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My Top 20 Albums of 2016

2016-12-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

Once again we come to the end of another year which means the traditional season of reviewing, re-listening and publishing our year end opinions and lists that don't matter is upon us. Not to be outdone by the rest of the critics, web-pages and bloggers, I humbly submit my Top 20 Albums of 2016.

20. Beach Slang - A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings - (Polyvinyl)
Beach Slang pick up right where they left off after last year's The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us, with their 2016 release A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings. Although they wear their influences on their sleeve, it's natural and heartfelt. This isn't a band who seems interested in throwing you a curve ball. It's straight forward, distorted guitars, distorted vocals and in your face. When they get quiet, like on the verses for "Spin the Dial", or the rambunctious start/stop of "Punks in a Disco Bar",they not-so-subtly do their very best impression of The Replacements. In this day and age when worthy music of this type becomes more difficult to find, that's not a bad thing.

19. De La Soul - and the Anonymous Nobody... - (A.O.I. Records)
De La Soul return for the first time since 2004...with a lot of guests. The album shines when De La take center stage, but there are times when the guests take over the proceedings and the album feels more like a victory lap than a vital return like we got later in the year from A Tribe Called Quest. You wind up with an album that tries to please everyone and works very well at times, but can sometimes leave us feeling like the guest was wedged in. Always good to hear De La Soul back in the studio, next time they should keep the door closed.

18. Band of Horses - Why Are You OK - (Interscope)
I had very little expectation for this album after the disastrous Mirage Rock, but Why Are You OK finds Band of Horses very much back on their game. The opener "Dull Times / The Moon" harkens back to their days on Sub Pop when they weren't seemingly afraid to breathe as they have often felt on their last two albums for Columbia. This is a nice outing, sure to win back some of the indie fans who may have abandoned them after 2010's Infinite Arms. "Casual Party" feels like it could be a worthy sequel to Everything All the Time's "Weed Party". J Mascis even joins in for the chorus on "In a Drawer". A welcome return to form.

17. The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust - (Sham)
With Mark Olson once again departing the band, it fell on Gary Louris a second time to hoist the flag of The Jayhawks by himself. Opener "Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces" may be the finest song the band has composed since 2003's underrated Rainy Day Music. The brief reunion with Olson was fun for a tour and an album, but The Jayhawks have become Louris' vision and he feels as though he has steered the band back on course. There's lots to love here on an album co-produced by Peter Buck and featuring some guest appearances by Mike Mills and Scott McCaughey.

16. Fantastic Negrito - The Last Days of Oakland - (Black Ball Universe)
A love letter to his hometown, this album felt even more poignant after the tragedy that befell the Oakland art community with the devastating warehouse fire that claimed the lives of so many involved in The Ghost Ship. Where other R&B artists fell short this year (in my opinion), FN delivered a confident and stirring collection of songs. "About a Bird" is a standout track where everything blends together nicely and features some tasty guitar work. "In the Pines" is the centerpiece here and an interesting take on the Leadbelly standard.

15. Autolux - Pussy's Dead - (30th Century / Columbia)
Autolux are a trio who hail from Los Angeles and manage to get a record out every five or six years. For those who aren't familiar with their sound, think a friendlier, more approachable Sonic Youth brought up to date and featuring one of the heaviest hitting drummers of our time, Carla Azar. This album starts off strong with "Selectallcopy" and manages to find another level with the extraordinary "Soft Scene" which has the band hitting on all cylinders. Azar shines on "Junk for Code", introducing varying complex beats beneath the sonic landscape of guitar/keyboardist Greg Edwards and the haunting falsetto vocal of bassist Eugene Goreshter. "Brainwasher" builds off of a bass riff that would make John Paul Jones proud while Azar hits like Bonham in the chorus ("I see right through you, I see right through you"). Lots to hear here, definitely a grower.

14. Bon Iver - 22, A Million - (Jagjaguwar)
As I described it earlier this month - it's quite different from Justin Vernon's previous two albums. From their previous collaborations, there's definitely a Kanye West influence from the perspective of vocal experimentation and keyboard bleeps and blorps which have taken the place of the acoustic guitar. There's a bit of sampling -- but as a whole the album is hard to pin down. Vernon seems to have created a folk album with a modern twist of hip-hop atmospherics, his approach being more of setting sound landscapes than actual melodies. It's unmistakably a Bon Iver album -- here he's just pushing a bit further into his experimental side to see where it takes him. Smartly, he delivers these new ideas in a tight 34 minutes. After a couple of listens, it starts to sink in. I think it's a stepping stone to his next breakthrough and will be lauded as a record that was a landmark in creating a new sub-genre of music. It's not rock, it's not folk, it's not hip-hop, it's not EDM or electronic music but it borrows elements from all of those worlds.

13. The Tragically Hip - Man Machine Poem - (Caroline / Universal)
Served with the tragic news of frontman Gord Downie's brain cancer, it's hard not to look for meanings and signs within the words on Man Machine Poem, even though the album was reportedly completed prior to his diagnosis. The band has not stated that this is their last album, nor have they officially stated that the final show on their summer tour, broadcast live to the world, was their last. MMP is a somewhat understated set of songs, even songs with catchy choruses ("What Blue") refrain themselves from the straight ahead rock that The Hip can be known for. This album is meditative without feeling mournful. It sneaks up on you, revealing itself in small chunks until it's all pieced together. "Here, in the Dark" takes off as though it will head to that next plateau, only to respectfully back away. The jazzy and reflective "Tired as Fuck" kicks off the last third of the album that finds the band exploring a variety of different sonic landscapes. Album closer,"Machine", starts to build in the middle instrumental section, only to pull away and settle back into a groove, not so much restraining themselves as much as revealing a band that knows the correct road to take.

12. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service - (Epic)
Long rumored to be in the works, it seemed unlikely after the passing of founding member Phife Dawg that we'd have a new album by ATCQ, 18 years after their last release. Even more unlikely is that it would be their best work since 1993's Midnight Marauders and a vital part of their catalog. An album that doesn't serve as simply a piece of history, but as an album that has its pulse on the political climate of 2016 as much as any other. Tracks like the incredible "The Space Program" and "We the People..." jump out of the speakers, as on-point as any in their career. "Solid Wall of Sound" borrows its hook from a guest appearance by Elton John using a familiar refrain from his classic song, "Bennie and the Jets". Other guests mix in and out, but the central focus here is Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This final album from ATCQ does nothing to disparage their legacy, it only adds to it.

11. Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow - (Sub Pop)

Their finest album since 2008's Rook. At their best, Shearwater bring to mind such artists as Talk Talk, Peter Gabriel and even a bit of David Bowie like on the outstanding "Quiet Americans". There's a lot of cohesion to these songs as it seems Shearwater has become more of a main project and not just a side project of Okkervil River. Subtly political, songs like "Backchannels" and "Filaments" recall the urgency of early to mid-80s U2. A great listen that you can allow yourself to become immersed in.

10. Porches - Pool - (Domino)
Porches is New York City based songwriter Aaron Maine. Presented here is an album of varying styles of catchy synth-pop. In the hands of a lesser songwriter, this could be rather pedestrian stuff, but these songs are well-crafted and thought out. Maine's pleasing vocal style over the top of everything makes for a deeply haunting, late-night album of introspection. "Underwater" creeps in and sets the stage with "Braid" and "Be Apart" picking up the pace, but never losing sight of the overall feel of the album. The five note eerie synth hook of "Even the Shadow" gets stuck in the listener's head enough to be revisited later. Title track, "Pool", starts with a simple synth-bass line and is joined by Maine's auto-tuned vocal and keeps building, then falls back away until it joyously ends on one of the albums most dance-worthy moments. Nothing groundbreaking here -- but it's executed flawlessly.

9. Wilco - Schmilco - (dBPM)
In 2015, Wilco released the surprise Star Wars album without any advance notice, so it was an even bigger surprise to see another new Wilco album in 2016. Schmilco is a rather laid back affair, focusing on Wilco's acoustic side. It feels almost like the Tweedy album from 2014, with the songs a bit more fleshed out here by the full compliment of Wilco's line-up. The first three tracks "North American Kids", "If I Ever Was A Child" and "Cry All Day" set the scene and give you a good idea what to expect. "Cry All Day" is an up-tempo song with a laid-back feel which finds Wilco exploring some new territory. "Common Sense" finds the band experimenting with non-melodic hooks as guitarist Nels Cline gets to ratchet up the intensity, quietly noodling in the background. "Someone to Lose" sounds like something that could have shown up on Star Wars or The Wilco Album, a good example of post-A Ghost is Born Wilco. The album ends with two really nice tracks, "We Aren't the World (Safety Girl)" and "Just Say Goodbye" where the band interplay is really at the top of its game.

