Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Reinier

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 NKJV)

Laughing Dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis) by Nikhil

Most Christians know the passage in Luke 2 about the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many others have heard that passage read each Christmas. The birth of Jesus, who was born to die. “Although our first picture of Jesus is as a baby in a manger, it must not be our last. The Christ child in the manger is the subject of a beautiful Christmas scene, but we must not leave him there. This tiny, helpless baby lived an amazing life, died for us, ascended to heaven, and will return to earth as King of kings. Christ will rule the world and judge all people according to their decisions about him. Do you still picture Jesus as a baby in a manger—or is he your Lord? Make sure you don’t underestimate Jesus. Let him grow up in your life.” (Life Application Study Bible)

Joseph and Mary were not so poor that they could not afford a room at the end, but “there was no room for them in the inn.” Because of the registrations going on, each had to show up in their own city. According to the Jewish mode of registration the people would be enrolled by tribe, families or clans, and households. “But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” (1 Samuel 17:15 NKJV).

Micah prophesied in Micah 5:2:

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

“This mention of the manger is the basis for the traditional belief that Jesus was born in a stable. Stables were often caves with feeding troughs (mangers) carved into the rock walls. Despite popular Christmas card pictures, the surroundings were dark and dirty. This was not the atmosphere the Jews expected as the birthplace of the Messiah-King. They thought their promised Messiah would be born in royal surroundings. We should not limit God by our expectations. He is at work wherever he is needed in our sin-darkened and dirty world.” (Life Application Study Bible)

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) by Nikhil Devasar

All of the above was to set the location for the manger and why in my imagination, I believe birds would have been around the manger. There are no verses in the Bible to show there were birds there, nor are there any to show that lambs, cows, or horse were there either, as depicted in our Christmas scenes. So, here is what birds I think may have been there at Jesus’ birth.

Doves – “You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth.” (Jeremiah 48:28 NKJV)

Turtledoves – The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:12 NKJV)

Sparrows and Swallows- “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.” (Psalms 84:1-3 NKJV) If they wanted to be at the altars or house of God, then surely, they wanted to be near their Creator.

Chickens and Roosters by Maji

Chickens and Roosters – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37 NKJV) and Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” (Matthew 26:34 NKJV) Cave or Stable, there had to be Chickens, Hens, and Roosters.

Ravens – Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food? (Job 38:41 NKJV) They wanted to be near the One who has been feeding them.

Brown-necked Raven, Israel

I would think, in my “sanctified imagination,” that since the Lord created everything, birds included, that they might have been eager to see their Creator. Many humans failed to recognize Him while He was on earth, but I think the critters knew who He was. For example, the un-ridden donkey the Lord rode on. There is no report of it trying to buck or misbehave. It knew!

There are more kinds of birds that might have been there, but I will leave those to your imagination. Have a Merry Christmas as you consider the true meaning of the Lord’s birth.

Produced by Sean Fielder and our Pastor Jerry Smith.

Click Here To Listen

Here is the third and final mixtape of some of my favorite songs of 2009.  I hope you’ve enjoyed them and hope there is more great music in 2010.

1. “Nothing to Worry About” by Peter Bjorn and John (Living Thing)
2. “My Girls” by Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
3. “I Was Once A Loyal Lover” by Death Cab For Cutie (The Open Door EP)
4. “Winter Hill” by Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
5. “Heavy Cross” by The Gossip (Music for Men)
6. “Black Heart Inertia” by Incubus (Monuments And Melodies)
7. “Clean Break” by Jenny Owen Youngs (Transmitter Failure)
8. “Games For Days” by Julian Plenti (Is… Skyscraper)
9. “Time Lapse Lifeline” by Maria Taylor (LadyLuck)
10. “Relator” by Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson (Break Up)
11. “The Verb” by The Swell Season (Strict Joy)
12. “Stadium Love” by Metric (Fantasies)
13. “Lisztomania” by Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
14. “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap (Conditions)
15. “Someday” by Tegan and Sara (Sainthood)

Three French Hens

I sparked a fun discussion when I entered in the office this morning. The main lobby to our building is connected to the Administration Department, with about four or five people sitting at their desks. As usual, I said my typical “good morning” greeting, but added this question:

“Is today ‘Three French Hens’ or ‘Two Turtle Doves?’ ”

And so the fun dialogue began centered on this precept: Is a “Partridge in a Pear Tree” supposed to be delivered on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve?

I am proud to say that my fine colleagues concluded that the partridge will be delivered on Christmas Day. This means that today, December 23^rd, is “Three French Hens.” …Toot, to, to, Toooh…” (the sounding of majestic French Horns. Probably three of them.)

On a side note—does anyone remember the Bob and Doug Mckenzie “Twelve Days of Christmas” song parody from the 80’s? If so, today is “Three French Toast.” My kids, both in high school, were singing this song yesterday. Talk about “Flash Back to the 80’s!”

