Year End List

I've been gearing up for this year end list for the past couple months, and I realized something: I can decide which records are my favorite, but I can't decide at all how to rank them. Also, I don't pretend to have listened to every album that came out this year. Some of the albums that everyone is going on about (i.e. Beach House's Teen Dream; Crystal Castles) almost entirely escaped my stereo this year. That's what next year is for.

GOOD

The National - High Violet
At first, I couldn't get into this record because it seems more like a collection of greatest hits than a proper album, then I realized that wasn't a bad thing. Every song is good enough to be a single, even though it's all as depressing as all get out.

Broken Bells - s/t
I love the Shins. I also love Danger Mouse. So when I heard that they had gotten together and recorded this spacey pop record with lusher atmospheres than either had ever made, I was already a fan. And when I listened to it, I wasn't disappointed at all.

M.I.A. - /\/\ /\ Y /\
M.I.A. is not a stranger to politically charged take-no-prisoners pop. She's just never been so brutal or so brave before.

Jonsi - Go
Sigur Ros has, for the past eleven years, been the go to band for orchestral hymns to the beauty and despair of what it means to be alive. So what happens when the lead singer is removed for a solo project? The same hymns, only faster and more playful, but on occasion, just as crushing. Like Thom Yorke's Eraser, this is a solo project that isn't as surprising as much as it is welcome.

Gayngs - Relayted

After two releases from Bon Iver and his work in Volcano Choir, I'm convinced that everything Justin Vernon touches is gold. Relayted is an excellent example, because it shouldn't have worked at all. Eleven songs of 69 BPM soft rock doesn't exactly sound awesome, but it is. Trust me.

BETTER

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Admittedly, I didn't give this as much of a listen as it deserves, but I still recognize it as a wonderful record. It says a lot about a band when they can release a great album that can be taken for granted. This is a fitting addition to Arcade Fire's already legendary discography.

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
I first fell in love with Deerhunter for their atmospheric, ghostly noise rock with a strange sounding pop song emerging from the haze every few minutes. Here, the rock is considerably less noisy and their pop song is perfected. This is a record that sounds like it wished it was still the sixties, while being tragically connected to the present.

Spoon - Transference
Spoon is just plain good. And even though Transference has an unfinished quality to it, it's just as cohesive as anything else they've released.

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Any time this huge group of people from every good band in Canada get together to record, the result is wonderful. This is indie rock from the guys who wrote the text book.

MGMT - Congratulations
Just about everyone I know hated this record, and I understand why. It's not an easy thing to make a record that you know will alienate your accidentally acquired fanbase, even if it's an incredible record. Here, MGMT harkens back to the psychedelia of the Doors and Syd Barret era Pink Floyd without sounding like a rip off.

BEST

Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
At some point during the funk barrage of the first three proper songs, you'll ask yourself, "Has Janelle Monae really not heard any music released since 1977?" But as you hear the punk rock pulse of "Come Alive" or the Britpop of "Oh, Maker," or the indie rush of "Cold War," you'll realize that she's heard just about everything that's been released since then, and somehow made an album that influence-drops James Brown and Jack White in juxtaposed tracks while still sounding cohesive. Also, it's a concept album about a messianic android that falls in love, but it's subtle enough that you wouldn't notice the first few times through.

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Dance music, as a genre, has a pretty fundamental flaw in that there's not really too much you can do within its boundaries of 4/4 beats and synthesizers, which is why most of it sounds like mindless pop music. This Is Happening is what dance music sounds like with a brain. And a heart. A lonely, contemplative, sarcastic heart.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
How does Kanye West top a year of putting his foot in his mouth and acting the fool? By dropping the biggest and best rap album of his career. One listen will remind you that Kanye West is Kanye West, and no one does any of it better than Kanye West.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
It's no coincidence that the newest Gorillaz album found the animated live shows being replaced by live action performances featuring a huge crowd of performers, including Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, the Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simon, legends Jeff Beck and Bobbie Womack, and in the center of the hugeness, Damon Albarn, who has been the hidden puppet master of the group all along. It's like in Wizard of Oz when the curtain was pulled and you see the real Wizard, only the man behind the curtain is bigger and more powerful and even more brilliant than you imagined in the first place.

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
When I was living in Chicago last summer, I came across three new Sufjan Stevens songs on YouTube that were unlike the Sufjan I knew before. They were glitchy, frantic, hugely long, and beautiful. Since that first listen, I had waited for any news on a new album like a puppy waiting for his owners to come home with dinner. When All Delighted People came out in the fall, I was disappointed to find those three tracks missing. But when he said, "But wait, there's more! New full length in a month!" I waited again, and was delighted to find those three songs, plus an entire album to match.

Nathaniel's Turntable Log, Nov. 8

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

Radiohead - Amnesiac

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Danielson Famile - Tri-Danielson!!! (Alpha)

mewithoutYou - [A-->B] Life

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Kid A

I was planning on doing this huge retrospective review on Radiohead's Kid A ten years after its release, but I missed it. Kid A is now ten years and eleven days old. It's still the most ambitious, unbelievable, multilayered, creative, and well executed album I've ever heard.