8. Durand Jones & The Indications - Durand Jones & The Indications - (Colemine)
I heard "Smile", the lead single from new artist Durand Jones & The Indications, and I couldn't help but do just that. Durand Jones' music doesn't sound new, it sounds like a lost soul record from the 60s that you may have found while crate digging. Part Stax, part Motown -- think Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding and a bit of James Brown while his Indications hit all of the right notes, all of the nuances of Booker T. & The MGs and The Wrecking Crew. But all of that would add up to nothing without the songs. The songs on this debut all feel vaguely familiar, but fresh at the same time. A good mix of smooth soul ballads, mixed with up tempo shouters that allow the band to stretch their legs. Eight songs and a brief 33 minutes later it's over -- leaving you wanting more.

7. Teenage Fanclub - Here - (Merge)
Over their three album stint at Merge, Teenage Fanclub have become a quieter, cleaner, tighter band. What they began back on 2005's Man-Made, they've perfected on Here. The vocal harmonies, mixed with a healthy dose of acoustic guitars, smatterings of tasteful electric work and their penchant for constructing a good song all come together to make one of the finest albums of their long career. "I'm in Love", "Hold On" and "I Have Nothing More To Say" jump immediately out at you, each one penned by a different member of the band. Gerard Love's "The First Sight", clocking in at over five minutes, features a pair of nice instrumental breaks which allow the band to stretch out a bit and gets wonderfully distorted. Norman Blake picks up the pace on "Live in the Moment", while Raymond McGinley settles things down with the haunting "With You" leading into Blake's equally moody "Connected to Life".

6. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool - (XL)
Bouncing back with a far more accessible album than 2011's The King of Limbs, Radiohead do a bit of closet cleaning with this new record, book-ended by two fantastic songs that have been part of their songbook for more than 15 years. Both songs ("Burn the Witch" and "True Love Waits") are explored differently here than in their previous incarnations. A Moon Shaped Pool finds the band in a reflective mood, the album playing better as a whole than the sum of its parts. You won't find the guitar aggression of "Paranoid Android" or the break neck free-for-all of Hail to the Thief's "Sit Down, Stand Up". On "Ful Stop", the band approaches this territory, beginning uptempo, but hiding itself as though it were being recorded in a studio down the hall. As the song comes into focus, it backs away once again. Although they've recorded a rather hypnotic set of songs, the band sounds far more focused and uncluttered than on The King of Limbs. It's an album that reveals itself gradually through repeated listens with each pass through making things a bit more clear.

5. Dinosaur Jr - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not - (Jagjaguwar)
Since their return with Beyond in 2007, Dinosaur Jr have been making some of the most inspired albums of their career. While 2009's Farm may be the best of the four albums they've made over the past decade, Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not certainly challenges for the crown. Charging out of the gate with two absolute face-melters ("Goin Down", "Tiny") it's almost a relief when "Be a Part" pulls in the reins with one of the poppiest songs in the Dinosaur Jr catalog. As has been the formula since their reunion, each album features two songs penned by Lou Barlow which usually serve as a palate cleanser between J Mascis' guitar driven assaults. "Love is", the first Barlow tune on GaGoWYN, is one of his finest moments. "Good to Know" ends powerfully with one of J's solos serving as the outro, Holding everything together, the highly underrated Murph is in top form, pushing Mascis forward as he feeds off the intensity of his snare drum on "I Walk for Miles". J uses his falsetto vocal to great affect on late album ballad "Knocked Around", which takes off suddenly during the back half of the song in a surprise twist. Dinosaur Jr continue to defy the odds, releasing vital music with a history of more than 30 years behind them.

4. The Posies - Solid States - (Lojinx)
The ever-changing Posies are back, drenched in layers of keyboards and guitars used to compliment each other in search of a different sounding pop-rock album. The guitars are here, but used more for dynamics while keyboards and synths do the heavy lifting. "We R Power" is one of the more guitar heavy songs, but takes off with an industrial, 80s modern rock feel. The stark and twangy guitar line of "Unlikely Places" keeps bringing the song back to a familiar refrain while the string sounds back up the chorus. "Titanic" is one of the highlights of the first side, the beautiful harmonies of Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer on full display in the chorus. "Squirrel Vs. Snake" finds the guitars and keyboards in a back and forth battle for dominance. Album highlight, and one of my favorite songs of the year, "March Climes" delights with its acoustic guitar, snare/kick drum into with Jon and Ken intersecting vocals and hitting all of the right harmonies -- this is The Posies doing what they do best. Just as 2010's Blood/Candy found the band experimenting with a variety of songwriting styles with a mixture of success, Solid States does the same. "M Doll" and particularly "The Definition" are both examples where things go awry with the latter being perhaps my least favorite song by the band. "The Plague" gets things right back on track where they remain for the balance of side two, with "Rollercoaster Zen" finding that unique balance between themselves and obscure 70s AM radio pop.

3. David Bowie - Blackstar - (Columbia / RCA / ISO)
I ordered a special vinyl edition of Blackstar through Barnes & Noble after hearing the ten minute title track in the days prior to the album's release. By the time I received the record in the mail a week later, Mr. Bowie had shockingly left us. What he left behind is nothing short of a masterwork, made all the more impressive as details leaked after his death about his health condition during the recording of this final album. On the first half of title track, "Blackstar", Bowie's vocal is encouraged along by a snaking saxophone and rattling rhythm track, with the second half finding him in excellent voice, crooning over haunting strings and horns. Bowie ratchets up the intensity on "Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", adding primal yelps at the end as his tremendous backing musicians push him forward. Listening to "Lazarus" now after his passing, it feels like he is bidding us goodbye from the other side, both confessional and existential at the same time. "Girl Loves Me" is a lyrically impenetrable mid-album stomper with Bowie wondering "where the fuck did Monday go?". On the last song of the record, "I Can't Give Everything Away", Bowie's final verse ("I know something is very wrong / The pulse returns the prodigal sons / The blackout hearts, the flowered news / With skull designs upon my shoes") reveals a man who appears accepting of his fate and is trying to break the news to us gently. After delivering what feels like the final passage of his own eulogy, David Bowie leaves us, hopefully for someplace better in the universe.

2. Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung - (Dead Oceans Records)
Releasing a second album in less than 18 months, Ryley Walker put quite a bit of pressure on himself to maintain the standard that 2015's Primrose Green set. Taking his cues from early 70s Van Morrison records and a healthy dose of both Tim and Jeff Buckley, it would seem that Walker would be written off by many as a hippie guitar virtuoso. To do so would be short-sighted. Album opener 'The Halfwit in Me" puts his talents on display in one of his finest songs to date and sets the stage for what is to come on the rest of side one, perhaps the finest single side of music of the year. "A Choir Apart" lurches and recedes as Walker's guitar and vocals move over a frenetic floor tom beat. "Funny Thing She Said" is a slow burn, a track where acoustic guitar and piano play off of each other in a sad song of disconnected love. The side ends with "Sullen Mind", a rather proggy bit of experimentation which finds Walker at that time of night in a bar where the liquor is no longer useful and it's past time to go home. For the more adventurous, there's an amazing 45 minute live version of this song available as a second disc in the vinyl release of the album, recorded live in The Loft studios at SiriusXM. Side Two kicks off with a short acoustic piece ("I Will Ask You Twice"), while "The Roundabout" is a bit of stream of consciousness rambling. The album ends with the brooding eight minute "Age Old Tale".

