Among other things, Lissie produces a truly prodigious amount of excellent music covers.  Out this week is the video for her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” which featured on her most recent EP: Covered Up With Flowers.  The video is actually a live recording, featuring a somewhat more “slick” visual style than the sessions that brought us her previous releases of “Bad Romance” and “Nothing Else Matters.”

Even so, it’s a lovely way to start a Friday morning.  Check it out:

And if you really want to blow your mind… watch Lissie violate the “No Stairway” rule here.

Our Robot Says You Might Like:
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2. Lissie – Why You Runnin’ EP
3. The Magnetic Fields – “Andrew in Drag” Video

Thanks to Pitchfork, we’ve got our first taste of Sun Kil Moon’s Among the Leaves (out 5/29 on Caldo Verde).  The track – “Sunshine in Chicago” is a wistful look back on time spent touring in the ’90s.  At first listen, the track feels more personal and direct than some of the recent work on Admiral Fell Promises and April, and seems to deliver on the claim that we’d get to hear Kozelek “singing playfully.”  But that’s me… what do you think?

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]  Download

(Via Stereogum)

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The Magnetic Fields have released the video for “Andrew in Drag” from their forthcoming Love at the Bottom of the Sea.  The (NSFW) video features the return of the synth and acoustic sound that marked the band’s work in the ’90s, as well as the comic wit that we’ve come to expect over the years.  Of the freshness that can be found in a return to this method of writing and arranging for synth and guitar, singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt says: “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers.”

The album is also the band’s first release on Merge since 1999′s epic 69 Love Songs, and is sure to be one of the most highly-anticipated records of the year (especially in my house!).

Until its release on March 6th, you can enjoy “Andrew in Drag” by listening to the track, or watching the video, below.  Find out more about the album, as well as some upcoming tour dates, over on Merge.

Here’s “Andrew in Drag:”

And here’s the video:

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3. New M. Ward Single: “Primitive Girl”

In contrast to that song, “Primitive Girl” seems to carry forward the fuller sound of Hold Time, eschewing the sparseness that characterized so many of Ward’s earlier records.  Just the same, at only 2:20 the track is classic, compact M. Ward, and arrives like a cheery, energetic bolt from the blue.

Taken together, “The First Time I Ran Away” and “Primitive Girl” suggest an album that will run a range of styles – each of which are beautiful.  For A Wasteland Companion, Ward worked with eighteen different musicians in studios from Omaha to Portland, and Los Angeles to Bristol (U.K.).  All of this movement and collaboration produces songs that feel very much “of the moment,” and the result is something that feels truer to M. Ward’s experience.

You can read a bit more about the album here, and see some upcoming tour dates here.  A Wasteland Companion is available for pre-order on Merge, and “Primitive Girl” is available on iTunes.

Here’s “Primitive Girl:”

And here’s “The First Time I Ran Away:”

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Late last week, Bon Iver released a video featuring five songs he recorded at AIR Studio’s Lyndurst Hall.  Accompanied only by drummer Sean Carey, who plays the second piano in this video, the set is a stripped-down run through songs from the Blood Bank EP, Bon Iver, and a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”  The result is an exquisitely intimate session that truly captivates and reminds us why Bon Iver came to be celebrated in the first place.  Have a listen below:

(Via NPR)

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Our friends over at NPR have just posted Laura Gibson’s forthcoming album – La Grande - in their First Listen series.  I’ve been eagerly awaiting this release, Gibson’s third, and can honestly say that it has been worth the wait.  In many ways, this is a more complicated, confident affair than her previous efforts.  For me, La Grande is the sound of an artist who has found her feet, and now wants to fly.  Indeed, as Stephen Thompson writes:

It’s the sound of a confident artist stretching her own limits, without losing sight of the warmth, richness, subtlety and haunted beauty that made her worth celebrating in the first place.

La Grande is out on 1/24 on Barsuk Records.  Have a listen over at NPR’s First Listen Series.