So there you go.

The Ever Prolific Mr. Stevens

Ever since the release of Illinoise and the claimed 50 states project, EVERYONE has talked about how prolific Sufjan Stevens is. And why not? Illinoise's tracklist peaked at an incredible 22. Add to that a collection of tracks that didn't make it onto the final cut and you have a staggering sum of 43 tracks for one project. Funny, though, since he's so prolific, he hasn't released a proper album since Illinoise five years ago. We had the Outtakes collection (The Avalanche), a box set of his 5 annual Christmas EPs (the most recent of which was released in 2006), the orchestral ode to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (The BQE), and a revisit to his pre-Michigan instrumental album "Enjoy Your Rabbit," arranged for orchestra and relabeled "Run Rabbit Run" -- note that the last two were released in 2009, three years after any other release. What has Sufjan been doing all this time, besides living his dream of succeeded Aaron Copeland as the Great American Composer and leaking a new song via YouTube bootlegs here and there?

Sufjan answered in early September with the release of an unannounced digital EP attached with a post-it that said "p.s. Full length coming in October." So here we are, October 13, with two albums on our hands--the folksy/chamberpopish, hour long "EP" All Delighted People, and the glitch/electronica/orchestral/psychedelic schyzophrenia that is "The Age of Adz." It becomes clear upon listening to both that in his spare time (which he's had five years of), Sufjan has had a musical redirection, claiming a new vision and a sea full of ambition and bravery to make that happen, and, ever self-aware as he is, knew how a personally disparaging album filled with hip-hop landscapes, mountains of synthesizers, and guitar freakouts might disappoint anyone waiting for a spiritual sequel for the narrative driven folk and pop of Illinoise. And so, nice guy that he is, Mr. Stevens offered us All Delighted People, a collection of tracks balancing his more 'classic Sufjan' tracks with hints of the atmospheric, apocalyptic monster that would follow.

Individually, each has different strengths and weaknesses. All Delighted People has the sorts of songs we've come to expect from him and finally puts to record some of the songs he's teased fans with live (such as "The Owl and the Tanager," featuring Annie Clark of St. Vincent!). On the other hand, though, it's sometimes hard to stave off the feeling that the entire EP is just another collection of non-album songs to make fans happy. The Age of Adz, chaotic as it is, is impeccably arranged. Each explosion of the orchestra, each note of the freakout guitar, each swear word (those with visions of Sufjan the Superchristian might want to avoid "I want to Be Well" with its repeated refrain of "I'm not f***ing around, I'm not, I'm not"), each glitchy beat of the drum machine is deliberate. As schizophrenic and upside-down as the album seems, this is an album crafted by someone who knew what the crap he was doing.

For a good example, look to the 25 minute closer "Impossible Soul" and watch as it goes from electric piano led verse (complete with a an almost constant drum fill and chaotic guitar solo interlude) to a single female voice singing over a trumpet section fighting with a flailing synthesizer being slowly joined by more and more voices and a drum machine until it all collapses over three minutes into a wash of delay feedback and electric piano accompanying Sufjan's autotuned voice, which in turn leads into an 80s dance throwback with gang vocals. And if that's not enough, after that dance party slowly dies down (the vocoder is the last to leave), another drum machine kicks up with another orchestra fighting for its life as Sufjan and a few low voices repeat the coda until, again, that all collapses, and we are left with Sufjan, the man, and his folk-style, finger picked guitar, long absent and his whispering tenor at last relaxed after an album of hollering over chaos.

Basically, this album is great, but it's weird. So here go the recommendations. If you want another Seven Swans, All Delighted People is for you. For the more adventurous, grab The Age of Adz and give it the kind of listen it deserves. Over and over again.

The Dreaded Hurley

Weezer is my favorite band. Whenever I say that, I have to postscript it by clarifying that I mean their first two albums. I've mentioned that I found Green and Maladroit moderately enjoyable, but have found just about everything else unremarkable and, sometimes, even abysmal (Beverly Hills...). This is why when I heard about their release of an eighth record--and so quickly on the heels of the embarrassment of Raditude--I was skeptical.

Then, something strange happened. They prereleased the first track, "Memories." Out of curiosity, I decided to check it out, expecting something equally as inane as "I'm Your Daddy" or "Can't Stop Partying." But I loved it. It was well crafted and evocative and tasteful, and it made me feel like I was in high school again. So of course, when the record was released, I gave the entire thing a listen, and I was not disappointed.

After "Memories," "Ruling Me" is a superfun powerpop song similar in spirit to the better tracks on Green--only better than anything on Green--complete with the background Oohs and Aahs that made us love Weezer in the first place, and classic Riversisms, like "My ocular nerves went pop-zoom." The album continues with the beautiful ode to slackerism "Trainwrecks," which sounds like a lost single from the early era with synth runs and ambient feedback squeals thrown in for good measure, which get me every time.

As the record progresses, the songs sound less like throwbacks and more like a new, more acceptable Weezer--especially the track "Smart Girls," an ode to Rivers' favorite quality in a woman that's starts off with a cheesy drum machine and synth solo. It's also one of my favorite tracks on the record.

