I’ll recommend any song with Beirut’s Zach Condon on it. But with Sharon Van Etten, too? Is there a “recommended +” function?
From sharonvanetten’s blog:
Sharon Van Etten - We Are Fine (featuring Zach Condon)
#1 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Myths (+2) by Pickwick
No band has had more of an exciting 2011, and no band has made 2011 more exciting to me, musically, than Seattle’s Pickwick. Unless you are immersed in the Seattle music scene or listen to KEXP regularly, chances are you’ve not heard of Pickwick.
Pickwick are the future of Seattle’s music scene. We’re emerging from a Fleet-Foxes induced folk-rock fog, into the warm embrace of soul. Seattle has a storied history in soul music (for more on that, watch the Wheedle’s Groove Movie). But it’s been lying dormant for a long while. and this group of hipster guys is bringing it back in full force.
My first exposure to Pickwick was seeing the video above back in January, over at Sound on the Sound, one of my favorite local music blogs. It wasn’t until August when I finally got to see the band live. But here at the end of 2011, I’ve now seen them three times, and that number will most likely double in 2012.
Pickwick is led by a most unlikely crooner, the bespectacled, big-haired and totally unassuming Galen Disston (otherwise known as @galenbaby). As I said in my review of their performance at the Sound on the Sound 5th Anniversary show back in August, Disston’s ability to ”channel Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and even a touch of Sam Cooke is simply unreal.” Additionally:
Backing up Disston is a collection of 7 guys — bearded, plaid- and glasses-wearing in ample portions — who, if seen on the television with the sound muted, you would think were playing your everyday Seattle-based indie rock. They were tight, as if they’d been practicing every minute of every day for weeks on end.
If you’re like me, your appetite for Pickwick music will become quickly insatiable. Thankfully, there are a number of sources out there to take in as much of them as you can, but don’t go to iTunes to find it. The music they do have available for purchase is only available in local Seattle record stores (purchase your own copy of Myths (+2) here, or better yet, pick up the original Myths Vols. 1-3 45s here). The fastest way to get their music in your ears is through their bandcamp page, where they have each pair of songs from their three 45s available as digital downloads for a separate purchase of $2 each.
Beyond buying their music, you can see a few videos of the band performing around town on YouTube — be sure to watch the recent KEXP in-studio videos (1, 2, 3, 4) — as well as the beautiful videos made by Sound on the Sound at their annual Doe Bay Fest (5, 6). And finally, take a look at their amazing a cappella video for “Blackout” from UW’s Suzzallo Reading Room.
Rumor has it the band will have a proper full-length out in 2012. No word on a specific release date, but I’ll be one of the first ones in line to pick it up. I’m sure it’ll be part of the 2012 Musical Bacon Calendar.
From this vantage point, the 2011 Calendar was actually quite a success, regardless of my various moments of belly-aching about the state of the music industry. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, though, and I have to believe that 2012 will be quite the rebound year.
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2. Departing by The Rural Alberta Advantage
3. The King is Dead by The Decemberists
4. W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs
5. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#2 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Departing by the Rural Alberta Advantage
This was one of the hardest decisions ever. Number 2 or number 1? Which is it? As I’ve said in other places during the countdown, this has been a very strange year for music in general, and my inability to assign a difinitive #1 album for the year is simply par for the course.
Any one of the Top 5 albums could have easily been #1, but as of right now, today, I’m confident in my choices. Tomorrow I may not feel the same, but I’m ok with that. Here at #2 is the Rural Alberta Advantage. You may remember the RAA from such lists as the 2009 Musical Advent Calendar, where I ranked the band’s debut album at #6. Back then, I claimed that the band was “the best new band of 2009”:
Believe it or not, what you’re hearing is the best new band of 2009. It may not sound like a lot to you right now, but mark my words: 2010 will be all about this band, the Rural Alberta Advantage. Well, at least in the indie rock world that I inhabit, these guys are going to get huge.
And then on a later entry that year, I continued:
Given that I called the Rural Alberta Advantage, who’s debut album Hometowns was #6 on the calendar, the best new band of 2009, I feel like I need to explain why I ranked These Four Walls higher in the countdown, but didn’t give We Were Promised Jetpacks the honor of “best new band.” It’s fairly simple: they made a great album, but I have not seen any evidence that they can do it again. With the RAA, their live show had numerous new, unrecorded songs that were quite good and made me excited about their next release, whenever that happens.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s fair to say the band got HUGE in 2010. Nor did the release of Departing blast them into indie-rock superstardom in 2011. But the album is definitely attracting new people to their sound, and I was at least right that they had the makings of a new great album two years earlier, that first time I heard them live.