1. Marillion - F.E.A.R. - (earMUSIC)
Since the end of their 80s heyday with former lead singer Fish fronting the band, I've managed to keep tabs on Marillion off and on over the past 25 years, never really completely warming up to frontman Steve Hogarth. I'd seen the band a couple of times since the Fish years, appreciating what they were up to, but never fully embracing it. When the band announced their new album via electronic press kit last summer, I was immediately intrigued. Although political albums can be a tricky affair, they can be inspiring when the material within is timely. F.E.A.R. (which is an acronym for Fuck Everyone and Run) released after the Brexit referendum in Great Britain in June and prior to the U.S. elections in November takes a huge swipe at the institutions which control the western world. It questions the sanity and morals of a society steeped in self-absorption. Where many albums political in nature spend a lot of time finger pointing, Hogarth is more concerned with expressing our feelings of helplessness amidst the turmoil. It's a plea for humanity and peace, for a movement where the people take back our beautiful earth from the bloody hands of greed. The album is made up of three long pieces and three short pieces. It can be a bit tough to tackle at first, but as you hear each of the long pieces again, by the third time you start recognizing the different movements, and that's when the lyrics really start to sink in. The short pieces then start forming themselves around the longer. Glimpses here, flashes there and you start to get to the center of this masterpiece. Not only is this Marillion's best album of the Hogarth era, it challenges each of the band's best efforts with Fish. This is art rock at its finest. The band is in brilliant form, with guitarist Steve Rothery performing at the top of his game. Keyboardist Mark Kelly bathes the proceedings in his signature sounds and Hogarth is at his most vital. It was quite a privilege getting to see the band on Election Day this year in New York City on their North American Tour. A city that was bathed in such hope and promise at the start of the day, by the end of the day, the songs from F.E.A.R. made for a most frightening yet fitting soundtrack. Leaving the Sony Playstation Theater after the show that night, walking by myself through Times Square was a surreal experience. The city was hobbled, nervous and anxious. I entered the theater in one world, and exited into another, not fully realizing in between that I was hearing my personal soundtrack for the next four years. For those of you who need to regain a feeling of hope, who need a beacon to get you through these darkest days, F.E.A.R. is the album you're looking for -- after which you should pass it along to someone who may need it. There's millions like us. You are not alone.

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo - (Def Jam / G.O.O.D. Music; 2016)

2016-02-16T21:59:00.003-05:00

7.5

Disclaimer: Long winded post about Kanye West follows.

Being a fan of Kanye West the artist, not the person (or at least the persona) has always been something that I've been comfortable with. I can separate the two. I was an early Kanye adopter, running out to grab 'The College Dropout' back in 2004 after reading an article that discussed the respect he had garnered in the world of Hip-hop as a producer/studio and beat wizard. But what really sold me in the article was Kanye's appreciation of music that was outside of his Hip-Hop comfort zone. He was a fan of music, all types. As the years have gone on and his media "incidents" have piled up - I always recalled that article (I wish I could remember which publication/website I read it in). When Kanye releases a new album, I approach it from that perspective -- the Kanye the musician, artist, appreciator of music perspective.

Listening to his latest - 'The Life of Pablo' it's interesting to see where he is musically. Kanye appears to be in his Brian Wilson 'SMiLE' phase. Lots of snippets and ideas, some of which really don't go anywhere, some of which feel unfinished. 'The Life of Pablo' is like a sketch pad. The compositions that feel finished are the ones where Kanye takes a backseat and lets his guest stars shine over the sonic landscape he's created. There are times here where Kanye's rhymes are the worst part of the record -- where it feels like he has nothing new to say, so instead goes for the most cringe-worthy, stupid and immature couplet he can think of. Some of the beats on 'Pablo' feel basic, demo-like -- where other tracks bring forth some of the choral/choir work that albums like 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' and 'Late Registration' used so well. Overall, it feel like a palate-cleanser. An album that he struggled to make, material he struggled to write that he just needed to get out of his system. For many of his hip-hop peers it would feel like a career-making album -- for Kanye it feels like a jumping off point. An album he's probably relieved is finally finished so that he can move on.

After the 'SMiLE' sessions failed to culminate in the album he truly wanted to make, Wilson turned to drugs and started to become absorbed into his paranoia and his obsessive nature of competing with The Beatles. Interestingly, Kendrick Lamar, who has pretty much snatched the Hip-Hop crown from Kanye's head, appears here in a duet with Kanye on "No More Parties in L.A.". Lamar had all of the hype last year, recording what most music critics believed to be the Album of the Year with 'To Pimp A Butterfly'. It already seems obvious that 'The Life of Pablo' is not on the same level as that record, and it will be interesting to see how Kanye handles that over the next year. My hope is that Kanye goes underground for awhile. Lays low. Retools. Writes, discards, writes some more and moves his process forward while out of the spotlight. Unfortunately, his public persona almost makes that impossible at this point.

I still root for Kanye the artist, the musician and music fan I read about some 13 years ago. I probably always will.

My Top 20 Albums of 2015

2015-12-31T21:42:00.000-05:00

Getting it in, once again, just under the wire before the end of 2015 -- it was a very consistent year in music with just about all of the expected artists delivering the goods and some newcomer surprises that I discovered along the way. I can't say that there was one absolute standout -- but we gotta rank 'em -- that's what we do. So here, as always, submitted for your approval (and perusal) are my Top 20 Albums for 2015.

20. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear - (Sub Pop)
19. Tobias Jesso, Jr - Goon - (True Panther Sounds)
18. Tame Impala - Currents - (Interscope)
17. Prince - HITNRUN Phase One - (NPG Records)
16. Holly Miranda - Holly Miranda - (Dangerbird)
15. Justin Townes Earle - Absent Fathers - (Vagrant)
14. Hop Along - Painted Shut - (Saddle Creek Records)
13. Beach House - Depression Cherry - (Sub Pop)
12. Beach Slang - The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us - (Polyvinyl)
11. The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World - (Capitol)
10. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly - (Aftermath)
9. Death Cab for Cutie - Kintsugi - (Atlantic)
8. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - (Mom + Pop Music)
7. My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall - (ATO/Capitol)
6. Julien Baker - Sprained Ankle - (6131 Records)
5. Jamie xx - In Colour - (XL)
4. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color - (ATO)
3. Wilco - Star Wars - (Anti- /dBpm Records)
2. Ryley Walker - Primrose Green - (Dead Oceans Records)
1. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell - (Asthmatic Kitty)

From the Elton John/Harry Nilsson tendencies of Tobias Jesso, Jr, to a very "under-the-radar" follow-up to Prince's 'Art Official Age' -- from devastatingly personal albums by Holly Miranda, Justin Townes Earle, Courtney Barnett, Julien Baker and Sufjan Stevens to wonderful surprises by Hop Along, Jamie xx, Alabama Shakes, Wilco and Ryley Walker -- 2015 was a truly wonderful year in music. I have some honorable mentions which go to live albums and some new releases that were based primarily in standards or older material -- but include performances that must be mentioned -- Van Morrison - 'Duets' featuring guest stars on some lesser known Van tracks, Ryan Adams - 'Live at Carnegie Hall' - two complete live solo performances, Bob Dylan - 'The Bootleg Series,Vol 12' including lost gems from his most prolific period of 1965-66, Rhiannon Giddens and her magnificently soulful voice on her album 'Tomorrow is My Turn' and the great Boz Scaggs and his album 'A Fool to Care'.

2016 -- we hand it off to you -- you have your work cut out for you!

Happy New Year!

My Top 20 Albums of 2014

2014-12-31T21:46:00.001-05:00

Getting it in just under the wire before the end of 2014 -- it was a really good year in music with strong comeback albums by quite a few artists. Here, submitted for your approval. are my Top 20 Albums for 2014.

20. Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything - (Fiction / Concord)
19. Sloan - Commonwealth - (Yep Roc)
18. The Antlers - Familiars - (Anti-)
17. St. Vincent - St. Vincent - (Loma Vista)
16. Prince - Art Official Age - (Warner)
15. J Mascis - Tied to a Star - (Sub Pop)
14. Cymbals Eat Guitars - LOSE - (Barsuk)
13. The Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast - (Sub Pop)
12. Sun Kil Moon - Benji - (Caldo Verde)
11. Posse - Soft Opening - (Beating a Dead Horse)
10. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There - (Jagjaguwar)
9. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 - (Mass Appeal)
8. Caribou - Our Love - (Merge / City Slang)
7. Spoon - They Want My Soul - (Loma Vista)
6. The Lees of Memory - Sisyphus Says - (Side One Dummy)
5. Real Estate - Atlas - (Domino)
4. Tweedy - Sukierae - (dBpm)
3. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams - (Pax-Am)
2. Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers - (Vagrant)
1. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways - (RCA)

In my opinion, there was no more important piece of music recorded this year than the Foo Fighters record. It should not be judged merely on the merit of the music pressed to vinyl, but as a document of the history of music in eight great cities across America. I urge everyone to watch the brilliant HBO series 'Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways' as there is nothing more important in the survival of our music heritage than the history of what has come before us. A respect of the history that we are obligated to pass on to any of our children who are either fans of music or aspire to be a musician themselves. The project, as a whole, gets my vote for Album of the Year.