It's important to note that this record doesn't sound like the missing album between Pinkerton and Green. Weezer has, somehow, matured through the string of less-than-good records and come up with a way to mix the qualities that made them so likable in the first place with new ambitions and production strategies--an orchestra finds its way in at several points, and the traditional guitar solo for every song is largely missing, which some may find disappointing.

Personally, I never thought Weezer would release and album I would love again, and I was mistaken. It's not Pinkerton, but it's more than good enough for me.

The Suburbs

Admittedly, I was a little late getting onto the Arcade Fire wagon. I first heard them on Goshen College's radio station without knowing who it was I was hearing, and just knew that whatever it was, it was a dang catchy song ('No Cars Go' is the single in question). A few weeks later, I bought Neon Bible off of a fleeting reference a friend made, and was well pleased. After two years, I finally picked up Funeral during a spree of buying new music, and didn't really listen to it until I heard 'Wake Up' in the trailer for 'Where the Wild Things Are.' But at that time, Funeral couldn't hit me the way it would have when it first came out, and Neon Bible couldn't impress me with its scope compared to their debut. I just knew that both records were different--and wonderful.

Their newest release, The Suburbs, continues their winning streak. The record is filled with bittersweet ruminations on growing up and adolescence filled with a commentary on the emptiness of suburban sprawl paired with catchy arrangements that occupy the space between orchestral arrangements and post-punk inspired pop songs. The one strange thing about it, though, is that it doesn't really strike me as incredible or groundbreaking or even too remarkable. Is it bad? No. Is it not as good as anything else Win & Co. have done? It's just as good at least. The phenomena occurs The Arcade Fire has raised their bar so high that coming out with remarkable records is what is expected. But they've come to do great music so well that you hardly notice, and that is what's remarkable.

Mixtape!

After a long gap, I have finally made a new mixtape. For your listening pleasure, I present to you Multitrack Sneakattack, vol. XI: Shooting Stars in Your Breakfast Cereal.

Enjoy.

Top Six of 2010 1/2

Alright. Six months, six records. Admittedly, I might be a little behind new releases, but still. There shouldn't be too many surprises if you've been following me.

6. Jonsi - Go

Life in record form. Sigur Ros has always had a talent for conveying the human experience in musical terms, and their frontman must be a large part of that, because his solo record is bursting with exuberance and beauty and sadness and joy.

5. Dignan - Cheaters and Thieves

Atmospheric and intense at the same time, this is one of those great records by someone you've never heard of before that blows you away. The musicianship leaves nothing to be desired, and the lyrics are poignant and painfully honest. If you know me at all, that earns extra points from me.

4. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

What to say about Broken Social Scene? They just know what they're doing. This record features the band, a few of the members new parents, balancing their newfound maturity with the rock 'n roll ethos. Also, the track "All to All" showcases the female vocalists' best interplay to date, over a catchy electronica beat.

3. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

To be honest, I wish I could put it higher. This is such a solid, solid pop record. Mos Def? Bobbie Womack? Lou Reed? Little Dragon? Damon Albarn brought in the best collaborators to date, which showcases less of Albarn's vocals, and more of his composing and songwriting. It's more synth based than the other releases, and comes across like a sort of Clash/Michael Jackson crossover. A completely brilliant album. I check for news on a vinyl pressing about once every two weeks.

2. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Now, I don't always get excited about supergroups...Raconteurs don't thrill me, and I'm mostly apprehensive about Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace. But when I heard that James Mercer of the Shins and Danger Mouse formed a side project, I knew I had to hear it. From the first drunken/broken keyboard line to the last cries over a drum machine, this record is immaculate, melding indie, pop, hip hop, electronica, and traces of psychedelic rock for a most satisfying experience.

1. MGMT - Congratulations

Almost everyone I know hates this record. I only mention that because it's proved impossible to talk about this disc without mentioning its predecessor, Oracular Spectacular, which treaded similar psychedelic ground--except for the three extremely danceable synthpop singles for which everyone bought the record. But as for Congratulations, it has been accused of being aimless, of noodling too much, shifting moods before one has time to establish itself. And that's true. But isn't that the point of psychedelic rock in the first place? Congratulations follows the psychedelic spirit of Pink Floyd's "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and The Doors' "Strange Days," creating a psych-revival record that stands on its own, regardless of its predecessor.

A Tale of Two Pink Floyds

Ever since I was first introduced to "The Wall" in ninth grade, I have been a big Pink Floyd fan--particularly their progressive rock material. Now...I know that prog-rock has a bad rap, but I maintain, even after all these years, that the genre did actually have more to it than lead guitarists and keyboardists competing for the longest solo and drummers with more pieces in their drum set than I have jeans with compromising holes in them. Say what you will, but I have long been a fan of The Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and the like.