I got to see the band again this year, and loved having the opportunity to write up what was one of my favorite gigs of the year. I had said “Prepare yourself for disappointment. You just missed one of the most powerful indie-rock trios to ever come through town.” I really meant it. I can still pull up the feeling of that live show, as if it were a file at the top of my “euphoric experiences” folder. One of the main reasons for that euphoria was the drumming:
The other powerful force in the band is Paul Banwatt, the ball of energy behind the drums. Banwatt chooses tight, complicated rhythms that rattle around Edenloff’s verse and melody like a pinball machine. With undying speed and agility, Banwatt appears to fly around his small kit, lithely touching the sticks to the various surfaces and evoking a methodical, machine-like rhythm. On the band’s recorded music, the drums don’t immediately stand out. But once you’ve seen Banwatt in action, there’s no missing his fantastic myriad of beats plugging away diligently in the background.
I am continually blown away by this band, and find it particularly strange that they haven’t taken off as much as I’d expect. Just goes to show that music taste is a peculiar thing, and not everybody will like what I like. But I’ll keep evangelizing this band as long as they produce music. It’s some of the best stuff out there on any level, and the whole world needs to know it.
And tomorrow, NUMBER 1! Many people are no doubt disappointed that their favorites (Lykke Li, The Weeknd, St. Vincent, to name a few) haven’t made it on the list (to date). You already know I can’t possibly listen to everything that’s been released in the last year, so I thank you for the suggestions and I’ll definitely be listening to what your favorites were for the year, even if it’s too late to add them to the Calendar. But I have to warn you: be prepared for a surprise at #1. It’s something you’re probably not expecting.
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3. The King is Dead by The Decemberists
4. W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs
5. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#3 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
The King is Dead by the Decemberists
I didn’t want to like this album. My first few listens into The King is Dead, the sixth full-length album by the Decemberists, I was ready to declare the band dead in the water like so many characters from their songs. It didn’t hook me. I could only find one song on the album that I liked, the quiet “June Hymn.” There was no there there.
But after shelving it for a month or so (the album came out January 14, only two weeks into the new year), I found myself reaching for it again, almost against my will. It had wormed its way into my brain and festered there, like a tumor. It continued to take over my subconscious until it had moved into the foreground, when I found myself beginning to talk up the album to those same friends that I had poopooed the album to only a handful of months earlier.
Then my three-year-old son proclaimed his like for the songs on the album — and if you have a child, you know how nice it is to find an album that you can agree on with them and consequently sing along to together. As I’ve stated in other entries on this year’s Calendar, this has not been a great year for new music. While I do like this album quite a bit (enough to place it all the way up at #3), I don’t believe this album would have landed such a high spot in more competitive years. The Decemberists have also benefitted from this lack of competition more directly, as The King is Dead landed at #1 on the Billboard charts when it debuted, a feat surely not possible were the music industry not in its apparent free fall. The Billboard.com article about the album discusses the low-ball #1 album trend:
While it’s a best-ever week for the group, it’s still a so-so figure for the top-selling album. However, after the past two weeks, any number at No. 1 that’s north of 60,000 is welcome.
Last week, Cake’s Showroom of Compassion (featured at #22 on the Calendar) broke the SoundScan-era (1991-present) record low for a No. 1 album with only 44,000 sold. That record was set just one week earlier, when Taylor Swift’s Speak Now shifted 52,000 atop the list.
Regardless of circumstance, the band did manage to sell 94,000 copies in their first week, and that’s pretty damn good for a literary pop band out of Portland, Oregon. And I proudly say that this album is deserving of such high sales. It’s a throw-back album for the Decemberists. There are no 8-minute epics (“This is Why We Fight,” featured above, is the longest song on the album at 5 minutes, 30 seconds). There is no over-arching story to the whole album. This is just solid song after solid song, each one thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable.
If you’ve not been a fan of the Decemberists to date, and your dislike of the band has not hinged on something uncurable like Coin Meloy’s nasally voice, then this album may win you over. There’s very little here to dislike, and plenty to gush about (even if at first you don’t care for it).
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4. W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs
5. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#4 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs
More often than you may expect, a single performance can change your entire view of an artist. It’s probably the main reason I consider myself addicted to live music: that unexpected song, that unbelievable show, that undeniably great set. The reason tUnE-yArDs is so high up on this year’s list is due to what, upon retelling, I’ve termed on more than one occasion “a religious experience.”
tUnE-yArDs is an extension of one very talented person’s musical experimentation. Her name is Merrill Garbus, and she is a phenomenon. She creates music that’s definitely not for everyone. How she creates her music is not entirely original: she uses loops of her powerful voice along with other analog sounds to create electronic beats/rhythms/melodies (similar to Andrew Bird and St. Vincent), culminating in a cacophony of sounds that are vaguely African in origin. Hearing the recordings on her two albums, this seems somewhat apparent but doesn’t jump out at you like it does in her live show, where she is beating on anything in sight with her drum stick and creating complicated orchestrations on the strings of a ukulele. It’s fantastic to watch her form a song on stage in this manner, and regardless of whether you enjoy the music, seeing this in person is a must sometime during your lifetime. (After viewing the video above, go here to watch her perform the song live and it’ll give you an idea of what I’m talking about here.)