Bob and Doug Mckenzie

(Although, my good friend Jeremiah McBride, considers today to be “Ten Lords a-Leaping.” I guess that he is counting up and I am counting down. )

Merry Christmas!

I may as well post this today since it is done. I’ve officially relistened to everything I got this year and ranked it. I’m going to do two new things this year. First off, I need to explain a little about how my taste in music (and art in general) has changed drastically. I’ll start with a quote from Franz Kafka

I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. We need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe to the frozen sea inside us.

I’ve sort of lost interest in things that don’t really affect me. I still get and listen to lots of technically amazing musicians who are doing great original things. If this were last year Andrew Bird would probably be in the top 5 because there is no denying that he wrote some of the most complicated and original music this year. He is a phenomenal violin player and shows this off as well. But his songs sort of lack any real meaning.

Let’s face it. I’m a very moody person. I like to have music that hits a huge range of emotions, so that I can find something to sympathize with me no matter my mood.

So without furthur ado, the top 10:

1. The Antlers – Hospice
2. Imogen Heap – Ellipse
3. Land of Talk – Fun and Laughter
4. Loney, Dear – Dear John
5. Doves – Kingdom of Rust
6. The Swell Season – Strict Joy
7. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
8. Regina Spektor – Far
9. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
10. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

The honorable mentions:
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orcha
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
M. Ward – Hold Time
Sunn O))) – Monoliths & Dimensions

Now the ordering here was made with some consideration, but it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Everything above I thought was all around great. Essentially no bad songs. All original creative things. All technically great things with a good deal of emotional content.

The middle ground stuff:
Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Dan Deacon, Tortoise, Dodos, Animal Collective, F**k Buttons, Duncan Sheik, Other Lives

These had really good aspects and had some aspects I didn’t really like. All worth getting in my opinion, but not as well rounded as the top list. For instance, I think the songs on Neko Case or Animal Collective are the best of those groups when they are good. But when they are bad, they are some of the worst either have put out. This dichotomy could not be overlooked. Actually having to skip songs on an album is a major turn-off for me.

The subpar group is as follows:
Bon Iver, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Field, Mount Eerie

These were not worth getting in my opinion, but not totally completely horrible. I enjoy some songs and aspects, but not enough to make the “middle ground” list.

The bottom three I’ll go back to ranking:
Bad: Volcano Choir – Unmap
Worse: Holopaw – Oh Glory, Oh Wilderness
Worst: Heartless Bastards – The Mountain

Other than The Antlers, everything on the top 10 I expected to be there. They’ve all impressed me in the past. So mostly my surprises are in the realm of disappointments. I’ve already said this, but for the most part I was severely disappointed this year. The other surprise was sort of Loney, Dear. I only got this because he was touring with Andrew Bird. After a few listens I thought I had gotten everything to get to it. To my surprise 8 months later, I was still not bored of it.

My biggest disappointment has to be Bon Iver. He was number 1 last year and was very close to bottom three this year. Another big disappointment was Holopaw. This was bottom three. The first time I heard this group was at a party, and it was on in the background. Music people and non-music people alike were so drawn to its greatness that there were constant comments and asking who it was. I’ve never seen anything like that occur since.

I’ll leave this post here. I didn’t rank a top 10 list for individual songs, but I probably should have. If anyone would like me to elaborate more on specific placements, just comment, I’d be happy to. Also, if there are things you thought were great but I missed, I’d love to hear about it.

I’m not going to do a list of my favourite songs of 2009 because that would be boring and unoriginal, and chances are you’ve probably read about the exact same songs in a million other places. Instead, here’s my playlist containing fifteen album tracks, none of which were released as singles, which I notched up on my bedpost as having loved dearly over the course of the year. When you’ve read through it all, you can also feel their brilliance as nature intended, by hopping over to the superconnected playlist I’ve made over on Spotify (though the Tortoise track will be absent because their oeuvre is not yet available).

The tracks are not listed in order of preference, since they’re all fairly unique and enjoyable; instead, I’ve sequenced them for maximum aural pleasure.