When I was living in Chicago, however, my roommate, an opponent of all things arena-filling and mainstream, told me that Floyd's first release, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," would forever dismiss "The Wall" as sopping with self-indulgent egoism. I have since come to appreciate "Piper" and psychedelic rock as a whole a great amount (see: The Beatles - "Magical Mystery Tour," The Doors - "Strange Days," Cream - "Disraeli Gears"). And so, I just put "The Wall" on, just to see what would happen.

In reality, we have to submit that there are two Pink Floyds--Syd Barrett's (and his band that continued his work after he left; see "A Saucerful of Secrets") and Roger Waters'. Syd's Pink Floyd was an adventurous bunch, pushing the boundaries of sound and their label's faith in them. Under Barrett's manic direction (for those of you unfamiliar with the Pink Floyd story, he left the band shortly after Piper's release after suffering a mental breakdown induced by his drug addiction) the band created an album that flew in the face of what everyone thought they should be doing, and it became the anthem for a scene that had already caught the creative interests of the Fab Four. But without Barrett, the group handled the whole psychedelic thing like a bored fish out of water. Five years after Syd's departure, the band finally seemed to have ground under its feet--and lots of it. They released an album you may have heard of called "Dark Side of the Moon," which remains one of the best selling records of all time, thirty-seven years after its release.

But to listen to the first two albums and everything following "Dark Side," there's not too much to indicate that (for the most part) the same people were behind it. "Piper" and "Saucerful" obscure themselves in Eastern rhythms and abstract lyrics, almost hiding behind walls of reverb and effected keyboards. "Dark Side" and everything that follows is relatively straightforward. Guitar solos litter nearly every track, and the lyrics are much more concrete, albeit retaining a little bit of a haze. The keyboards are less strictly atmospheric. The studio tricks are still there, but they are used less to obscure and more to shine the tracks up. The long instrumental passages remain, but they are less like clouds blowing in and more like an overture. To put it to the Western, mainstream viewpoint, the later releases are more "musical" than experimental. It seems to be more composed than it seems to have been randomized. Where Barrett's Pink Floyd was more abstract, Roger Waters' sought grandeur (some might say delusionally so).

Which brings me to "The Wall" -- the concept album of all concept albums (concept albums are also a bad rapped musical form that I am not entirely opposed to). While "The Wall" is guilty of many of the things it is accused of being -- self-indulgent, bigger than big, contrived, over-produced, etc. -- it is also a masterpiece in its own right. It is the peak of Pink Floyd's ambitions; but that doesn't mean it's the best. Most of the album is perfectly done. The music itself is masterfully done, with the exception of the "The Trial," which is less rock opera and more straight opera, which doesn't rightly serve the group's strengths -- most notably David Gilmour's guitar work, which is incredible throughout the record. It mainly seems like Roger Waters was unsure how to end the project, and to be fair, it's mostly his own fault for building everything else to be so big that it takes an orchestra-backed piece with Waters imitating the voices of the judge, the school teacher, the mother, the ex-wife...(you get the idea) to end everything with a bang. As far as the story goes, it is a fitting ending. Musically, however...not so much. But given that the most contrived that album gets is twenty-five tracks into a twenty-six track record, I'll allow it. Most everything that proceeds the finale, with the exception of some poorly conceived vocal delivery, is pure prog rock goodness. And I love it.

"Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" are still better, though. Four out of five.

Music You're Not Supposed To Hear

Yesterday on NPR, I heard a piece on something called The Impossible Music Sessions. It basically goes like this. A band in another country is imprisoned or threatened for playing, recording, or selling their music. Enter American band that wants to help. The American band will play a show for the oppressed musicians, Skyping the foreign band in to meet their fans. And by playing a show for, I mean they play all covers of the band being honored. The band featured in the piece was The Plastic Wave, an Iranian electronic rock band who is in and out of prison for playing their "western" music, which, by the way, is available for free download here. And it's not half bad. The singer is a bit pitchy sometimes, but if you can get past that, the results will be rewarding--rock and roll that actually embodies the old rebel spirit of rock 'n roll; music that is being created not for a profit, but for the love of the music itself. Even if the music wasn't as good as it was, I would still be a fan, just because of the idea of pure artisanship.

It got me thinking, though. If I lived in a country where I wasn't allowed to create the kind of music I do, would I still do it? I'd like to say I would, but I really don't know.

The full NPR story is here.

A break from the World Cup

I haven't been listening to as many records or making as much music lately on account of the incredibly exciting (mostly) football being played lately (I've only missed two or three matches), but I have made a one string guitar out of an old guitar body, a root beer bottle, a few screws, and a guitar pick up, and I've converted an old telephone handset into a microphone. Both are super fun.

But, I realized recently that no matter what I might say about their other records, my favorite Beatles record is Magical Mystery Tour. Aside from the rather inane opener, almost every track is either laden with brilliant studio experimentation (Baby You're a Rich Man, Blue Jay Way), a great pop song (Penny Lane, All You Need is Love), or both (I am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever). Sgt. Pepper may have been the more groundbreaking and more coherent, and Abbey Road may have been the peak of their composition (the side B medley? Come ON! Brilliant), but Magical Mystery Tour is just plain brilliant. And the most weird, which some people might say is basis for me to like it.