Regarding the strangeness of her stage name, according to this New Yorker article, Garbus told Sasha Frere-Jones that the typographical oddities were initially a response to “the early days of posting music on MySpace—it was a way to get attention and make people hold down the shift key.” tUnE-yArDs is certainly annoying to type. But it’s minor annoyance next to the brilliance of her work.
More than any other performance I saw in the past year, Garbus seemed to be having genuine fun on stage. I know this seems ridiculous, but it’s very important. If you can see the performer is thoroughly enjoying themselves, then you will, too, most likely. So, check out the album, W H O K I L L, but more importantly, see tUnE-yArDs live. It’s worth way more than the price of admission.
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5. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#5 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
I’m starting to see a pattern here. With the King of Limbs at #7, Bon Iver at #6, and now Elbow at #5, my affinity for rich orchestration and heavy layering is readily apparent. Maybe even a tad predictable. Thankfully, numbers four through one don’t fall in this same category, so predictions can remain off target.
Elbow is an English band, and unbeknownst to most Americans, they’ve been making music together for over twenty years, and releasing albums for the last ten. I was a rather late comer to Elbow, not discovering their majesty until the Seldom Seen Kid a year after its 2008 release. At the insistence of that album’s greatness, I quickly fell in love with everything Elbow, and patiently awaited their fifth studio album, Build a Rocket Boys!, which came out in March.
Elbow are quite approachable. I’d venture to say of all the albums in my Top 10 this year, this album is the one that I could easily recommend to almost anyone. You may not have heard of Elbow, but you probably know of their sound, as there’s a near one-to-one correlation between the band and Peter Gabriel’s later works (everything from So forward). You’ll hear Elbow and think to yourself “Did Peter Gabriel come out with a new album?” (which he actually did, back in October, but I sadly have not heard it.)
The video above, for the song “Lippy Kids,” is a bit on the slow side, but don’t let that affect your opinion of the album on the whole. Elbow have truly mastered range and crescendo, gracefully tiptoeing through the quietest low and charging across the excitable highs. Their albums embody a beauty that few others have managed (Jeff Buckley comes to mind). And Build a Rocket Boys! is no different.
Added bonus: my three-year-old loves “Lippy Kids” simply because they mention rockets. Something tells me he’s not alone in that — try it out with your own children.
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6. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#6 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s second album falls into a special category I affectionately call “airplane music.” This is not a bad thing, but a somewhat coveted spot in my music library. You could also call this category “music to sleep to,” but I never listen to music while sleeping at home any more. Only on airplanes, when I’m looking to drown out the drone of the plane and the inane chatter of the great unwashed. Up to this point, the category only had one band in it: Sigur Rós. So Bon Iver is now in good company.
Saying this album is good to sleep to doesn’t give a good sense of what it’s like to listen to the album. It’s lush, moreso than anything else you’ve heard this year. Layer upon layer of sound, from horns, strings, guitars and multiple voices (usually falsetto) all expertly blended together into a pillowy bed of cashmere.
At its heart, Bon Iver is Justin Vernon. Where his first album, For Emma, Forever Ago was mainly just Vernon performing alone, Bon Iver, Bon Iver is much more of a collaboration, allowing for much more experimentation with sound. Much like Radiohead’s The King of Limbs, Bon Iver invites the listener to push their ears even closer to the speaker, to turn up the sound to the loudest possible level, so as to hear everything that each song entails.
Bon Iver came through the Paramount Theater here in Seattle in late September, and played a sold-out performance on the beautiful stage there. Vernon brought 8 or more musicians with him (I did count them, but I didn’t write about the show and my memory is failing me, here, 3 months later), and the performance was nothing less than extraordinary. Much like Sigur Rós, the quieter, more involved tracks that force people to listen with intent make for an unbelievable show. And then when the powerful guitar choruses come in, with the lights blaring, you’re forced to rise up in your chair and take notice. It was truly the best.
This album takes a few listens to sink in — don’t abandon it after the first listen. In fact, you can hear the whole album before you buy it by watching the series of videos the band put together for the ten songs on the album. The video above, for “Michicant” is part of that series, all of which is available on YouTube. There’s plenty here to enjoy, and much more to discover even after you’ve heard it 10 times. Pick it up, then watch yourself not be able to put it down.
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7. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#7 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
The King of Limbs by Radiohead
Strangely, even though I view this album as the 7th best album to have been released in the past year, this will not be an entirely favorable review. It’s pretty good if a band’s new album can be labeled as “the second-worst album they’ve put out in their 18-year history,” and yet still have it rank better than all albums released in the past year except for 6 others. But that’s precisely what Radiohead have done.
