to share another track done on the minimal this sincere and beautiful from ’10?

#3 Local H :: Wolf Like Me (TV on the Radio cover)

Is it coincidence things Scott Lucas touches continue to end up on my best-of lists? A dedication to the craft of rock is what continues to have him top my charts. A monster. And to hear it live, with only an acoustic, makes him look and sound even better than on record plugged in.

#2 sElf :: Could You Love Me Now

Classic Matt Mahaffey right here. It took a few spins to seep into my system, but after it did, this one clicked. Matt doing what he does best: composing pop with sweet simplicity.

#1 Harvey Danger :: The Show Must Not Go On

The definitive break-up track? Who knows. Hits harder than anything else I heard this year. Truly, I can’t stop playing this. And live, too.

Let’s Karaoke to Pattycake…

No, I wasn’t presented with the opportunity to give a Matt Mahaffey meets Prince impression. If I was, it would be in an alternate, dream-like, fantasy world. Another realm, to be more specific. I watched someone this week absolutely kill it for six plus minutes while attacking the mic rhymin’ to Digital Underground’s Humpty Dance. This amateur was so good I wished for six minutes I was him, and he was me sitting in total amazement. This got me to thinking what tracks, if available, I could get up and anxiously impersonate. Pattycake, sElf’s ’00 ode to schoolyard rhymes and games with an explosion of carefree lyricism and beats, would be my go-to. And not because I’ll slay it, a la Humpty. My reasoning? It’s hard not to smile and take yourself back when Michael Jackson was black.

sElf :: Pattycake

Self :: Could You Love Me Now…

I’m smiling now, maybe even grinning, and it’s all because what Matt Mahaffey alluded to back in January is becoming a reality: new music – see below for other Mahaffey goodness – is surfacing in 2010. What’s unique about this freshness is we, the dedicated pop listener, can purchase new sElf music; which doesn’t happen too often. The case hasn’t been this way since 2008, when Matt contributed one track to Hello Radio: The Songs of They Might Be Giants. Before his rendition of Ana Ng, it was back in 2000 when sElf was reliving their preschool days by concocting pop goodness with toy instruments on Gizmodgery. The output a decade later? The usual MM we’ve grown accustomed to: schemin’ for a girl, uplifting melodies care of the keys, a playful, child-like vibe throughout, and witty lyricism.

sElf :: Could You Love Me Now

Some years back, nine to be specific, Mahaffey contributed Stay Home to the Shrek OST. Whoever is in charge of this franchise, enjoyed MM’s output. It looks like he is returning for Shrek 4. Take a listen to a snippet of Birthday Bash and ask if you’ve heard this playful voice before.

The Return of Self?

When an artist you respect, maybe even adore announces new material, the natural inclination is to become excited. More ecstatic, really. But what if this said artist’s last commercial release was 10 years ago? No, I didn’t forget him, nor assume his creative spark diminished years ago. Matt Mahaffey, better known as sElf, is rumored to be releasing new music next month. What it is and where it stems from is up for grabs. Mahaffey recently concocted a theme song entitled This Is Hell for The Challenge: Fresh Meat II on MTV. One has to pay those bills somehow, right?

sElf / Matt Mahaffey Hey! look for the release of the first single available everywhere digitally & video premiering on MTVU in a few weeks…..tell all your friends…..

Rather this is new material potentially appearing on Super Fake Nice – the rumored forthcoming record – or this aforementioned theme song will become available for our consumption is anyone’s guess. My hopes are a domino effect, where this release is the catalyst for the return of sElf in 2010. Hey, it could happen.

See what happens when Matt reinterprets Prince…

sElf :: Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)

Mahaffey Says, Re-acquaint YoursElf…

Two weeks have now passed in 2010, and the potential greatness – musically speaking, of course – continues to exponentially grow. The sheer amount of great records already upon us is reason to have very high expectations for this year in music: Spoon’s Transference – spin it again. Vampire Weekend’s Contra, Hot Chip’s One Life Stand, and maybe Autolux will after six years in the making, unveil their follow-up to Future Perfect. I hope.

But the best news of all was dropped today by this blog’s glue: Matt Mahaffey of sElf fame, a musical virtuoso responsible for concocting 97′s playful Half Baked Serenade and ’00′s Gizmodgery – an album chocked-full of child-like exuberance, all perfected and performed on instruments like this. Glance at what Mahaffey has to proclaim, and begin to realize with me how damn good 2010 will be. Definitely musically speaking…

The ultra rare sElf back-catalog of indie releases has been out of print for a decade now…. The only way to score a copy was to spend $50 on Ebay & pray that the disc wasn’t scratched! I am proud to announce that this is no longer the case. As I gear up for the 2010 release of the new album, sElf – “The Half-Baked Serenade” & the all Toy- Instrument album, “Gizmodgery” are now available digitally via all your favorite download web-sites, including ITunes!