And maybe they're right. Here's a list of records that haven't been far from my turntable lately. I guess some are pretty weird.

Deerhunter - Cryptograms/Flourescent Grey

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin; Embryonic*

Dntel - Dumb Luck

Portishead - Third

Radiohead - Amnesiac; In Rainbows

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Broken Bells - s/t

The Doors - Strange Days

*after claiming I only really liked these two, I gave Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots more of a listen, and it's brilliant. Then after conceding that, I gave At War With The Mystics more of a listen, guess what? Also brilliant. But I still don't like In A Priest Driven Ambulance

Weezer vs. Weezer

I will start this post by stating, in all seriousness, that in the past two years, there has only been one band who I have given the title of Favorite Band, and that band is Weezer--but only the first two albums. Since the release of 'Beverly Hills,' I have basically considered everything they have released to be pretty much worthless, with the exception of some fun sing-a-longs. But, while picking out CDs from the library the other day, I was drawn, whether by morbid humor or amusement, to choose Weezer's newest, Raditude--an album whose cover features a flying dog and whose track lists includes a Top 40 style pop song called 'Can't Stop Partying' featuring Lil Wayne. In all honesty...Can't Stop Partying is a super fun track. I didn't really give anything but the first couple tracks and 'Can't Stop Partying' a listen, because then I went and filled the gap between Pinkerton and Make Believe, a gap including Maladroit (which I actually enjoyed a great deal upon its release) and the Green album, which I have never, ever, ever been pleased with.

But, after listening to Maladroit a little bit, I decided I'd put on Green and see if it really is as terrible as I remember it being. And surprisingly...I enjoyed it. There wasn't really anything that stood out--the songs rarely venture past the three minute mark, the lyrics aren't too remarkable, and the guitar solos aren't too inventive--it's just a fun record. And sometimes, that's okay.

But, right now, I'm listening to Pinkerton (on vinyl, because I love this record so much that I'd be willing to pay more than what is reasonable for it), and Green stands dwarfed in the shadow of the emo/powerpop giant that is Pinkerton (it also stands dwarfed in the shadow of Blue, but that's a different review). Green is a fun rock n roll record filled with short, sweet pop songs. Pinkerton is a monolith. It's raw. It's dark. It's hilarious. It's the geekiest, rock n rollingest record ever produced, thanks to the combination of Patrick Wilson's best and hardest drum performance ever, Brian Bell's super-fuzzed guitar which often squeal feedback (the best product of the band's self-production), Matt Sharp's pounding bass, and River's oversharing, nerdily delivered lyrics, which sound like they were ripped out of an angsty, bored high schooler's math notebook--and I mean that in the best way possible--what, with lyrics like, 'everyone's a little queer/why can't she be a little straight/I'm dumb, she's a lesbian/I thought I had found the one.' Rivers lays himself bare on this record--and he's never been funnier, even in the more recent records where being funny is his intention.

I just started the record over. I need more.

Because besides the devastating power it brings and the geeky sensibilities, Pinkerton also has some of the most beautiful moments Rivers & Co. have ever brought to the table. From the testament to flawed devotion in 'No Other One' to the yearning 'Across the Sea' to the fearful 'Falling For You' to the bitter admonition of the acoustic closer 'Butterfly,' Weezer has never been so delicate, especially when they've been so forceful. It's difficult to compare this record with its predecessor, the impeccable Blue album, because they are so different. Blue is a monument to sweet powerpop goodness. Pinkerton is a dark tower of rock n roll and good old fashioned emo. Of the two, Pinkerton is definitely the black sheep, but never does Blue rise so high, or swoop so low. But, comparing Pinkerton to any release that came after, it's no contest. Pinkerton raised the bar too high to excuse its followers.

Thank you, Relevant Magazine and The Drop

I dig Dignan. I saw them in the Drop section of Relevant, suggested for fans of Sunny Day Real Estate, Grizzly Bear, and Band of Horses. "I'm a fan of all those," I said, and went to their myspace, where I was greeted by a free download. Good stuff.

I'm only to the fourth song, but so far, it's excellent. 8 out of 10, for sure. Reverb drenched, cavernous production over melancholy, honest, searching, emo*-tinged, mellow rock songs. Highly recommended.

*once more, I mean early emo, like Jawbox and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Honeymoon Record Stores

When traveling through western and northern Michigan and looking for records, be sure to stop at Vertigo Records in Grand Rapids and Sound It Out Records in Traverse City. On our honeymoon, Michelle and I stopped at each. Here's what we (but, admittedly, mostly I) picked up. Each of these records come highly recommended.

Broken Bells - s/t

Buy this record. Seriously. It's even better than you're imagining it is. The Shins/Modest Mouse's continues his streak of beautiful and brilliant songwriting, and the ubiquitous Danger Mouse adds his instrumental and production genius. Best record of 2010 so far.

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

A classic. I continue to fall in love with Mr. Coyne and company.

Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

Michelle's choice--she criticized Vertigo for not having more that she liked. She reasoned that her tastes were "too European."