The King of Limbs is a great record by almost any measure. But compare it to the 6 most recent Radiohead albums, dating back to 1995’s The Bends, and you notice that this new ablum is a real turd. It just doesn’t hold up. It does, however, give credence to the adage “On their worst day, Radiohead are way better than [any other band].” Astute observers (you know who you are) will have noticed that #26 on this year’s Calendar was TKOL RMX 1234567, a two-disc remix album of The King of Limbs. For a while I held up the remix album as the better of the two records, but I should have known better. As more time passes since the release of TKOL RMX, I can tell it’s not going to have the staying power that The King of Limbs will.
It’s the nature of any Radiohead album: there are things to discover upon every listen. And you might think that’s just a ridiculous thing to say, and you might even be right. But it’s also true. Radiohead are the masters of the subtle, the unexpected. The layers found in their albums are so well-constructed, it’s the filo dough of music. And I do love baklava so very much.
It’s hard to define what makes this album so weak by Radiohead standards. This album feels a little like an extension of their amazing 2007 album In Rainbows, with a considerable dash of lead singer Thom Yorke’s solo album The Eraser. It’s very heavy on the techno, electronic side of things. It’s also a bit quiet, with little to no heavy guitar riffs and catchy melodies. But that’s ok. I quite liked The Eraser, and The King of Limbs is still a great album overall. The Radiohead discography has a long line of albums that set the bar so high, it was clearly unsustainable in the long run. It’ll take another album or two to know for sure if Radiohead have jumped the shark, but my gut says this isn’t a fork in the road. We’re just driving on the shoulder.
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8. Bad As Me by Tom Waits
9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#8 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Bad As Me by Tom Waits
You either love him or you hate him; there is no middle ground. I, for one, love him. Back in 2004, I didn’t care about Tom Waits. I barely even knew he existed. But then I heard the album he put out that year, Real Gone, and was floored that something that sounded like that could have possibly reached widespread, popular release. It boggles the mind. Later that year, I was lucky enough to see Tom Waits live, thanks to my boss who was looking for someone to accompany him to the show. And it was one of the most memorable, moving experiences I’d ever seen. And it remains so to this day.
Bad As Me, the first new-music Tom Waits LP to be released in the last 7 years, is pure Tom. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but Tom’s music is so unlike anything else being released today it feels new. It is brilliant. Horns, cans, drums, guitars, cowbells, whistles, hand claps, and plenty of gravel straight from the rock quarry. Tom Waits is a genre unto himself.
There are a handful of big names that perform with Tom on this album, too: Keith Richards, Les Claypool, and Flea, to name the most recognizable. Keith and Les both play on the video linked above. SO GOOD. There’s quite a bit of variety on this album, all falling into a sub-category of Tom Waits songs. The slow waltz, the urgent violence, the dirty brass. It’s all there. My favorite track on the album comes near the end, “Hell Broke Luce.”
“I had a good home, but I left, right, left. That big fuckin’ bomb made me deaf. DEAF. Left, right, left.”
“Listen to the general, every god damn word. How many ways can you polish up a turd? … HELL. BROKE. LUCE. HELL. BROKE. LUCE.”
It’s one hell of a tune, barked at you like a drill sargeant. Tom does bark a lot, but to those detractors who say that Tom doesn’t sing, you haven’t really been paying attention. Tom’s singing voice is not pretty, but it’s definitely there. And it’s unmistakable (unless you’re looking at a Cookie Monster video, and then you might have trouble identifying Tom Waits in there).
If you’ve ever liked Tom Waits in the past, this album is for you. If you’ve disliked Tom Waits in the past, this album won’t change your opinion. And if you’ve never paid much attention to Tom Waits, it’s about time you did.
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9. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#9 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
If you have been reading the Bacon Calendar for the last couple years, or have read my various articles over the past few, then Helplessness Blues showing up on this year’s calendar is about as unexpected as a sunrise at dawn. You could say I’ve got a wee bit of a Fleet Foxes problem. If you were friends with me in late 2007, early 2008, you most likely got annoyed with me talking about Robin Pecknold and his band of merrymen. I felt pretty special, having caught these guys very early in their career and watched them explode over the years to where they are now, and I wanted everyone else to join me.
After overdosing on the band for about 2 years, I quit cold turkey. I’d had enough hippy bullshit and I wanted some rock & roll. OK, that’s not really true, as I still continued to listen to other hippy bullshit. I just couldn’t play the Fleet Foxes any more. When Helplessness Blues was announced earlier this year, and the title-song pre-released as a single, I got excited to hear the band that I’d fallen in and out of love with do something new. But then I heard the album, and immediately felt pretty meh about it.
I felt the album was lacking feeling, originality, something new. It just was. So I shelved it, only to find myself a few days later sitting in the fifth row at the Moore Theater watching the band perform these new songs:
The band sounded great. They played a wide range of songs from across their newly-expanded songlist. Pecknold’s voice didn’t sound quite as powerful as I can remember it sounding in previous shows, but that could be due to the more-cavernous venue, or possibly that he has learned to work on saving his voice to stand up over the course of a long run of daily performances. This was also the longest set I‘d even seen the band play.