Forthcoming track from the follow-up to 2000′s Gizmodgery?

sElf :: Orchid (rough)

Wednesday Again!

The weekday spawns brilliance for TN pop acts – even in b-side form. But as anyone knows, Matt Mahaffey, the musical virtuoso behind sElf, has concocted some of his most awe-inspired work not intended for the a-side. Wednesday Again,an outtake from the impeccable Breakfast With Girls, was recently a re-discovery for me. Eight years (or ’00?) ago, back in 2001, sElf released Selfafornia, an Internet album  – which was like all their other give aways: compositions pieced together so aurally perfect that we’d always question why these were free downloads. Somehow this track was missing from my collection. Listening again, for the first time in many years, I have realized Selfafornia, at only nine tracks, houses some of Mahaffey’s strongest tracks. Ever. My Last FM never lies…

sElf :: Wednesday Again

Remember what happens when the other TN act blows it out on the weekday?

Features :: Thursday

Mahaffey, the One-man Jam, Speaks to You…

This blog’s glue, Matt Mahaffey, the man behind sElf, a quirky act we love – and you should too – let us into his head when he fielded questions from Rock Sell Out. And after the man shares his wisdom, for the beginner, amateur sElf fan, Matt shares 10 of his favorites in mix form.

After reading this, I have a feeling, a strong inkling, that whenever Matt decides to unleash his genius, we’ll all be in for a big, pleasant surprise. Good looks with the link, dude.

Interview here

Matt’s top 10 sElf songs

A song missing from that top 10…

sElf :: Waiting

BVS: You have produced a lot of record over the years ranging from Hellogoodbye to The Sounds. Has there been any specific records that stand out to you as your best work or one that you hold a fond memory of?

MATT:  sElf – Breakfast With Girls

You don’t say, Matt?

BVS: What is planned for Self for the next 6 months? With a child on the way, do you have any plans to tour? Do you have any non Self related projects you are looking forward to?

MATT: The plan is to finally launch my web-site, with downloads & video.  That’s something i’m excited about. Right now, My web existence is solely a handful of fans running on fumes.  Bless their hearts, the ones who have hung in there tho’, they’re gonna get some special treatment when the record finally drops, cause they really deserve it & yeah, a tour will be great once the record is finished. As far as non-sElf related, I guess I’m excited about the new Hellogoodbye record I’m producing…Forrest has really come into his own on this one & also, for selfish reasons, the Tina Parol debut coming out on Motown…cause it’s her voice with me playing all the instruments.

Breakfast With Girls – A Decade Later

Has an album ever drastically changed the direction of your musical preferences? No, more than that: Breakfast With Girls is responsible for new beginnings – an influential record that changed my perception on everything. Not only that, it opened up new musical avenues to explore; sparked friendships; and is solely responsible for this here very blog. sElf’s intricately layered pop masterpiece is 10 years old today. This is why I still care…

Cheer When You’re Getting It!

Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, were all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feelin’ alright

The intimacy and casualness of a piano bar-like performance holds endless promise. A great and wise man asked me today, Would you prefer to see sElf’s Matt Mahaffey perform a set of songs by himself (highly recommended) or with a full band?

My reaction was instinctive like; there was no pondering. Whatsoever. I’d prefer the man doing what he does best: creating a one man jam. This mini-performance below is what I can provide for you. The quality could be better; but Matt at the keys, giving us a collection of the songs below, is reason enough to not complain of the fidelity.

Better Than Aliens

You’re a Drug

Crimes on Paper

Placing the Blame

Like the ’99 masterpiece that is Breakfast With Girls, our own piano man closes out his set with the triumphant and always powerful, “Placing the Blame”….

sElf :: Lounge Piano Medley

Millionaire Is In The House, Yeah!

…The Crabs are in the house/Kyuss is in the house, yeah/The Mud Hang’s in the house/Thin Lizzy/The Breeders/Millionaire….

When you bite, it’s only right to pay homage to those originators. Or, maybe acts who are bringing fresh elements to the table – they deserve props, too. Ours, yours, everyone’s favorite Belgian duo, Soulwax, kindly pay their respects to over 40 forward thinking musicians on “Teachers” - which originally appeared on Daft Punk’s Homework.

One of those many acts, happen to be Millionaire – who are fellow countrymen of Soulwax. On 2001′s Outside of the Simian Flock, this quintet, formed by ex-dEUS guitarist Tim Vanhamel, concocted “Come With You”. This track bustles with a funky Prince meets Matt Mahaffey playing toys vibe, while lyrics convey a sense of freedom and willingness to come alive. Just as Mahaffey, this blog’s ultimate teacher, wears his mentors prominently on his sleeve, Soulwax aren’t hesitant to confess a few people who led them onto greatness…

With this, I’ll bring the fire, and I’ll burn us down….tonight.

Millionaire :: Come With You

Soulwax :: Teachers (Live at Fabric)