The Obligatory
"Play safe. Ski only in clockwise direction. Let's all have fun together."
Monday, December 26, 2005
The Obligatory Top 5(+1) of '05
The time has come for the grand tradition of Annual Top Whatever Lists of Everything. Christmas pastries have settled into a slow state of indigestion, and now everyone's lazily browsing Amazon to spend their holiday cash and/or gift certificates.
And so, being the music nerd I am, I have to have a list of my favorite music of 2005. A Top 5, with one non-2005 release thrown in for good measure and added drama.
It should be noted (and should also become clear after you take a look at my picks) that I usually lean toward a particular type of music, and there are a lot of things on other peoples' lists that I haven't listened to yet. If history proves reliable, I'll start picking up those albums two or three years from now, when everyone's already gotten over them and moved on to something else that's hip, now and wow. Sure I'm late, but then I get to feel like I discovered them myself. And if you're anything like me, then you LIVE for that feeling.
And now, let's begin:
5. The New Pornographers - "Twin Cinemas"
I don't know if the New Pornographers will ever put out anything as cohesive or surprising as "Mass Romantic" again, but it's hard to fault them for that. For me, these guys are in the same boat as the Fountains of Wayne - not every disc is a masterpiece, but when something new comes out, I'm going to buy it because I know it's going to be good.
The band seems to get larger and more democratic with each release, but instead of spinning off into unrelated and disjointed sounds when new writers or singers take the spotlight (I'm lookin' at you, "Fold Your Hands, Child..."), the New Pornographers manage to keep a similar guitar power pop / new wave vibe - even on the more subdued tracks. And half the time, so many people are singing, it just sounds like a bunch of friends hangin' out and rockin' out. In a studio. With lots of polish. Good, good stuff.
4. The Decemberists - "Picaresque"
OK, so knowing that a band is named after a failed 19th century Russian revolutionary group might turn some people off. Those same people might also be turned off by story-songs about whalers, prostitutes, and Dickensian socialites ... or by having to run to the dictionary every four minutes to look up an arcane word just snuck into their ear via a folk-pop song.
But if that kind of thing gets you excited and you still haven't heard the Decemberists, do yourself a favor and pick up "Picaresque." Your English professor would be proud.
On their third full album, the Decemberists are noticably more upbeat. First track "The Infanta" opens with a 21-gun-salute of drums and cymbal crashes and doesn't let up until the opera tenor sounds the final note. Then you're treated to lush, jangle-drenched songs about suicide pacts, village ghosts, and embarassing sport-blunder moments.
Before it's done, "Picaresque" will give you one of the poppiest (and least obnoxious) anti-war songs you've ever heard, and what is probably the best (and only) nine-minute martime homicidal sea shanty performed since the Age of Exploration.
3. Sufjan Stevens - "Illinois"
Sufjan Stevens' second state-specific mini-opera moves south from Michigan to tackle the Land of Lincoln. And just like the last foray, Stevens manages to take local pieces of geography, history, and folklore and use them as jumping-off points for his own highly detailed and effective musical portraits.
Whether it's John Wayne Gacy, Jr., a pair of doomed teenage lovers or an anonymous wanderer en-route to Chicago, each character is given the chance for empathy and disgust, with no obvious weight thrown toward either. Muscially, the backing changes from "Peanuts"-style piano to lightly-strummed acoustic guitars to full on brass and choir sections in ways that are seamless, appropriate, and effective. I think I've seen this disc on almost every Top Albums list for 2005, and with very good reason.
2. Calexico / Iron & Wine - "In the Reins"
If you like Calexico, but wish they'd cut out some of their weirder sonic experiments; or if you like Iron & Wine, but wish Sam Beam would drink some coffee once in while, then consider "In the Reins" your answered prayer.
All of the songwriting on this disc is credited to Beam, and he does almost all of the singing - but "More of Our Endless Numbered Days" this is not. Calexico really shows off what great collaborators they are by taking the gentle folk compositions of Iron and Wine, tossing them in the back of a rusty pickup, and dropping them off in the middle of the desert. From the fencepost rumination of "He Lays in the Reins" to the punchy Vegas horns of "History of Lovers," or the backalley blues bar of "Red Dust," every single song on this EP succeeds. Never once does it sound like Calexico with a new singer, or Iron & Wine with some new backing session men.
If you got the chance to see them on tour this year, then you know how incredible this new omnivorous musical beast is. In New York, Sufjan Stevens joined them on stage. In Portland, The Shins. When I saw them in Los Angeles, they included Mike Watt from The Minutemen, kindred blues/rockers Califone, and alt-country singer Victoria Williams. The covers they played - from Willie Nelson to the Velvet Underground and Rolling Stones - were just as varied and effective.
If you didn't get to see them live, then pray for another tour. In the meantime, though, grab this disc.