But I still wasn’t hooked. The vibe was off. I just couldn’t get back into the groove, and I couldn’t put my finger on why that was. Three months went by without me giving the new album another chance. But then I once again had tickets in hand to see them live. And this time I had a little bit of time to prepare, so I diligently listened to the new album (which is usually how I prepare for a show — listening to the most recent album from the upcoming band on repeat for a week or two). And then it sunk in. Turns out I hadn’t given the album enough of a chance.
That, mixed with seeing the band on the larger Paramount stage, me sitting in the front-row balcony, totally changed my opinion of the album and my love for the band. I’m no longer touting the band to everyone I know — I don’t need to. But here I am, touting this beautiful album. If you haven’t heard it yet, do so. But prepare yourself. Be ready to have to listen to the thing 5 or 6 times before it finds a spot in your brain. Then you won’t be able to put it down.
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10. The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#10 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
The Youth Die Young by Mad Rad
The Top 10 of the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar starts with an album that won’t be found on any other Best of 2011 list anywhere, because it came out 2010. As the list starts counting down on Dec. 1, I can’t very well include albums that come out in December on the list. Additionally, I feel an album needs at least a month of listening for me to really have an opinion about it, so I likewise do not include albums that came out in the month of November. So in reality, the Musical Bacon Calendar runs from November through October, rather than January through December. That said, #10 is a phenomenal local hip hop album that came out on November 30, 2010: Mad Rad’s The Youth Die Young.
I don’t listen to enough hip hop to be able to write intelligently about it, so unfortunately this review may feel rather lacking. But I’ll try. Mad Rad is part of a musical genre that could be called Hipster Hop, although I really hate that term (due to it’s negative connotations both due to “hipster” backlash and how whitebread the words “hipster hop” sound). The term does paint a fairly accurate picture of the band, which consists of three vocalists (named P Smoov, Buffalo Madonna and Terry Radjaw). Any comparisons to other all-white hip hop acts, like the Beastie Boys, are a miss, as Mad Rad definitely embraces the hard core, raunchy side of hip hop. Consider yourself warned, these lyrics are not for everybody.
Beyond the rapping, the music that flows throughout the album (about which Buffalo Madonna says at the beginning of “I Want Your Blood”: “I wanna fuck this music”) is quite good. Danceable beats, techno bleeps and bloops, plenty of rhythm to get you moving in your seat.
Mad Rad have played numerous shows around Seattle in the last year, and I got to see them at Sasquatch as well as Bumbershoot. It was a bit jarring seeing them at 2pm on the lawn at Bumbershoot, with families gleefully listening and singing along. I wrote about the performance:
The guys in Mad Rad are some of the hardest working musicians I’ve ever seen. They truly give it all up on the stage, and the adrenaline is so high it stretches its tenticals out into the crowd and infects even the whitest among us. Even children can’t deny their body’s desire to move to the beat. (That video was recorded during a song “about marijuana and vaginas” — apparently some parents don’t give a damn what their children hear.)
A few of these songs have made it on to my running mix, providing the perfect beat to jog along to. Overall, this is an album that will stick with me for a long time, and if you’re open to it I think it will for you, too.
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11. Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#11 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Last Night On Earth by Noah and the Whale
According to Last.fm, I listened to Noah and the Whale more than anyone else in 2011 with the exception of Radiohead. Before logging on to Last.fm to see just how much NatW I had listened to in the past year, I had a hunch they were at #1. But being second to the allmighty Radiohead is a comfortable spot to be in.
Last Night On Earth has got to be one of the most satisfyingly listenable albums I’ve ever encountered. There’s not much new about the songs contained within. Nor is there much that I feel I could hold up as great examples of amazing song writing. Chances are if I tried to compile my favorite songs of the past year, none of these songs would be in the top 20. But on the whole, this album is immensely likable.
Nearly every song is great. Unlike their last album, The First Days Of Spring, which came out in 2009 and topped out at #4 on the Calendar due to the overwhelming sadness of the entire album, Last Night On Earth is fun. It’s electric, it’s exciting, it’s just good pop.
I got to see Noah and the Whale perform recently at the Neptune, and was very excited to see lead singer Charlie Fink performing just as he does in the above video: with exaggerated rock-star moves and poise. I wrote about the performance, and Fink in particular:
On stage, Fink has managed to somehow take on affectations of both [Tom] Petty and [Michael] Stipe, combining them into an amalgamation of awesomeness. He and the band dress in full suits, as if they’ve just arrived from a debate match, which makes their stage presence all that much more impressive. These guys are rock stars, and Fink especially so. He’s come into his own over the past five years, arriving at a persona that’s completely comfortable in his skin, making Stipe-esque rock star movements on stage, leaving you giggling and impressed, PUNCtuating the SYLlables of his SONGS with purposefully POINTed, POPping motions of his HANDS and HIPS.