Jonsi (lead singer of Sigur Ros) - Go Do

His first and strong solo record. Basically, take a Sigur Ros record and put it on 45, then translate it into English. This album is bursting with joy.

M.I.A. - Arular

I thought I picked up Kala. But honestly, I don't mind the mistake. I'm far less familiar with this record, but I'm not opposed to changing that.

Now, to marital and musical bliss.

The Best Albums You've (Maybe) Never Heard Of

Lewis - Even So

Deep Elm Records did a promotion a while back where for one dollar, they'll send you a random CD from their catalogue. This is the one I got, and I love it. I've never been able to find anything about this band, but the album is filled with great Wurlitzer driven jams, jangly guitar songs, and lyrical gropings after spiritual truths.

Standout track: Returning to the Scene of the Crime

The Shedding - what god doesn't bless, you won't love. what you won't love, the children won't know

I found this in a record store in Chicago, and all I know of it is what's written on the sleeve, and that's that this record is the product of one guy with a lot of horns and too much time trying to replicate birdsongs. The result: half an hour of terrifying noise-jazz. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll love it.

(no standout, as the entire record is more of a continuous experiment)

Adam Arcuragi - Soldiers For Feet

There are plenty of singer-songwriters out there that aren't getting the recognition they deserve. Mr. Arcuragi here is one of them. Soldiers For Feet is a five track EP that continues the old country tradition just as well as Phosphorescent does, complete with religious and historical references a la Sufjan Stevens and harmonies lush enough to make the Fleet Foxes get a little jealous.

Standout track: The Belgian

Efterklang - Parades

The most recent full length from a Danish band that hasn't quite made it across the pond yet. The orchestration is absolutely beautiful, with melodies and counter melodies and percussion fading in and out of an atmosphere of gorgeous melancholy. At times incredibly epic, and other times, incredibly hushed. And they have complete mastery of both extremes.

Standout track: Maison De Reflexion

The Good, The Bad, And the Queen

If you were let down by the most recent Gorillaz record, maybe you'd prefer mastermind Damon Albarn's other side project, a colaboration with former members of the Clash and the Verve, as well as one of the most admired afrobeat drummers of all time. While it lacks the variety and genre-mashing that marks Gorillaz' records, you'll find plenty of Albarn's trademark detached, aloof vocals, and a great chill record.

(admittedly, I haven't listened to this record enough yet to notice a standout track, but the opener, History Song, and the single, Herculean, are both good places to start)

Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

While not entirely unnoticed (you may have already heard plenty about Loney, Dear...he is on SubPop Records), I'm really surprised that, in this musical atmosphere that loves polyphonic chamber pop AND do-it-yourself one man bands, Loney, Dear isn't getting more recognition. While he's gone more toward an indie/house direction since this, his debut, record, he's the most charming here, and the instrumentation is more interesting (I don't think I've heard a bassoon on too many pop record besides this one). The real great thing about this record is just how many melodies are going on all at once in just about every song. Simply fantastic. Sidenote. Does Sweden even allow its musicians to not be super talented?

Standout track: Saturday Waits

Until next time.

David Bazan - Curse Your Branches

Let me start this review with one important point: I am not sure that anything David Bazan does will ever, ever exceed his work with/as Pedro the Lion on the album "Control." Also, on a similar note, I've always he works best in the context of midtempo, minor key songs. And when I read some of the reviews of "Curse Your Branches" (which I just heard for the first time), I expected to hear the same tense, heartbreaking melodies. What I ended up getting was something a little more...let's just say "complicated."

As far lyrics go, this album is completely crushing. In recent interviews, David Bazan has admitted to losing a great deal of faith in the Bible and God. For someone who's songwriting career has been filled with musings on those two things, this brings an impact that's a little difficult to swallow. Don't worry--God is still in the songs. In fact, I think every song brings Him up. Except Bazan is much more suspicious of Him now, and asking challenging, arrogant questions ("did You push us when we fell?"), which he admits he has no right to ask, which only makes the sting that more painful. He criticizes himself in a number of ways too--his alcoholism, his shortcomings as a father and husband, and, sometimes, all around bastard. The last song, "In Stitches", he confesses that his drinking is an attempt to escape his acknowledgment of God, and mentions walks with his daughter, 'who is lately full of questions about You.' Your heart just broke a little, didn't it?

Musically, this record isn't what I'd expected. The opener, "Hard To Be" is a great, midtempo, minor key ditty with a synth line running through the breaks between choruses and verses. "Bless the Mess" is next; a song about drinking and doubting and daddying. Let me clarify: a pop song about drinking and doubting and daddying. Major key, uptempo. With terribly depressing lyrics. And for as much as it caught me off guard, it works. Darn it, it works. This is a good thing, considering that most of the record follows in this sort of pattern, pairing almost dancy pop songs with uncomfortably honest lyrics about David Bazan and all the crap he's been dealing with lately. There are a few exceptions, though, where he pulls the metronome down and returns to the minor key melodies he's spoiled many of us on--notably, "Hard To Be," "Curse Your Branches," "Harmless Sparks" (the only song somewhat in the tradition of Bazan's brilliant acoustic ballads with early Pedro) "Lost My Shape," and "In Stitches."