Our Robot Says You Might Like:
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2. Laura Gibson – Daytrotter Session
3. First Listen: New Death Cab For Cutie, Joseph Arthur

Hi, Everyone!  Well, it’s that time of year again!  The time when I get to pontificate about the top releases of the year.  However, as usual, I have a really difficult time ranking things.  This is something that carries over from my work as a professor.  After all, what is the difference between a 93 and a 94?  I know it when I see it, but just how to explain?  So, I’m just going to wimp out present some of the albums I loved in no particular order.  For those of you looking for a more ordered (and possibly comprehensive) list, I would recommend checking in with Pitchfork, Slowcoustic, or NPR Music.  All right, let’s get on with the show!

Marissa Nadler – Marissa Nadler.

Released just the week before, but already in the shadow of Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, it was easy to miss this absolute gem of a record.  It’s a bit languid, a lot mellow, and entirely beautiful.  It’s perfect for a hazy Summer afternoon, or a Winter’s twilight, and, if I were to pick a favorite for the year, this might well be it.  Have a listen to the whole thing here, or watch this beautiful video for “In Your Lair, Bear.”

Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs

I absolutely loved Eddie’s first solo record – the soundtrack for Into the Wild – and had been hoping there would be a follow-up.  This year’s Ukulele Songs was a wonderful, unexpected album that was both humble and personal.  (Here’s what I wrote earlier this year.)  Here’s “Longing to Belong” from the album:

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

One of the few albums that I’m sure will appear on almost every list that comes out this year (along with M83 and Bon Iver), this album was a wonderful follow-up to 2008′s Fleet Foxes.  Personally, I loved the ever-soaring harmonies, the gradual embrace of the Crosby-Stills-Nash-Young-ness that the band so often flirts with, and the clear effort the band made to remain true to itself while also pushing forward and evolving.  It’s a great, big record, and one of the bright spots of early 2011.

Here’s “Helplessness Blues” for your listening pleasure:

Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

This might very well be one of the most fun records of the year.  If nothing else, Telekinesis put on one of my favorite live shows of the year when I saw them in Boston way back in March.  The album itself is the sort of post-punk pop that hits us with hooks, infectious melodies, and bursts of sunlight.  There are moments on this album that remind me of the finer moments of bands like Semisonic, and yet there are also moments that remind me of The Cure.  It’s a great record, and one that you should definitely check out.  Here’s the video for “Please Ask For Help” to get you started:

Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

Another crazy leap forward for Sam Beam, Kiss Each Other Clean features the sort of full-band arrangements we might have once thought impossible from Iron & Wine.  Indeed, seeing the band back in April, I found myself listening to these nine musicians on stage and thinking: “Wait, is this Pink Floyd?”  Of all the things I never expected to say at an Iron & Wine concert, that was pretty much top of the list.  Yet, for all that, this is an album that stays true to the folk origins of the band’s earlier material, and one that has a lush, even majestic sound.  As far as I’m concerned, “Tree By The River” is one of the finest songs that Sam has written in the last five years.  And if you really want to see my favorite version, it’s the first one up in this amazing Daytrotter session:

The Decemberists - The King is Dead

Proof that all a man like Colin Meloy needs is a thesaurus, a book of literary references, and Peter Buck!  I kid, of course, but I must say that I am consistently impressed with the “literariness” of the albums put out by The Decemberists.  As a fan of early R.E.M., the inclusion of Peter Buck (and the – at times outright – mimicry of tracks like “Calamity Song”) is an absolutely inspired idea, and the overall effect is an album that is lively, rough-edged, and excellent.  I wholeheartedly recommend this one, and I have to say that “June Hymn” and “Calamity Song” are two of my most-played tracks of the year.  Check them out:

The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

Oh, Mountain Goats!  How you rock!  This is yet another solid release from the Darnielle-Hughes-Wurster triumvirate. While some eyebrows may have been raised by John Darnielle’s desire to work with metal producer Erik Rutan (read about that over on Pitchfork), the result is a solid, rocking album that explores many of the darker themes that have come to feature in John’s recent work.  Yet, even so, this is a satisfying release that is sure to leave you feeling better than when you began.  Check out “Birth of Serpents” below, and then head over here to listen to an amazing, unreleased track called “You Were Cool:”