Fink’s barritone is his Tom Petty connection. Fink’s voice isn’t as nasal as Petty’s (thankfully), but it has the same deep range, and he often uses it to talk his way through a song rather than sing, just like Petty (although with an unmistakably English accent). And with every “Thank you very much” after nearly every song, that voice, that smile, those movements all slowly win you over to his cause.
This album may not win you over the first time you hear it. But if you do download it, give it exactly three listens. By the third go round, you’ll have trouble getting the letters “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N” out of your head and singing “And it feels like his new life can start. And it feels like Heaven” to yourself in the shower. I guarantee.
Next up: the TOP 10!
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12. Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie
13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#12 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Codes and Keys by Death Cab for Cutie
Beastie Boys, R.E.M., Wilco, Radiohead, and now Death Cab for Cutie. I’m now taking a poll, please vote: a) I’m well into middle age and my tastes are becoming less eclectic and more mainstream, b) the bigger names are all managing to produce better-than-average mainstream records, or c) there is a dearth of interesting, catchy indie bands that released music this year, and therefore the mainstream albums just filled the holes.
I think it’s somewhere between b and c, but don’t let me sway your voting. It has been an interesting year for music. While I’ve purchased and enjoyed a number of new albums, this hasn’t been a breakout year for any one new and exciting band in my experience. There are some great new acts on this list, but unlike The National last year and Passion Pit the year before, I don’t have an album or band this year that overshadows all the rest. In fact, here we are at #12 in the Calendar, and I’m still undecided on who should be #1. I think whoever I pick, I’ll still not be happy. That‘s the nature of lists, I suppose.
But I have an album to write about for #12. It’s been a while since I’ve liked a Death Cab album. In fact, I haven’t really been happy with an album of their’s since they signed with a major label and released Plans in 2005. Up to that point, this band could really do no wrong. And while I don’t feel this album rises to the level of The Photo Album, for instance, this is a decent all-around album with a handful of amazing tunes.
“Home is a Fire” (above), “You are a Tourist,” “Portable Television,” and especially “St. Peter’s Cathedral” and “Some Boys” — these are all great songs. Most bands can’t get more than two on an album, and Death Cab has managed five, in what I would have termed their “winter of songwriting” before Codes and Keys came out. It appears they’re moving into Spring. And if heartbreak begets great music, then Summer has got to be around the corner, considering lead singer Ben Gibbard and every man’s dreamgirl Zooey Deschanel (of many movies such as “Elf” and “Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” the quite funny sitcom “The New Girl,” and alt-country band She & Him) called it quits after two years of marriage earlier this year. All I can ask is that they make an album equally as good as Codes and Keys, and I’ll be happy.
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13. Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#13 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Valley of the Headless Men by Ravenna Woods
Before Labor Day 2011, I had heard good things about Ravenna Woods but had not been able to give them a listen or see them live. Then I was coaxed along to see them by a friend at Bumbershoot, about which I wrote:
This was my first time to experience the music of this trio, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I was absolutely floored. These guys were the most original act I’d seen all weekend, and maybe even all year. With a very sparse set up of guitar, keyboard/xylophone and percussion, the band was able to create a totally unique sound, using the sparseness of their music and the accoustics of the room to their advantage.
Lead singer Chris Cunningham (not the famous music video director) has a finger picking style of guitar playing that is extremely intricate, and somewhat unbelievable to watch live. Hearing it on their albums, I thought to myself “that’s got to be digitally created.” But seeing Cunningham’s flying fingers ride up and down the neck of his guitar, he’s proven to me he’s one of the most underrated talents performing today. Watching him play these complicated melodies on his guitar while singing on top of it is simply jaw dropping.
You’d think there’s only one way to play drums for an indie-rock back, but drummer Matt Badger is here to prove you wrong. Armed with only two floor toms, a ride cymbal and a tambourine, Badger coaxed more unique sounds out of his kit than those with twice as many pieces might. And for most of the show he played standing up, painfully bent over his kit, wailing away on the tops, sides, rims, and any other place he could reach with his sticks. The best way to describe his style would be “tribal,” but the image that that word inspires may be a bit off. Think Tom Tom Club, but more complicated.
There’s that word again, “complicated.” All of this makes it seem like Ravenna Woods is geared for the math rock crowd, but that’s simply not the case. The songs themselves are very melody driven, even if they do have the occassional prog-rock rhythm change in the middle.
Then I got to see them again in November, allowing me to elaborate on my previous review:
I didn’t have much to say back then about the third guy in the band, Brantley Duke, mainly because I was a bit dazed from the whole performance. For this past Saturday, I was positioned directly in front of him, and got to witness the deftness with which he switched instruments first hand. From the xylophone, to a hand-carried floor tom, to keyboards, all while singing up backup, he definitely holds his own. While Cunningham and Badger may be more showy, Duke’s the quiet force that holds the band solidly together.