Happy New Year!

2014-04-21T01:07:00.000-04:00

My Top 20 Albums of 2013

This list is very, very late this year -- but I had a lot to sort out this year, then the whole process got away from me -- but now finally I've finished and I can close out 2013 once and for all!

20. Mudhoney - Vanishing Point - (Sub Pop)

Their best work in quite some time.

19. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City - (XL)

I found this to be slightly more uneven than some of the reviews that I read, but still a good record.

18. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - (Columbia)

It drops off a bit towards the end, perhaps a bit long at 79 minutes, but there's a lot of good and some great stuff here.

17. Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana - (Carpark)

When Speedy Ortiz hit their mark, they're among the best records I've heard this year, when they miss -- they tend to miss badly, which makes for a rather interesting listening experience.

16. Bill Callahan - Dream River - (Drag City)

Perhaps a poor man's Tom Waits? Impossible to pin-point. Somewhere between Tom Waits, Gil Scott-Heron and Justin Townes Earle lives a world where Bill Callahan fits right in.

15. Local Natives - Hummingbird - (Frenchkiss/Infectious)

This is a band with an idea, they know what they want to be. They write with feeling and create their music as a whole piece, not individual tracks. Stumbles slightly at the end, but a really good album front to back.

14. Kanye West - Yeezus - (Def Jam)

Kanye's personal shortcomings are well discussed -- he's more misogynistic than ever, but there's true art here in building the beats and the grooves that make up Yeezus.

13. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight the More I Love You - (Anti-)

Neko has the voice of angels, the voice of America. She can sing the phone book and make it sound important.

12. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest - (Warp)

Boards of Canada take a blank canvas and paint imagery through the use of synthesizers and drum machines and minimal tape looping. It's interesting work that is easy to listen to. Perhaps this generation's Tangerine Dream.

11. Phosphorescent - Muchacho - (Dead Oceans)

This was one of the first albums I bought in 2013 and it became a favorite right away. 'Song for Zula' is an instant classic.

10. Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day - (Rhymes of an Hour)

17 years after their last release, Mazzy Star return. It's a beautifully produced record with stunning vocals and crisp, clear instruments. 'California' is stunning.

9. Arcade Fire - Reflektor - (Merge)

Beautifully structured record, marvelously produced. A little experimental -- a departure. Maybe not quite as good as 'The Suburbs', but another building block on a fantastic body of work.

8. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork - (Matador)

Drops off a little at the end, but a very underrated effort by Josh Homme and company.

7. Phoenix - Bankrupt! - (Glassnote)

Again, a drop-off from their previous two efforts, but there are still ten more songs full of pop hooks that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

6. Mikal Cronin - MCII - (Merge)

Cronin's songs all recall a 70s pop bliss that Matthew Sweet used to do very well, but has been absent from for awhile. Catchy songs. Pop music hooks done with an indie flair -- really fun listen.

5. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt - (Don Giovanni)

Does a great job of just changing things up constantly. 'Coast to Coast' and the positively beautiful 'Lively' are two of the stand out tracks here that show both sides of the band's spectrum.

4. Fuzz - Fuzz - (In the Red)

The best pure rock album I've heard in awhile. Part Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Monster Magnet and Comets on Fire. This is an album that absolutely must be played LOUD!

3. Deafheaven - Sunbather - (Deathwish)

There's been a lot written about this record this year. Don't expect to get it on the first listen, or possibly even the second. The vocals are going to turn a lot of people right off -- but to not see that the vocals are just another instrument adding to the beautiful canvas that Deafheaven have built with 'Sunbather' would be missing the point. This is an album that rewards repeated listening, preferably on headphones with your favorite adult beverage.

2. Califone - Stitches - (Dead Oceans)

Califone -- a band who I really hadn't clicked on my radar release just a gem of a record here. Beautiful songwriting. Terrific production with a thousand moving parts. Things buzz all around, swirling guitars, noodling keyboards buzzing and tweeting.

1. The National - Trouble Will Find Me - (4AD)

Another stunning record from perhaps the finest band in America. A band that keeps challenging themselves and never rest on their laurels -- always trying to best their last record. 'I Need My Girl', 'Pink Rabbits', 'I Should Live in Salt', 'Demons', 'Heavenfaced'... all new classics.

My Top 20 Albums of 2012 (#5 - 1)

2013-03-02T19:30:00.001-05:00

And here finally, to close out 2012 once and for all, I give you my Top 5 --

#5-1

5. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE - (Def Jam)

Although Frank Ocean may have had a rough award show season both performance-wise and with his Grammy song choice of deep album track "Forrest Gump", there is no mistaking that channel ORANGE is an R&B masterpiece. Although released on the Def Jam label, you're not going to find much in the way of Hip-Hop here with the exception of a couple of guest appearances from Earl Sweatshirt and Andre 3000. This is an R&B album that has more in common with Talking Book and Innervisions era Stevie Wonder than with many of Ocean's modern day contemporaries. channel ORANGE is an album for the 2010s, politically and socially relevant, a time capsule to be discovered by future generations. In this way, and in its expanse it is every bit the album that Sign 'O' The Times was for Prince back in 1987. Although there are quite a few single-worthy songs here ("Thinkin' 'Bout You", "Sweet Life" and the very Prince-ish "Lost"), this is an album that should be listened to in one sitting, its genius building to the mid-album ten minute epic, "Pyramids". "Crack Rock" and the terrific "Super Rich Kids", featuring Earl Sweatshirt, finds the street drug problems from "Sign O The Times" now infiltrating the better neighborhoods, perhaps now out of boredom rather than escape. "Sweet Life" is Ocean at his most Stevie Wonder, whereas "Thinkin' 'Bout You" finds more of an original voice. "Bad Religion" opens with a Prince-like plea to a taxi driver and finds its way to some falsetto gymnastics. Most of the way, the album is strung together through brief interludes, the songs occasionally containing enough sampling and tape-loops to suggest Ocean's affinity for Pink Floyd. Looking at the five Album of the Year Grammy nominees for this year, channel ORANGE was unquestionably the most deserving.

4. Rush - Clockwork Angels - (Anthem / Roadrunner)
If you've never liked Rush, this 66 minute epic and first concept album since 1978 is not going to change your mind about them. Drummer/Lyricist Neil Peart pens a story line here that includes carnivals, anarchists and a villain called The Watchmaker in a story of good vs. evil. Getting past all of that and to the heart of the matter, this is the finest album Rush has made since Power Windows (1985) and possibly all the way back to Signals (1982). There's a freshness to this record that was lost during a span of their rather same-y sounding, difficult to penetrate records of the 90s. The band seems to have found the fountain of youth and learned to have fun again. The previously released "Caravan" and "BU2B" open the album in strong fashion. The seven and a half minute title track then announces a return of guitarist Alex Lifeson to front and center, even seemingly copping his Moving Pictures -era sound for the solo. "Carnies", one of the heavier efforts on the record, opens with a riff that is more Metal sounding than the band normally dares before finding its way through a couple of changes and settling into more familiar territory. "Halo Effect" is a welcome mid-tempo song built off of an acoustic guitar intro, "The Wreckers" recalls a bit of the Hold Your Fire (1987) era with one of the catchier chorus melodies the band has ever written ("All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary / Of a miracle too good to be true / All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary / Everything in life you thought you knew / All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary / 'Cause sometimes the target is you"). "Headlong Flight" may well be the centerpiece of the record, recalling a bit of "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" from way back on Fly By Night (1975). The instrumental break in this song is sure to put a smile on the face of any Rush fan longing for the good old days. "The Garden" ends the album in grand fashion with one of the prettier songs the band has written in their nearly 40 year career. Although the modern-day production by Nick Raskulinecz leaves a bit to be desired, Clockwork Angels is the Rush record most of us fans never thought we'd get again.