+1. Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott - "Real Time"
And now the +1.
This disc actually came out five years ago, but even though it didn't come out last year, I can honestly say it is my favorite purchase of 2005. And thus, the inclusion on this list.
Also, it acts as a nice little cliffhanger before the number one pick comes up. Suspense!
The concept: Two guys, a living room recording studio, a bunch of stringed instruments, and one week's time. The result: an absolute masterpiece that should please not only fans of folk, bluegrass, or traditional country - but all good music in general.
While there are a number of Hank Williams covers and traditional ballads, O'Brien and Scott aren't content to deliver "faithful" renditions, instead injecting new life and energy. The slow and sorrowful murder song "Little Sadie" becomes and absolute barnstormer with O'Brien's high Appalachian tenor. The original songs shine here, as well. Scott's world-weary baritone will stop you in your tracks the first time you hear "There Ain't No Easy Way."
Both of these musicians have released some excellent solo albums, but this is the only one I've heard (so far, at least) that manages to sound both fully polished and fully improvisational at the same time. So let's summarize here - great musicians, great songs, great production. Why don't you own this yet?
and finally...
1. Andrew Bird - "The Mysterious Production of Eggs"
This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me. I've been singing the praises of Andrew Bird since I bought "Thrills" on an allmusic.com impulse in 2000. What is surprising, though, is that with each time I listen to a new release from Bird, I can honestly say it's his best work.
Wheras 2001's "The Swimming Hour" found him abandoning the hot jazz that built his career for lush classic pop, and 2003's "Weather Systems" had him abandoning all that for haunting farmhouse solitude, "Mysterious Production" performs a great leap forward by taking lessons from each.
Like "Weather Systems," Bird plays almost every instrument himself, and gets some nice assistance from previous Bowl of Fire members Kevin O'Donnell and Nora O'Connor. He further utilizes his incredible whistle and picks up the guitar for the first time on record. But instead of feeling open, airy, and desolate like "Weather Systems," Bird uses looping and multitracking to give each track a full-band feel ... even though there's probably only two or three different people actually playing.
The end result is fourteen sinuous, fully-realized pocket symphonies that not only build, bend, and break in surprising and fascinating ways; but which also work as one cohesive whole. Albums like this only come around once in a while, and they usually only come from Andrew Bird.
And so, being the music nerd I am, I have to have a list of my favorite music of 2005. A Top 5, with one non-2005 release thrown in for good measure and added drama.
It should be noted (and should also become clear after you take a look at my picks) that I usually lean toward a particular type of music, and there are a lot of things on other peoples' lists that I haven't listened to yet. If history proves reliable, I'll start picking up those albums two or three years from now, when everyone's already gotten over them and moved on to something else that's hip, now and wow. Sure I'm late, but then I get to feel like I discovered them myself. And if you're anything like me, then you LIVE for that feeling.
And now, let's begin:
5. The New Pornographers - "Twin Cinemas"
I don't know if the New Pornographers will ever put out anything as cohesive or surprising as "Mass Romantic" again, but it's hard to fault them for that. For me, these guys are in the same boat as the Fountains of Wayne - not every disc is a masterpiece, but when something new comes out, I'm going to buy it because I know it's going to be good.
The band seems to get larger and more democratic with each release, but instead of spinning off into unrelated and disjointed sounds when new writers or singers take the spotlight (I'm lookin' at you, "Fold Your Hands, Child..."), the New Pornographers manage to keep a similar guitar power pop / new wave vibe - even on the more subdued tracks. And half the time, so many people are singing, it just sounds like a bunch of friends hangin' out and rockin' out. In a studio. With lots of polish. Good, good stuff.
4. The Decemberists - "Picaresque"
OK, so knowing that a band is named after a failed 19th century Russian revolutionary group might turn some people off. Those same people might also be turned off by story-songs about whalers, prostitutes, and Dickensian socialites ... or by having to run to the dictionary every four minutes to look up an arcane word just snuck into their ear via a folk-pop song.
But if that kind of thing gets you excited and you still haven't heard the Decemberists, do yourself a favor and pick up "Picaresque." Your English professor would be proud.
On their third full album, the Decemberists are noticably more upbeat. First track "The Infanta" opens with a 21-gun-salute of drums and cymbal crashes and doesn't let up until the opera tenor sounds the final note. Then you're treated to lush, jangle-drenched songs about suicide pacts, village ghosts, and embarassing sport-blunder moments.
Before it's done, "Picaresque" will give you one of the poppiest (and least obnoxious) anti-war songs you've ever heard, and what is probably the best (and only) nine-minute martime homicidal sea shanty performed since the Age of Exploration.
3. Sufjan Stevens - "Illinois"
Sufjan Stevens' second state-specific mini-opera moves south from Michigan to tackle the Land of Lincoln. And just like the last foray, Stevens manages to take local pieces of geography, history, and folklore and use them as jumping-off points for his own highly detailed and effective musical portraits.