Their performance at Neumos wasn’t too much of a departure from what I saw at Bumbershoot two months ago, but I have no problem with that. This time, however, their overall sound struck me differently. Their wide-ranging instrumentation and complicated rhythms reminded me of another trio I’m quite fond of: Menomena, out of Portland. Mix that with the complex harmonies of bands like Local Natives, and you start to get a picture of Ravenna Woods’ sound.
Some reviews seemingly write themselves, and some I can just throw together from past reviews. While I don’t go into this specific album in the reviews above, the same is true of both full-lengths Ravenna Woods currently has available. Pick up Valley of the Headless Men and give it a listen. If you like it, be sure to grab Demons & Lakes as well. Then check these guys out live, and be floored.
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14. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#14 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys
What the Beastie Boys have been able to accomplish doing the same thing for 25 years defies common sense. Creating very intelligent, highly derivative, mocking, biting, white-boy hip hop year in and year out cannot be easy, but Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock always seem to be having the most fun possible doing pretty much anything.
In their 25 year span (30 if you count the pre-hip hop days, when the Beasties were a hardcore punk band), they’ve only released eight studio albums, seven of which have gone multi-platinum. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two does not disappoint. It’s a representation of a group of boys that have finally reached adulthood. Not to say they’ve lost the fun — not at all. They just know their limits, they know where the line is, and they get right up on it without crossing over.
There’s not much more I can say about the album. It’s the Beastie Boys at their best, and if you’ve liked anything they’ve done in the past 25 years, this album should be in your ears.
Also, take 30 minutes out of your day to watch the above video. It‘s titled “Fight For Your Right revisited,” and honestly has nothing to do with the Beasties’ debut album. It barely stars the Boys at all, but it has everybody else. I’m not joking when I say “everybody.” Every single person in this video is a name-worthy celebrity. (For instance, that’s Elijah Wood and Seth Rogan in the still image). And it’s good fun, just like the band.
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15. James Blake by James Blake
16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#15 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
James Blake by James Blake
We’ve reached the halfway point! From here on out, the listenable longevity(™?) of these albums gets exponentially greater. #15 came to me first via my brother. “Thoughts on…James Blake?” read the email. I hadn’t heard of him. “James Blake is just…different.” Rare is the day that my brother finds the new music before I do, but I always appreciate when anyone reaches out to me about something new that excites them.
The hype machine was in high gear that fateful day back in February, because while I hadn’t yet heard of Blake, I couldn’t escape hearing about him for the rest of the day. Featured on iTunes, all the major blogs were talking about him, and it seemed as if every other tweet in my feed was about him. This new, barely defined brand of music from some young kid (22) out of London.
I watched the above video for his song “Wilhelm Scream” and was mesmerized. I couldn’t quite figure it out. So I downloaded the album and let the sparse, heavily-digitized vocals — sort of a fuzzed out Bon Iver — just wash over me.
I love that people continue to push the limits of how music sounds. You hear bits and pieces of things you recognize, but as a new whole it makes no sense to your virgin ears. James Blake is something new, for sure, and if you’re a fan of music to sleep to, then you should buy this immediately. But also, if you’re interested in expanding your musical horizons, interested in experiencing something different in your music library, then you should also buy it immediately. You won’t regret it.
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16. Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#16 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
Hysterical by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I used to try and believe that “the sophomore slump” didn’t really exist. That’s not to say I didn’t think it was possible for bands to have a fantastic first album and then a terrible second album — that happens all the time. I just didn’t think a band that makes that terrible second album could ever recover from the blow. For me, “the sophomore slump” always meant: successful album, terrible album, successful album, which is why I thought it didn’t really exist. But here’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to prove me wrong.
Their debut album was phenomenal. But, like me, you probably wrote CYHSY off entirely after their lackluster 2nd album Some Loud Thunder. During the post-album slump, Alec Ounsworth, the lead singer, went and recorded a great solo album that ended up on my 2009 Calendar. I wrote then:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah haven’t really panned out to be the second coming of Talking Heads that I thought they would be. “Some Loud Thunder”, the follow-up to their eponymous debut, was a bit of a let down in 2007. And excepting an appearance at a couple festivals and on Jimmy Fallon, the band hasn’t done much since.
I clearly did not expect much of anything more from CYHSY. Which is why Hysterical, released this past September, was such a pleasant surprise. It kills. The band has thoroughly brushed off the dust and poor reviews from the past 4 years and have gotten back to the bouncy brilliance of their debut. In early November I got to see the band perform in Seattle’s newest venue, the Neptune. As I wrote then, it was fun:
The band played many, many songs from their fantastic debut. And the crowd would go wild accordingly during those moments. They even played “Satan Said Dance,” one of those long-forgotten favorites. But it was the new songs where it felt like Ounsworth and company were really enjoying themselves.