3. Grizzly Bear - Shields - (Warp)
Released toward the back end of 2012, Shields came as a welcome surprise to me. One that will likely leave me scrambling towards Grizzly Bear's back catalog to see what I had been missing. The 1-2 combination of "Sleeping Ute" and "Speak in Rounds" that starts off the album is immediately engaging, interesting and breathtaking. Instrumental interlude "Adelma" then leads into the haunting "Yet Again" with its many weaving vocal parts, eventually leading to a chaotic a-tonal conclusion. "A Simple Answer" picks up the pace with an energetic piano line and rack toms back beat. "Gun-Shy" is one of the album highlights here, it reminds me of something that I just can't put my finger on -- perhaps the good parts of a Steely Dan or Donald Fagen record. "Sun in Your Eyes" gently prods at the edges of prog-rock, like a long lost Genesis track from the era of A Trick of the Tail (1976). This is a record that will keep you coming back for more, rewarding repeated listens with new discoveries -- a myriad of vocal tracks in the background or perhaps a tambourine you didn't notice. Highly recommended.

2. Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now - (Bloodshot)
A gentle drum fill at the beginning of "Am I That Lonely Tonight" leads into Justin Townes Earle singing ("Hear my father on the radio / Singing,"Take Me Home Again" / 300 miles from the Carolina coast and I'm / I'm skin and bones again / Sometimes I wish that I could get away / Sometimes I wish that he'd just call / Am I that lonely tonight? / I don't know") -- such is life for the son following in the footsteps of his father, a legendary working musician. Since 2010's under-estimated Harlem River Blues, Townes Earle has seen a rocky road which included a fight with an Indianapolis club owner in September 2010 that led him into substance abuse rehab. The songs contained here on Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now are the honest and open feelings of a man who recognizes that each day from here on out will be a challenge with no guarantees. The fragile, confessional nature of the songs simmering with Earle's acoustic guitar, upright bass and brushes on a snare drum make this a commanding listen. It's Country/Folk/Blues from a time when that really meant something. The title track finds Earle in the final words of a bitter break-up where blame flies in both directions. "Baby's Got a Bad Idea" picks up the tempo in a Jerry Lee Lewis-like shuffle, with Earle still exploring his own shortcomings ("Maybe if I were a better man / She wouldn't walk away from me"). "Maria" reads like a letter from a man searching for reasons, while "Lower East Side" finds Earle still exploring the New York City he claimed on Harlem River Blues. "Won't Be the Last Time" is the truly heartbreaking tale here, seemingly retelling the story of that fateful night in September 2010 from a hazy, alcohol-infused memory. The song of an addict who knows that his future travels one step at a time. "Memphis in the Rain" is a road song about the search for a "girl without a name", but as Earle finds out in "Unfortunately, Anna", they all have names and stories. The album ends with the road song, "Movin' On" with Earle taking stock of where things are and how he got here, pledging in the end that he's "tryin' to move on". At just over 30 minutes, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now feels like an old friend who just stops over for a quick drink and a head-clearing talk. Ignored on most, or nearly all, end of the year lists -- it's an album that has been sadly overlooked and one that you should check out.

1. Tame Impala - Lonerism - (Modular)
Hailing from the land down under, more specifically Perth, Australia, Tame Impala receives this year's award for Most John Lennon-esque Voice by an Alternative Band. Lonerism is an album filled with musical flourishes, most all of them from real, live, analog instruments -- most noticeably, a 70s mellotron that finds its way into quite a few of the tracks here. "Be Above It" leads off the record with its mantra-like vocal over the top of a frenetic snare back beat. "Apocalypse Now" shows off leader Kevin Parker's brilliant songwriting talents, changing things up just when it appears that you have a song pegged, including a brief spot where the tape machine appears to have ground to a halt. "Mind Mischief" is part Flaming Lips, part Beatles relying heavily on the vocal harmonies to guide it along. The back-to-back songs, "Music to Walk Home By" and "Why Won't They Talk To Me" belie their subject matter of self-introspection and loneliness with their bouncy pop tendencies. Some of the best pop/rock of the year is saved for the second half of Lonerism, starting with (perhaps the Song of the Year), "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", with its floating bass line and perhaps Parker's most Lennon-like vocal. This would have made a great cass-single back in the day, with the same song on both sides -- you want to hear it again that quickly. "Elephant" is probably the most aggressive song on the record relying on a chug-along fuzzed-out bass line that recalls Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky", the song breaking into a joyous keyboard solo at the mid-way point. The album closes with two of the longer tracks on the album, the brightly tempo'd, (but perhaps overlong), "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control" which starts off with the aforementioned mellotron, a heavily reverbed vocal and then evolves into some studio trickery, ending with a long instrumental passage of keyboard twiddling before revisiting the earlier vocal line. "Sun's Coming Up" ends the album with a piano/vocal piece where Parker seems to finally get to the root of his loneliness before giving way to some noodling on his guitar with plenty of fuzz, reverb and tremolo. With very few missteps along the way, Lonerism is a "must buy" record from 2012 and my Album of the Year.

My Top 20 Albums of 2012 (#10 - 6)

2013-02-28T21:43:00.003-05:00

#10-6

10. Jack White - Blunderbuss - (Columbia / Third Man)
The first true solo album from the former White Stripes leader, this collection of songs expresses a variety of Jack White's moods, influences and skills. Lead single, "Sixteen Saltines" shows White in familiar territory, with a crushing wail of guitar and herky-jerky vocals. "Freedom at 21" shines with White seemingly choking new sounds out of his guitar, while "Love Interruption" lifts half of the intro to "Son of a Preacher Man" as he strangely pleads for "love to change his friends to enemies". A cover of the Rudy Toombs penned classic, "I'm Shakin'", swings in White's capable hands, and be on earworm alert for the hooks of "Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy". Blunderbuss is a fine collection of White's tunes that'll find it's way into your CD player or onto your turntable more than you think. (You know, assuming you still buy the physical product).

9. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory - (Carpark)
The very first listen to opener "No Future / No Past", its slow build starting with piano / guitar, the bass and drums coming in to percolate the boil while Dylan Baldi's vocals intensify, you'll know you're listening to a band on the verge of a huge breakthrough. The song finally explodes into the chorus after three and a half minutes before launching into the nearly nine minute second track "Wasted Days", a game changing, energetic wall of sound. Released early in the year, it's not an album that fades from memory, instead growing on you with each passing listen. "Fall In" represents as much of a single as you'll find here, starting with a chorus that would sound right at home on a Green Day record, with "Stay Useless" following a similar pattern. "Our Plans" finds a Sunny Day Real Estate-meets-Nirvana vibe, but not in the way it has been misused by so many before them. Attack On Memory is a quick and tight 33 minute jaunt, never losing focus and creating one of the best hard-rock albums of the year.

8. Beach House - Bloom - (Sub Pop / Bella Union)
There's a certain cool haze that takes over while listening to Beach House. Sometimes difficult to pinpoint, Bloom could easily be written off as background music for random web-surfing sessions, but to not listen closely would be a tragedy. Their signing with Sub Pop seems almost surreal when thinking about the bands who were building this label from the ground floor some 24-25 years ago. The vast layers of organ droning, winding guitars mixed with the gorgeous voice of Victoria Legrand infuse their way into your subconscious. Suddenly, where you thought you weren't listening, the ten songs contained here were working their way into your brain. "Myth" and "Lazuli" highlight the quirky nature of side one, while "Other People" and "The Hours" show a more straightforward, poppy aspect. "Troublemaker" starts the second half off on a strong note while "New Year" builds off of a rather Beach Boys harmonies intro. Album finale "Irene" begins awash a haze of white noise and slowly builds to a magnificent finish about six and a half minutes in, until a hidden track fades in after about six and a half minutes of silence, lilting back in and fading out once again, as though it were part of a dream hazily returning in the middle of a night's slumber. It may take a few listens for Bloom to reveal itself to you, but that only makes its title all the more appropriate.