All in all, a startlingly naked and vulnerable record from a songwriter who's discography I've been largely ignorant of since 2004.

Something Old, Something New

Alright, upon further reflection, I guess it was only inevitable that I'd miss some essential albums from my top list. Albums like...

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

What could possibly be said of this record that hasn't been already? It's a masterpiece. Every lyric is deliberate and every sound intentional, and the sum is way more than its parts. This album often restores my interest in folk music.

Anathallo - Canopy Glow

I've been a fan of Anathallo for about four years now, and have heard everything they've recorded. While it doesn't have the same kinetic energy of some of the songs on Sparrows, it also doesn't have some of the chaos. This album is much more cohesive and really shows their maturing mastery of songwriting and instrumentation.

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

How many films have a soundtrack better than the film? And how many nine-track albums have FIVE singles that all break the top 25? And while I'm not much of one for charts, these singles deserved it. Prince is incredibly talented, and this represents him at the very top of his game. It's a pop album that borrows liberally from funk, disco, motown, and - yes - metal. Santana once said that Prince was the most underrated guitar player on earth, and the title track proves it: it has one of the most epic guitar solos of all time.

The Postal Service - Give Up

When I arrived at college, I was listening to things like Mae, Underoath, Norma Jean, etc; just about anything under the punk/emo/hardcore umbrella. Give Up was the album that introduced me to electronica (and further, to DNTEL, whose album 'Dumb Luck' is absolutely fantastic). This album pairs the innovative 16-bit noodlings of Jimmy Tamborello with the wit and detached-yet-intimate lyrics of Ben Gibbard, and the results are NOTHING like that fool Owl City. Shut up about Fireflies.

Fugazi - The Argument

Fugazi is a hard band to choose a favorite album, because their catalogue is so rich with incredible punk rock. But, the one thing I'll always mention about Fugazi is that their rhythm section is one of the best to grace punk, or any subgenre of rock. The Argument is really where this shines. It's a bit chiller and more jazz influenced than the rest, and so the drums and bass get a lot more room to play around. Mix in the free-ranging vocals and guitars of Ian McKaye and Guy Picciotto, and you have a true punk masterpiece.

As Cities Burn - Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest

This is the only screamo/hardcore/whatevercore album I still keep in a pretty regular rotation on my stereo, and that's saying an awful lot. And while my current tastes align much more with their newest (Hell or High Water, a just plain good indie rock record), this release has a very special place in my heart that nothing else can replace. When I first heard this record, I was in a stage of learning what sacrifice really is: I had thrown out all of my 'secular' CDs (I no longer believe in a distinction between secular and Christian music, only lyrics, and even that's iffy). And there was a line in one of the songs that said, 'At my word, would you bring your Isaac?' and the first time I heard that line, I was so convicted that I had made music an idol that I almost returned this to the store. And this album is filled with the questions we dread answering and the answers we dread giving (i.e., 'I once was blind, but now I just look away'), and each song affected me in a profound and personal way. But, sentimentality aside, this is just a great record. Rarely are releases from Christian labels (Tooth and Nail) so blisteringly honest without being overdramatic. And the musicianship is FANTASTIC. The twin guitar lines are reminiscent of early Further Seems Forever, weaving in and out of one another without any of the drop D JIGGYJIGGAJUG (pause) jugWEEWEE that so dominates the ___-core scene. The drumming is free of the Tourettic double bass pedal runs, and instead is free ranging and cohesive, bringing the basslines and the guitar lines together. And, where most screamo frontmen seem like their screaming is merely a convention of the genre, TJ Bonnette is actually desperate and crying out, supported by his brother, lead guitarist Cody's vocal melodies. Cody's vocals are strong enough that when he became the lead singer after TJ left, the band didn't seem like it lost too terribly much. And to top it all off, there's the closing track, 'Of Want and Misery: The Nothing that Kills,' a seven minute song of despair that ends with the only major key in the entire album, finally finding a light in the darkness that the band admittedly willingly hides in. There's so much more I can say about this record, but for now, I'll merely restate that this is, deservingly so, the only screamo record I still listen to.

Alright, and what have I been listening to lately?

The xx - xx

Like many people, I'm sure, I first got into The xx from the AT&T commercial featuring Apolo Ohno. Michelle (my bride to be, if you don't know me personally) looked it up and found out the band, and I recently got the album, and what a record it is. It mixes the best elements of indie, trip-hop, and dub, all without jamming the songs with too many instruments. Most of the songs are just bass, single-string guitar lines, background synths, drum machines, a male and female vocalist (the guy singer sounds like a male Lykke Li, who is one of my favorites). But even with this minimalism, the production on this album is incredible. The drum machine is thick, thick, thick, and the guitar line is soaked in reverb, making it sound about three times wider than it would. And it works.