If you liked the first one, you’ll like Hysterical. Enjoy.
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17. An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#17 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
An Argument with Myself by Jens Lekman
There seem to be quite a slew of EPs that were released this year in lieu of proper full-length albums. Is this a trend? Or maybe a dry spell? Either way, if it means the artists I enjoy listening to are putting out more rather than less music overall, then I’m quite happy with it. And when its in the case of the artist that is here at #18, I’ll take anything I can get.
Jens Lekman hasn’t released an album of any sort in four years (the stellar Night Falls Over Kortedala was released in 2007). And while An Argument with Myself only has five songs, it’s solid through and through. Lekman’s song style is very similar to Belle & Sebastian — story-based narratives that typically paint a picture of sadness through black comedy. And the songs are sing-songy as a typical Belle song as well.
Jens is from Sweden, but rarely does his barritone voice reveal the truth. He has a great grasp of humor on stage, so much so that the last time I saw him perform, he actually had a stand up comedian open up for him. But the songs really do speak for themselves. With titles like “An Arugment With Myself” and “So This Guy At My Office,” they’re just begging you to hit play.
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18. The Whole Love by Wilco
19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#18 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
The Whole Love by Wilco
It’s always surprising when a band that you’ve written off as “only for the superfans” is able to come back into your everyday playlist with something new. I can think of very few instances when this has occurred (R.E.M. and Underworld come to mind). And now I can add Wilco to that list, with their fantastic album The Whole Love, released back in September.
This album grabbed me right from the start, with the 7+ minute “Art of Almost.” (until I’m given permission by the creator to host the above video, which is of “Art of Almost,” please go directly to Richie Wireman’s Vimeo page to see this amazing video and hear this amazing song). I was disappointed at first that the rest of the album wasn’t as experimental as this first song, but after a few listens it was clear that the experimentation was just more subtle than the heavy-handed first song. If you stopped listening to Wilco pre-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, then you should skip song one. If you liked pre-YHF Wilco, LOVED YHF and the next couple albums, then you’ll get hooked like I did. If you like later Wilco, then you’ve already bought this album and don’t need me to tell you to buy it.
Wilco were the final band to play at Sasquatch! this past May, and this was my first opportunity to see them live. They did not disappoint:
…as the final band to perform at Sasquatch! 2011, the 2+ hour set from the band more than made up for any earlier transgressions. The band was in fine form, and even though a small portion of the crowd stuck around through the end of the set, they proceeded to give those remaining a rousing performance. Playing songs ranging from across their 15-year collection, the band stretched nearly every song to it’s long-form capacity, throwing in amazing guitar solos and jams throughout the set. “Via Chicago” was a highlight for me, with it’s crazy crashing sounds repeated violently throughout the song, while lightning crashed in the distance behind the stage.
You know what to do now.
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19. My Goodness by My Goodness
20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
#19 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
My Goodness by My Goodness
Two-musician bands — one on drums, one on guitar — seem to be quite the popular arrangement of late. White Stripes (god rest their souls), The Black Keys, and Wye Oak all fit that mode, along with My Goodness, who come in at #19 on the Musical Bacon Calendar.
From Seattle, this duo really packs a punch. You’d be hard pressed to find a 4+ person band that rocks as hard as Joel Schneider and Ethan Jacobsen. The band has been playing all over Seattle for at least the past year, and I was able to catch them twice this year, once at the Capitol Hill Block Party, and then again headlining their own show at Neumos back in early November:
Red LED lights beating down, smoke machine choking the air with a thick fog, and the bass drum turned up to the point of making your nipples stand on end all combined for some of the most powerful rock duo work I’ve not witnessed since seeing the White Stripes oh so many years ago.
But while their debut album is very good, and a great investment of your $10, it was the new stuff they played that had me truly impressed:
It’s always a great sign when a band can play multiple never-before performed new songs and have the crowd continue their frenzied-pace banging and bouncing as if they’ve heard those songs all their lives…The two songs they chose to play at the end of the set were entirely new, and the most powerful songs of the night. Joel Schneider’s guitar seemed to get even louder, his dancing and jarring movements around stage got more pronounced, and Ethan Jacobsen’s bass drum became — implausibly — even more ear splitting. It was phenomenal.
So run out and buy My Goodness, and then set aside another $10 for when the band’s next release comes out in 2012. It will be worth it.
(I feel compelled to say that you will not see the phenomenal new Black Keys album El Camino appear in this year’s list, as it came out December 2, which disqualifies it from the 2011 list.)
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20. My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men
21. Gloss Drop by Battles
22. Showroom of Compassion by CAKE
23. A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon
24. EP by Grouplove
25. Fan Chosen Covers (Best of) by Eef Barzelay
26. TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead
27. Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface
28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River