7. Dinosaur Jr - I Bet On Sky - (Jagjaguwar)

Reunion album #3, I Bet On Sky, seems to reintroduce a bit of Mascis' Green Mind (1991) sound, but expands on it. Opening track, "Don't Pretend You Didn't Know" finds J Mascis soloing out of the song over piano/bass. Acoustic guitars wind their way into "Almost Fare" providing the background for J's muted distorted chugging. "Stick a Toe In" brings the energy down even further with J singing over lightly strummed chords. "Rode" finds Barlow revving the album back up to speed before giving way to the wah-pedal of "I Know It Oh So Well". Six and a half minute finale, "See It On Your Side", starts with Mascis soloing, but reveals different layers as it twists and turns with Mascis filling in the gaps between verses with fills that seemingly get better with each break, culminating in an even better solo before the final refrain -- the only way to end a Dinosaur Jr record.

6. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp - (Jagjaguwar)

One of the first albums that I truly fell in love with this year, Tramp shows off the street-worn voice and tales of Sharon Van Etten wrapped under the beautiful production of Aaron Dessner of The National. "Give Out" with its doubled vocal lines (You're the reason why I'll move to the city / Or why I'll need to leave) tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who's felt the ultimate highs and lows of a relationship. Van Etten manages to convey that she's going to be OK throughout the 46 minute running time of a devastatingly personal collection of songs. Everything here is marvelously played, layered and nearly trembling under a fragile shelf of emotions. "All I Can" with its closing stanza (I do all I can / We all make mistakes) shows that this is not an album of Fiona Apple-esque finger pointing, that there is always enough blame to go around. But Van Etten's loneliness sinks in and hits home on closer "Joke Or A Lie" (Let us escape for a night / Breathe the silence / I am alone / But I am alone in this room with you). Contrary to the lyrics I've chosen to quote here, this is not a simple heart-torn woman with an acoustic guitar record, it's a far greater accomplishment, perhaps career making for the Brooklyn by Tennessee by New Jersey artist.

My Top 20 Albums of 2012 (#20 - 11)

2013-02-10T19:51:00.004-05:00

2012 was a year that saw comebacks and releases by a myriad of artists who long ago moved into the 'Classic Rock' racks of your local independent record dealer. Meanwhile, new artists and many putting out their sophomore efforts provided strong competition for the veterans. After the final rating and ranking session, this is how my Top 20 worked out for last year.

#20-11

20. Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror - (Mom & Pop)
The sophomore effort from the Brooklyn-based duo doesn't quite raise the stakes of 2010's Treats as much as it adds focus to their energetic squalls of distorted guitars and power vocals. There's more variety here with songs like "End of the Line" and "You Lost Me" providing nuance between the crush of tracks like "Born to Lose", "Comeback Kid" and "Demons".

19. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball - (Columbia)
One of the Boss' better records with The E Street Band since The River (1980), you're probably already familiar with a good handful of the music here with Major League Baseball grabbing "Land of Hope and Dreams" as a theme song for the 2012 season, while others came to prominence during the Hurricane Sandy recovery here in the Northeast. Bruce seems to be having fun, reaching into his bag of tricks to visit many of his influences with varying degrees of success throughout the eleven songs contained here. An immediately gratifying album that seems to reveal all of its tricks at once. Not one that I found myself revisiting as often as I thought I'd might throughout 2012. A perfectly good album caught up in the circumstances of 2012.

18. Soundgarden - King Animal - (Republic / Seven Four)
16 years after the release of Down on the Upside (1996), the Seattle quartet finds themselves at the head of the "reunion pack of 2012". Although Soundgarden activities have been ongoing since their announced reunion in 2010, this is the first new material released by the reformed band. "Been Away Too Long" and "Non-State Actor" jump out of the gate and provide evidence that the band has hardly missed a step in a decade and a half, picking up right where they left off. Kim Thayil's wall of guitar sound is an immediate and welcome reminder of how much this band has been missed. The Thayil collaborations with vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell have always provided the band's strongest material -- so it's not a surprise that has continued here on King Animal. A trip back to the 90s that you won't regret taking.

17. Islands - A Sleep & a Forgetting - (Anti-)
Never what you expect, releases from Islands over the past decade have ranged from the Carribean-tinged pop of Return to the Sea (2006) to the inexplicable prog-rock misstep of Arm's Way's (2008). Nick Thorburn returned in 2012 with a more straightforward, yet lyrically, highly personal effort. "No Crying" finds Thorburn crooning in an early-60s doo-wop style, while "Can't Feel My Face" finds itself shuffling into a mid-60s Brit-pop. A Sleep & a Forgetting was a sleeper (no pun intended), released early in the year without much fanfare and likely forgotten about by the time "List Season" rolled around -- it deserves a revisit.

16. Swearin' - Swearin' - (Salinas)
Despite their silly name, Swearin's debut album was a rather unexpected treat this year. After hearing their outstanding lead track, "Here to Hear", I took a chance and downloaded it from Amazon (the only place I was able to find it -- it might have been on iTunes, but I don't normally shop there). Running the gamut from jangly guitars to flat out power chords, the 27 minute length of this debut flies by. "Kenosha" finds a Sleater-Kinney sort of groove, "Crashing" and "Kill 'em With Kindness" blister their way through their minute and a half running lengths. "Movie Star" closes out the record in Weezer-esque fashion, but in a good way. Looking forward to see if this band has anything else up their sleeve.

15. Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania - (Caroline / EMI / Martha's)
Like most of you, I sadly left Billy Corgan behind. An integral part of my 1990s, Billy wanted us to entertain his every whim, when all we really ever wanted was for him to keep SP together in its original form and rock our asses off. Unfortunately, the keyboard oriented Adore (1998) led to the dreadful Machina/The Machines of God (2000) and the inevitable break-up. But Billy still had plenty more disappointing to do. Zwan, featuring a reunited Corgan and Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin released Mary Star of the Sea (2003) to little fanfare, but plenty of sniping with his former Pumpkins mates, James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky. Putting the Smashing Pumpkins name to the test, Billy and Jimmy once again recorded under the SP moniker, releasing the even more dreadful Zeitgeist (2007) and an uninspired solo album mixed somewhere in there. Billy retreated to the studio with plans of recording a 44 song epic entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, releasing it in multiple phases, one of which appears to include the 13 song Oceania. Although Corgan is now working with hired guns as his Pumpkins side-kicks, it has inspired him to write the best music he has released since the mid-90s. Some of it will ring familiar with nods to "Disarm" and "Tonight, Tonight", and there are some missteps along the way ("One Diamond, One Heart"), but songs like opener "Quasar", "The Celestials" and the absolutely gorgeous "Violet Rays" will remind you why you were a fan of Corgan's in the first place. Welcome back, Billy.

14. The xx - Coexist - (Young Turks)

One of the better 1-2 punches in music this year is found on Coexist with "Angels" and "Chained", not because they are great songs (they are), but because it immediately reaffirms that co-leaders Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim found the maturity to stick to the sound they so beautifully developed on their self-titled debut (2009) . This is bedroom music. A late night headphone affair with sparse, singular guitar lines, warm bass lines, triad chords on a keyboard and two voices that create a tension that belie the band's years. This is another huge step forward for a band who will likely need to change things up their next time out. Their first two records, however, should find their way into your library. Truly haunting music.

13. Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light - (Fat Possum)
An undertaking as big as their 1997 epic Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space didn't seem to be in the cards for Jason Pierce, but he willed himself through two years of recording, inspired by shows in which the band performed LaGWAFIS in its entirety. It's an album that demands repeated listens in order to begin to hear the multitude of layers, rewarding and revealing itself with each spin. It's poppy, melodic, haunting, noisy, symphonic and occasionally frustrating. It's everything you'd want in an album suited for listening at home.

12. Japandroids - Celebration Rock - (Polyvinyl)
With an eyebrow-raising title like Celebration Rock, you're seemingly opening yourself up to the fury of the hound-like music blogging community. But Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals) dare you to judge them while "yell(ing) like hell to the heavens" on opener "The Nights of Wine and Roses". Eight songs, 35 minutes and you'll be joining the celebration upon first listen. Aggressive and uncompromising, this duo from Vancouver, BC ratchets up the noise and general rock-and-roll fun-time, attacking with amps at eleven, thunderous drums and screaming sing-along choruses like in "Evil's Sway" (Oh year / All right / On the last and lashing out / It's evil's sway tonight). "The House That Heaven Built" gallops forward, starting and stopping along the way as King screams for his life. Skillfully timed out so as not to overstay its welcome -- this is a record that made its way onto many 'Best Of 2012' lists, and rightfully so.