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Even though it goes all Richard Marx on us at the end, Bon Iver is a beautiful, sonically-expansive follow-up to 2008′s For Emma, Forever Ago.  Indeed, in much the same way that Fleet Foxes did with Helplessness Blues, Bon Iver managed to push his limits without forsaking his past.  (Indeed, as I listen to “Perth,” now, I begin to see how that time spent working with/on Peter Gabriel may have proven an influence on this record.)  The result is a beautiful, and at times challenging, record that sees Justin Vernon proudly pushing beyond the sparseness of For Emma.  There’s a reason that this is going to be on most of the Top-Ten lists you read, this year, and you can hear it in “Holocene” and Calgary” below:

R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

Whether or not this is the album I would’ve wanted the band to go out on or not, it’s wonderful to hear a record and know that the band is having fun without any concern for how I might feel.  For a band in their 31st year, R.E.M. managed to create a record that both revisited and built upon its past.  Unlike some of the moments on Reveal or Around the Sun, there’s nothing about this album that feels like a band who are just trying to cash in by playing it safe.  And actually, maybe it is the perfect album for the band to go out on, as it makes me so eager to have more… better that than those sad, late-career efforts that make you wonder why you ever bothered, right?  (I’m looking at you, Chinese Democracy.)  Here’s the beautiful “Überlin,” and you can find even more videos in my short-film round-up:

Honorable Mentions:

Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials

Every time I listen to this album, I realize that every generation must have an Annie Lennox.  And I have to say, I really like this one! 

M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Proof that double albums can still work!  Even in 2011!  I wish this album and I had gotten to know each other better, but we have all the time until the Apocalypse to do so now…

The Modern Tapes - The Modern Tapes EP

Oh you mysterious Israelis!  Put out a full length in 2012, and then come play it in America!  Thanks!

–

So, there we are!  Not the most comprehensive list, but a reasonably solid one.  I left out Radiohead and Wilco, because, well, they rather left me out this year.  In any case, I hope you had an excellent 2011, and I’m looking forward to sharing all sorts of new music in 2012.  Until then…

Happy New Year!

Our Robot Says You Might Like:
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3. So, 2011… What happened there?

Hey, Everyone!  Well, as you might have noticed, the posts have been a bit scarce in the second half of 2011.  It’s been a rough year, honestly, and I’ve come pretty close to just throwing my hands up in the air, dropping everything, and running off to Alaska (Into the Wild style…).  Of course, being a bit of a lazy sod, I only got as far as dropping everything.  And now, here we are.  So, what happened?  And more importantly, what am I going to do about it?

Put simply, the dissertation happened.  In fact, it never stopped happening.  After last year’s exam, I had some rewriting to do.  If this were a house, instead of an academic paper, I would be tearing out all the walls, building an extension, and then moving the whole thing to another town.  It’s been hard, slow, tedious work that often feels pointless.  It is, in fact, everything you thought a Ph.D. in Literature might be.  (Honestly, there was a lengthy part of the Fall where every thought of the dissertation conjured “No Children” by The Mountain Goats.)

On top of that, it seems that the Government actually wants you to repay those loans.  (Who knew, right?)  I figured that since the Government doesn’t pay its debts, I wouldn’t have to either.  There was, perhaps, a slight miscalculation there.  So, the jobs began.  At first, it was a humble teaching gig online.  No sweat.  Then it was a last-minute call to do some in-person teaching.  Ok, sure.  But then I still needed a bit more to keep myself in new music, bacon, and coffee, and so there was this tutoring gig.  Oh, and I got offered a research job in a field I’m desperate to get into… and, oh, yeah, that dissertation.

It has been, suffice it to say, a complicated year.  The dissertation continues.  But the rest has finally become more manageable.  And so, at last, I can turn my attention back to this blog and its lovely readers and submitters.

I have held some of your submissions for a long, long time, but I promise that I am now working hard to get things started again.  My goal is to get a bunch of stuff prepped and to hit January running.  With luck, things will go back to the way they should be.  I’m sure it will be a bit rocky, at first, but I want to make this work.

So, if you’re out there, thanks for being out there.  I’ll try not to let you down in 2012… but, hey, if the Apocalypse happens, I might need some time off to sort a few things out.  I’m sure you understand.

Happy New Year, then, and I’ll see you all in 2012!

~Jon

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