Whether it's John Wayne Gacy, Jr., a pair of doomed teenage lovers or an anonymous wanderer en-route to Chicago, each character is given the chance for empathy and disgust, with no obvious weight thrown toward either. Muscially, the backing changes from "Peanuts"-style piano to lightly-strummed acoustic guitars to full on brass and choir sections in ways that are seamless, appropriate, and effective. I think I've seen this disc on almost every Top Albums list for 2005, and with very good reason.
2. Calexico / Iron & Wine - "In the Reins"
If you like Calexico, but wish they'd cut out some of their weirder sonic experiments; or if you like Iron & Wine, but wish Sam Beam would drink some coffee once in while, then consider "In the Reins" your answered prayer.
All of the songwriting on this disc is credited to Beam, and he does almost all of the singing - but "More of Our Endless Numbered Days" this is not. Calexico really shows off what great collaborators they are by taking the gentle folk compositions of Iron and Wine, tossing them in the back of a rusty pickup, and dropping them off in the middle of the desert. From the fencepost rumination of "He Lays in the Reins" to the punchy Vegas horns of "History of Lovers," or the backalley blues bar of "Red Dust," every single song on this EP succeeds. Never once does it sound like Calexico with a new singer, or Iron & Wine with some new backing session men.
If you got the chance to see them on tour this year, then you know how incredible this new omnivorous musical beast is. In New York, Sufjan Stevens joined them on stage. In Portland, The Shins. When I saw them in Los Angeles, they included Mike Watt from The Minutemen, kindred blues/rockers Califone, and alt-country singer Victoria Williams. The covers they played - from Willie Nelson to the Velvet Underground and Rolling Stones - were just as varied and effective.
If you didn't get to see them live, then pray for another tour. In the meantime, though, grab this disc.
+1. Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott - "Real Time"
And now the +1.
This disc actually came out five years ago, but even though it didn't come out last year, I can honestly say it is my favorite purchase of 2005. And thus, the inclusion on this list.
Also, it acts as a nice little cliffhanger before the number one pick comes up. Suspense!
The concept: Two guys, a living room recording studio, a bunch of stringed instruments, and one week's time. The result: an absolute masterpiece that should please not only fans of folk, bluegrass, or traditional country - but all good music in general.
While there are a number of Hank Williams covers and traditional ballads, O'Brien and Scott aren't content to deliver "faithful" renditions, instead injecting new life and energy. The slow and sorrowful murder song "Little Sadie" becomes and absolute barnstormer with O'Brien's high Appalachian tenor. The original songs shine here, as well. Scott's world-weary baritone will stop you in your tracks the first time you hear "There Ain't No Easy Way."
Both of these musicians have released some excellent solo albums, but this is the only one I've heard (so far, at least) that manages to sound both fully polished and fully improvisational at the same time. So let's summarize here - great musicians, great songs, great production. Why don't you own this yet?
and finally...
1. Andrew Bird - "The Mysterious Production of Eggs"
This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me. I've been singing the praises of Andrew Bird since I bought "Thrills" on an allmusic.com impulse in 2000. What is surprising, though, is that with each time I listen to a new release from Bird, I can honestly say it's his best work.
Wheras 2001's "The Swimming Hour" found him abandoning the hot jazz that built his career for lush classic pop, and 2003's "Weather Systems" had him abandoning all that for haunting farmhouse solitude, "Mysterious Production" performs a great leap forward by taking lessons from each.
Like "Weather Systems," Bird plays almost every instrument himself, and gets some nice assistance from previous Bowl of Fire members Kevin O'Donnell and Nora O'Connor. He further utilizes his incredible whistle and picks up the guitar for the first time on record. But instead of feeling open, airy, and desolate like "Weather Systems," Bird uses looping and multitracking to give each track a full-band feel ... even though there's probably only two or three different people actually playing.
The end result is fourteen sinuous, fully-realized pocket symphonies that not only build, bend, and break in surprising and fascinating ways; but which also work as one cohesive whole. Albums like this only come around once in a while, and they usually only come from Andrew Bird.
that one guy you know, 8:49 AM
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
| | | | | | | | |
2 Comments:
if you haven't yet, try martin sexton. so long suzanna, and caught in the rain are my favorites. the rest sound better live. if you want some, ask ravenxenigma@yahoo.com
~rebecca
~rebecca
Your passion for music is amazing. I miss you for that alone.
And, by February or so, I should have my top 5 compiled for your review.
P.S. - Your writing on "Picaresque" got me so excited, I had to start listening to it immediately.
And, by February or so, I should have my top 5 compiled for your review.
P.S. - Your writing on "Picaresque" got me so excited, I had to start listening to it immediately.