11. Shearwater - Animal Joy - (Sub Pop)

Talk Talk comparisons will likely always follow Shearwater as Jonathan Meiburg's larger-than-life vocals emphasize the dramatic twists and turns of the band's musical canvas. Opener "Animal Life" goes right for the sky, soaring for the heavens with Meiburg as our guide. The six and a half minute "Insolence" creeps along at the beginning, daring you to follow, offering glimpses into the destination as it explodes into the chorus, only to fall back into its steady march. Things change up throughout offering a highly satisfying listen. Highly recommended for fans of some of the more introspective pop/rock of the 80s.

My Bloody Valentine - mbv - (self-released; 2013)

2013-02-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

My Bloody Valentine - mbv - (self-released; 2013)

By Charlie Woodley; February 10th, 2013

Rating: 7.5

Donna: "I think that record is warped or something."

Me: "No, it isn't, it's supposed to sound that way."

Donna: "It sounds warped."

Me: *sigh*

Four Bens & A Brian - The Five Most Disappointing Albums of 2012

2013-02-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

By Charlie Woodley; February 3rd, 2013

Most years, I would call my bottom five albums of the year the "Worst" albums of the year, but this year I would rather call them the "Five Most Disappointing Albums of 2012". The albums below are all from artists whose work I usually admire, but in this case, I feel that they've lost their way with their releases from this year.

Strangely and randomly, the leaders of four of these projects were named "Ben". I'm not sure what that means -- but weren't there other "Bens" who were either disappointed or were disappointing in 2012. Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Affleck, Ben Stein, Ben Sheets...?

Without further ado -- here are my "Five Most Disappointing Albums of 2012" (in order of least to most disappointing):

5. Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods - (Dangerbird)

The one Brian on the list. An album filled with mid-tempo snorers that become more tedious as the album drones on. It just feels rather lazy after the rather ambitious Swoon (2009). The pressure will be on SP with their next release.

4. Ben Kweller - Go Fly A Kite - (The Noise Company)

Unique origami packaging and songbook guitar tabs included with the album couldn't save this jumbled mess for Kweller. While there are some rather pleasing efforts like opening rocker 'Mean To Me', the Beatle-esque 'Gossip' and 'I Miss You', the album is dragged down by tepid pop songs like 'Full Circle' and the extremely annoying 'Jealous Girl' (complete with a chorus refrain lifted from Rick Springfield).

3. Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives - (Barsuk)

Former Lives is a perfectly listenable record made up of songs that Gibbard wrote over the course of the past decade or so. The problem here is that one song is more cloying than the next. Gibbard's main project, Death Cab for Cutie, released the experimental Codes and Keys in 2011 to mixed reviews. I found it to be rather underrated and certainly worth a second look. Former Lives, however, feels like a collection of Death Cab rejects. Possibly even songs that Ben wrote and felt no need to present to the rest of his Death Cab mates. The stretch in this album beginning with 'Lily' running through 'A Hard One to Know' simply floats along as nothing more than background music you might use while paying your bills. Nothing distracts, nothing stands out -- which is a deadly combination in an already ADD world.

2. Band of Horses - Mirage Rock - (Columbia)

This one probably hurts me the most. At one time, Ben Bridwell led his Band of Horses into opening slots for My Morning Jacket and Pearl Jam, using a wall of guitars and a big room full of reverb. The jump to the big leagues of a major label after their Sub Pop swan-song Cease to Begin, has found BoH cleaning up their act and becoming nearly a Bridwell solo project. Even more so than Wilco is now a Tweedy project. The results are a rather bland mesh of Americana, more suited to the strip-malls than the bar in the shady part of town. Things start off nicely enough with 'Knock, Knock' (a song that sadly grew on me after listening to the rest of this record) and 'How To Live', but quickly find their way into Fogelberg schmaltz on 'Slow Hands of Time'. Things bottom out with 'Dumpster World' which begins a bit like America's 'Horse With No Name' until it thunders into a highly embarrassing and completely out of place chorus before ending back on the 'Horse'. The back half of the album is filled with rather forgettable songs in the same vein, with a brief respite for three minutes with the catchy 'Feud', perhaps the best song you'll find in this Bridwell vortex.

1. Ben Folds Five - The Sound of The Life of The Mind - (ImaVeePee Records / Sony)

When you read the intro about the 'Bens', you had to know we were eventually going to wind up here. Things start off rather promising with the trio emphatically announcing their return with a huge Foldsian crash opening to 'Erase Me', but it quickly dissolves (along with your hopes that this record has even the faintest chance to recall the days of Whatever & Ever Amen, the trio's high-water mark). Throughout the course of the ten tracks here, you wait and you wait for that huge instrumental moment where they challenge themselves to better the breakdown in 'One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces' or the natural swing of 'Selfless, Cold and Composed' -- but it never arrives. More than anything, this simply comes off as three people who used to make music together that moved on with their lives long ago. This is one reunion that was probably about six or seven years too late.

Coming Soon - BLOG REBOOT

2013-01-26T11:55:00.002-05:00

I'll be rebooting this fledgling music blog very soon with my long delayed Best Albums of 2012 list. Thanks to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, it was a tough end of the year which delayed a lot of important home/solo listening time where I do my final ratings and rankings. I think this year's list may surprise some of you.

Also, I plan on trying to get back into the swing of doing some short reviews for current releases as soon as we can get this list behind us and close out 2012 once and for all!

Islands - A Sleep & A Forgetting - (Anti-; 2012)

2012-03-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Islands - A Sleep & A Forgetting - (Anti-; 2012)

By Charlie Woodley; March 7th, 2012

Rating: 8.1

With considerably less fanfare than Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire, a band named The Unicorns emerged from the growing Candian indie music scene in the early part of this century. Led by Nick Thorburn (then Nick Diamonds), The Unicorns released an odd, quirky pop album entitled Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? An album of wholly original compositions which broke the traditional verse-chorus-verse mold, and succeeded in ratcheting the tensions in the music to a point where it seemed impossible for the band to avoid breaking into fisticuffs, no less make it through a song unscathed. It was inevitable that The Unicorns would each go their separate ways, pairs of them resurfacing here or there in various new bands and side projects.

With The Unicorns now behind them, Nick Thorburn and Jaime Thompson formed Islands, bringing along their knack for twisting the conventions of pop song writing and breathing new life into the genre with a view of bold innocence. Their 2006 debut, Return to the Sea, surpassed the promise of Who Will Cut Our Hair... with its maturity, its production values and its ability to capture the best aspects of their former selves. Although Thompson has come and gone with every other Islands record, Thorburn is the catalyst here, the songwriter, the vocalist, the poet. A Sleep & A Forgetting finds Thompson vacating his position while Thorburn once again changes the Islands lineup, the results this time being a record unlike any of their previous.

A Sleep & A Forgetting opens unassumingly and quietly enough with Thorburn asking us to "Open up your door for me", while a light shuffling beat propels the organ and understated guitar. Sounding almost timid, afraid of waking up his listeners, Thorburn allows us to enter his dream state. Where Islands had previously introduced a variety of styles into their music, A Sleep & A Forgetting finds them exploring their pop music roots. A regression and a step back to a simpler sound, which more aptly fits the personal nature of these 11 songs. Whether or not this is a full-fledged "break-up album", it's personal enough for Thorburn to refer to himself in the third person on the brilliantly penned 'This Is Not A Song'. The slighty too long 'Never Go Solo' wanders briefly into the experimental nature of some of Islands previous work, but is anchored by a consistent and driving piano progression.

'No Crying' is part Roy Orbison, part Smokey Robinson led by an all too familiar guitar line that wouldn't have sounded out of place in 1963. All the time, Nick is winking at us "The chorus wept, the bridge caved in / The verses stung your perfect skin / But I don't feel like it's touched my soul." On 'Can't Feel My Face', a distorted Hammond organ introduces what could be mistaken for a long lost nugget by The Animals, complete with Burdon-like declarations from the cuff, "I miss my wife / I miss my best friend every night / I miss my home / I miss my own bed, my old life."