MGMT - Congratulations

Like Radiohead before them, MGMT shot to superstardom with the support of a couple singles that they wrote years before that no longer represented who they were as artists. Personally, I can relate, having been asked by friends and family and fans to play two or three songs in particular that I had outgrown by leaps and bounds, so I know the kind of artistic frustration that can come from being identified by your artistic past. And that frustration can lead to a violent recoil that polarizes fans and critics alike. Radiohead responded with Kid A. Wilco, with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. And now, MGMT offer up the rebellious fist that is Congratulations, a nine track album intended to be listened to as a whole. Some fans may say the record sounds nothing like anything they've done before. My guess is that these fans have only heard "Time to Pretend," "Kids," and "Electric Feel." While excellent tracks in their own right, these singles had very little in common with the remainder of the tracks on the record they represented. Congratulations finds them diving further into the psychedelic reaches they explored with tracks like '4th Dimensional Transition,' 'The Handshake,' and 'Future Reflections.' Anyone who's missed the early sixties psychedelic brought forward by Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn might find some of what they're looking for here. The songs flow in and out of cohesion, often turning around in the middle of a track (especially in 'Siberian Breaks'). That's not to say it's entirely strange: some of the songs are downright gorgeous, like the instrumental 'Lady Dada's Nightmare' and the title track, which feels like a Neil Young song was dropped into a digital China town. Listen if you like experimental, nostalgic psychedelic pop. Don't even try it if you're looking for great dance hits like 'Kids' or 'Electric Feel.' You'll be sorely disappointed.

Most Definitely

I need to step out in like two seconds, so I can't say much about this record.

The Ecstatic by Mos Def. Yes, I know it was on EVERYONE'S best of 2009 lists, but I just got around to hearing it a couple days ago. And I know now that it deserves the hype it got. It may not be the best sounding hip hop record you'll ever hear...in fact, it kind of sounds like Mos Def just mixed up these tracks in his basement and rapped over them real fast, but that's the genius of it. I'm definitely looking forward to giving this one more listens.

Outlet

So why am I starting a music blog? I know it's unnecessary, but sometimes I keep myself from writing full out reviews of albums on my personal blog, because I know not everyone that reads it wants to read that. And there are people who might want to read a music blog that wouldn't want to read anything else about my life.

So there.

To start out, I should probably give a rough summary of my preferences...

Favorite Band: Weezer. This only refers to their first two albums. This is a ceremonial title only.

I have a bias toward (almost) any sort of experimentation and songs of great length. However, I am often stricken dumb by a perfect pop song (i.e., Mr. Blue Sky by E.L.O.). As a songwriter, I also have an incredible respect for folk music and can pretty readily dismiss a less-than-great singer. I love the idea of hip-hop, but often can't stand the thematic material (especially bein' up in da club). But, I love alternative hip-hop and trip-hop. And if you want to make sure I'll love something, drench in it dub reggae influence. Introspection is incredibly important to me, and lyrically, I find nothing more heart shatteringly beautiful than a declaration of weakness. Admittedly, emo* still has a place in my heart.

Favorite musicians/favorite records (at the moment; in no order):

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister

Radiohead - Amnesiac (their record with the most obvious Charles Mingus influence)

Sigur Ros - ( )

Flaming Lips - Embryonic

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Charles Mingus - any. Who can choose?

Miles Davis - Live Evil

The Doors - Strange Days

The Who - Quadrophenia

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home

Portishead - 3 (honestly their only release I've heard)

Pedro the Lion - Control

Santogold - s/t

Gorillaz - Demon Days

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Grizzly Bear - Vecktimest

St. Vincent - Actor

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Fleet Foxes - s/t

Efterklang - Parades

Scientist Rids the World of the Curse of the Vampire

Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me

Beck - Modern Guilt (yes, his most and arguably least Beck-esque, but I've always liked his more melodic side more, and Chemtrails is one of my favorite tracks ever)

Newest discoveries:

Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, At War with the Mystics

I can't believe it took me so long after hearing Embryonic to listen to any of the rest of their catalogue. Honestly, I like Soft Bulletin and Embryonic more than Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but that's just me. They have that spacey, ambient airiness and superaggressive drum fills that made me fall in love with Flaming Lips in the first place. But, Embryonic is the only one where I feel like the basslines are coming for me, so that record holds the advantage.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

I'm convinced the Gorillaz can't release a bad album. They may be cartoon characters, but there's nothing gimmicky about the level of musicianship that goes into these records. I got it a couple days ago and haven't but it down.

Broken Bells - s/t

The Shins' James Mercer with the mighty Danger Mouse? This is one supergroup I can get behind. And the debut is so fantastic--the same great hooks we get from the Shins paired with the ceaseless daring of Danger Mouse. Sign me up.

The Clash - London Calling

I'll admit. I JUST put this album on for the first time. I've only heard the first half of the first track, but there's such a mythos surrounding this record, and the title track lets the listener know they're in for something special. I can't wait for the rest of it.

So that's that. Wait for more. And as these go on, I'll probably post some virtual mixtapes, or maybe even complete albums. Oh, goody!

*real emo, like Sunny Day Real Estate, Further Seems Forever's "The Moon is Down," the Promise Ring, and early Weezer.