'Lonely Love' weaves its way with stop-start verses, the band dropping out as Thorburn purposefully accentuates the phrasing of his verses, building into a final chorus borrowed directly from Paul Simon's 'Crazy Love, Part II'. The lonesome and haunting acoustic beginnings of 'Oh Maria' are reminiscent of some of Bright Eyes' better work as it falsely begins to build, but quickly settles back into its familiar ground. Stark confessional 'Don't I Love You' seemingly twists its difficult question inwards at the end, perhaps a song of self-contemplation rather than a plea about unrequited love.

A Sleep & A Forgetting is bedroom-pop for an indie generation that could easily find a more mature audience. The songs rarely extend past their welcome, the entire proceeding clocking in at under 38 minutes. Islands have always managed to change direction, from the failed near prog-rock leanings of 2008's Arm's Way to the multitude of influences on their 2006 debut, sometimes showing all of them in the course of one nine minute song. Refusing to stand still, they change direction here once again, albeit towards one that is more traditional. The results are mostly refreshing and rousingly successful. This is perhaps the band's most cohesive and deliberate set of songs to date, and certainly Thorburn's most personal. His days with The Unicorns now nearly a decade behind him, he approaches the songwriting here in a way that is miles apart from Who Will Cut Our Hair.... The tension and nervousness now replaced by a maturity and confidence required to wear a project of personal reflection and the loss of innocence on one's sleeve.

Bruce Springteen - Wrecking Ball - (Columbia; 2012)

2012-03-04T17:28:00.005-05:00

Bruce Springteen - Wrecking Ball - (Columbia; 2012)

By Charlie Woodley; March 4th, 2012

Rating: 8.3

Bruce Springsteen and I have had something of a like/tolerate relationship over the past three-plus decades. Two major exceptions to the rule have been the thoroughly enjoyable We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions (2006) and his haunting acoustic four-track recorder masterpiece Nebraska (1982). Sure, I really like Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, but as someone who really wasn't a fan at the time, I didn't connect with those albums upon their initial release. The oversaturation of Born in the USA certainly drove me away from Springsteen for the rest of the 80s and much of the 90s. It wasn't until the late-90s that I truly went back, found some great yard sale pick-ups, and delved into Bruce's catalog.

Since the near Michael Jackson-like success of Born in the USA, writing songs from the point of view of the everyman is a slippery slope to navigate when you've been blessed with the financial success Bruce has seen. But this is Bruce's passion, it's a part of who he is and he doesn't back away from it. As any great songwriter will tell you, you write what you know. With the world, particularly the United States, teetering on the brink of financial collapse, Bruce being Bruce had almost no choice about his subject matter. This was the album that was expected of him. He HAD to write Wrecking Ball.

In much the same way that 'Tattoo' presented us with an eyebrow-raising glimpse into the forthcoming Van Halen record earlier this year, Springsteen gave us 'We Take Care of Our Own' as his advance single to the same raised eyebrows. The song is Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' for a new era, but feels slightly outdated namechecking the Superdome in a none too subtle reference to the destruction brought forth by Hurricane Katrina. But just as the Reagan administration mistakenly adopted 'Born in the USA' as a flag-waving, chest-pounding anthem for the '84 re-election campaign, 'We Take Care of Our Own' takes the same cynical view of a nation that has lost its way, surely to be adopted and misunderstood by political candidates this coming election year. It's a powerful arena-ready anthem without the overblown bluster of the studio version of 'Born in the USA'. 'Easy Money' immediately recalls the hillbilly folk-rock vibe of the Seeger Sessions . A song not quite condoning crime as a desperate alternative to these economic times, but seemingly suggesting it as a viable option. ("I got a Smith & Wesson 38 / I got a hellfire burning and I got me a date / Got me a date on the far shore / Where it's bright and sunny / I'm goin' on the town tonight, lookin' for easy money.") 'Shackled and Drawn' continues the folk singalong and Springsteen sells it all with conviction, shedding the added weight of the 'E' Street Band. Bruce picks up the 'Occupy Wall Street' theme here imploring ("Gambling man rolls the dice / Workingman pays the bill / It's still fat and easy up on Banker's Hill.")

'Jack of All Trades' is part hymnal, part New Orleans funeral march which nicely precedes this album's bonechilling reimagining of 1984's 'My Hometown' on 'Death to My Hometown'. This is as "Pogues" as Bruce will probably ever get, a call to arms with a bagpipe-like melody line cutting the verses in which he describes the destruction of a town, not through traditional warfare, but through financial warfare. ("No powder flash blinded the eye / No deathly thunder sounded / But just as sure as the hand of God / They brought death to my hometown.") On 'This Depression' -- what would be a typical Bruce ballad is given a chilling sonic palette by guest Tom Morello. Morello's guitar noise and hum adding a dramatic flair, helping to create a song worthy of pause and self-reflection.

The title track harkens back to more familiar territory with call and response choruses and Jersey references throughout in Bruce's take on the destruction of Giants Stadium. 'You've Got It' takes a slight misstep as it recalls a slowed down version of the melody line from 'Glory Days'. 'Rocky Ground' (featuring Michelle Moore on vocals and Bruce's first foray into the world of Hip-Hop) finds an area between Gospel and lite R&B and manages to pull it off. Although Bruce is outside of his comfort zone here, it doesn't show as he manages to strengthen Ms. Moore's performance as he takes 2nd mic for much of the song. Moore again is the guest vocalist on 'Land of Hope and Dreams' which opens in a virtual mish-mash of styles and musical genres -- a true musical melting pot of Twenty-tens America. We're treated here one last time to what is perhaps the final performance and unmistakable sound of the late Clarence Clemons, his saxophone coaxing the most out of Bruce one more time. If the hair on your arm doesn't stand on end, then you're not breathing. The album closes with Bruce leading the way with his acoustic guitar on 'We Are Alive' and settles into a country-tinged affair, complete with a handclapping hoedown just before the final chorus.

When an artist is leaving a label for another, often times there are obligation filling albums that must be completed before that transition can take place. This is as close to an obligation album that long-time Columbia artist Springsteen has ever had. Only it wasn't an obligation to Columbia, it was an obligation to the American public. This isn't Bruce the multi-millionaire catering to the occupying 99%, this is simply Bruce writing what he knows. In these times of great financial uncertainty, with Americans questioning their leaders and their complicit actions with Big Business like never before, revolutionaries must step forward. Bruce never wanted to be the one leading the charge, but he certainly wanted to be the one to pen the soundtrack.

A Keyboard, A Blog and One Surly Guy...

2012-03-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

Welcome readers -- now pay attention.

I'm not here to bullshit you about the latest EP by a Finnish electro-accordion, nu-dance solo artist who has never played a real show, but gathers small groups of friends in his living room at 2:00am for what he calls "time shifting experiences". If you're looking for that -- go to Pitchfork.

If you think I'm going to be reviewing the new Journey CD that's available only at your neighborhood Walmart -- then you're definitely not in the right place.

But in between these two extremes -- there's still a lot of great music being written, recorded and performed.

I'll be publishing new album reviews, talk about upcoming releases of interest, maybe some talk about live shows. We'll look back at some of the classics, I may even drop some Jazz on you from time to time. And to break up the monotony, maybe I'll bring in some guest contributors.

You're going to find that many times we won't agree -- and I will listen to your critique and match it up against mine --- but I'll be right most of the time. j/k

My original concept in 2008 was to begin this blog with a special feature to give you an idea of this site's musical direction. And since everyone loves lists -- our first feature was going to be a compilation list of 50 Records to Buy Since OK Computer. However, what began as an exercise of passion, quickly degraded into an exercise in futility -- and way more work than one man with a regular job could tackle in a timely manner.

Now, in 2012, I've finally decided to kick off this blog and give myself a little corner of Al Gore's Interwebs to review some new records, some old records, some films, maybe a TV show or a comic book or whatever else I feel like doing. It's my blog, I'll most likely be the only one to read it -- so what do you care? Just mind your own damn business and make your own stupid blog. Really, a blog? I'm going to start a blog? What is this, 2002?

Anyway, I still like that idea for using OK Computer as a jumping off point, and I may even revisit the idea of that feature one day. By the way, if you've never heard of OK Computer -- thanks for reading, now go to the mall.