1. The Horrors – Mirror’s Image. What a belter of an introduction to The Horrors’ grown-up new sound! Emerging from an Eno-like fog of ambient resonances and detuned synth washes, this album opener eventually lumbers into being with an instantly memorable bassline and the kind of baggy drumbeat not seen for twenty years. Faris Badwan’s vocals, meanwhile, are all doomed romantic, which goes hand-in-hand with the slurring, bleeding guitar-work that pepper the song.
2. The Flaming Lips – Silver Trembling Hands. From an album of extended krautrock grooves, this is surely the most beautiful of the bunch. Listen in wonder as it morphs from a twisted, haunted freakout into the kind of blissed-out, starstruck pseudo-chorus that The Flaming Lips specialise in.
3. Wilco – Bull Black Nova. Undoubtedly the most ambitious song on Wilco (The Album), this moving and chilling tale of a man on the run, having killed his girlfriend, is brought to life by a combination of fluid bass, lilting piano, seriously cool drums, and the dazzling fretboard flourishes of Nels Cline, about whom I have eulogised before.
4. Future Of The Left – You Need Satan More Than He Needs You. And then for something totally different. A blast of scuzzy, brutally aggressive hardcore that channels the vitriol of Shellac through the tightly woven punk of Fugazi, via the badlands of Wales. I’m never sure whether to laugh or cry at Falco’s lyrics, which reference orgies, cults, and the titular devil.
5. Arctic Monkeys – Potion Approaching. The much-heralded stoner rock sound isn’t omnipresent on Humbug, but when they do reach for the peyote and take a drive through the desert, the results are surprisingly genuine. Here, they alternate between the ESG-pumped funk favoured on Favourite Worst Nightmare, and the kind of gloomy waltz perfected by Nick Cave and Josh Homme. All the while, Jamie Cook’s wailing guitar floats through the mix, harmonising beautifully with the carnival chants in the background.
6. Tortoise – Gigantes. I’m not sure words can really do justice to the beauty of this Beacons of Ancestorship highlight, which surprises and pulls a wobbly every few bars. From its humble origins as a Spanish guitar melody, through its numerous transformations via breakbeats, vibes and wooden percussion, via a briefly noisy guitar solo, and into a polyphonic groove with squelchy synths, this song defines the ‘journey’. It’s one of those classic examples of wordless music succeeding in conveying ten times more emotion than the vast majority of vocally-accompanied music.
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Runaway. The crop of torch-waving ballads that pepper It’s Blitz! are monolithic in terms of ambition and grandeur and, more importantly, spirit. This one’s the pick of the bunch, gradually rising out of a lonely piano figure to throw a light on some seriously epic orchestral arrangements and the kind of earth-shattering drums that usually prop up Wembley Stadium. Karen O’s vocals, meanwhile, approach the raw, unbridled emotion of “Maps”, underpinned by burbling synths and those circling strings. As the song is enveloped by a fog of noise, you can’t help but be overwhelmed.
8. Phoenix – Love Like A Sunset Part I. From an album that missed out on my top fifteen list because it’s not really as original or exciting as some critics would have you believe, comes this undoubted centrepiece/masterpiece – exactly the kind of left-field turn that I wish more of the album had been like. By turns noodly (it begins with a close cousin of the piano melody from “Runaway”) and then charged with static electricity, the song is utterly stupendous. You can feel a stadium-sized monster itching to break free at several points but, to the band’s credit, they always hold back, just, ramping up the tension and intrigue before unwrapping another surprising switch in mood or instrumentation.
9. Atlas Sound – Quick Canal (w. Laetitia Sadier). I realise this list is starting to look very krautrock-dependent, but I couldn’t help but include this almost-nine minute wonder, which does a better job of sounding like a Stereolab song than even Stereolab have managed for most of their career. Boasting cooing, overawed vocals from Laetitia Sadier herself, the song pulses along on a chilled-out beat while drooping curtains of noise and feedback and Bradford Cox’s backing vocals invade any blank space. Halfway through, Cox drops the best little birthday present on us, suddenly cutting out the bass and chords and rapidly warping the pitch of the background noise. Then both he and Sadier kick right back in with a beautifully orchestrated further four minutes of majesty.
10. Yo La Tengo – Here To Fall. The other recurring theme on this playlist is album openers, and this one’s a peach. Ira Kaplan is often overlooked for his skill on the keys; here, we’re treated to a squall of distorted Rhodes that grows into something very special, with the regularity of James McNew’s bass countered by spirals of strings seemingly lifted from an Isaac Hayes number. It sounds a bit like The Verve, yes, but it’s The Verve at their most tempestuous, channeled through a greatest-hits soul compilation, fronted by Kaplan’s world-weary, avuncular vocals that speak of “dreams that don’t come true”.
11. Franz Ferdinand – Lucid Dreams. We first heard this song, in a very different format, about a year-and-a-half ago. Now, in a substantially altered state, it’s a lumbering eight-minute colossus that starts off all slowed-down glam, but eventually morphs, via a super-retro lead synth solo, into a four-minute dub-inflected arpeggiator/sequencer workout. It’s totally unexpected, and a surprisingly natural fit for the band that once dealt with exclusively angular guitars and tales of hedonism. All this knob-twiddling and drum-machine battering works a treat.
12. Doves – Jetstream. Another album curtain-raiser, and another song influenced by the motorik beat of krautrock. You’d think I’d be bored of this kind of thing by now, but remember that this was one of the first new songs I heard this year, and its sixteenth-beat hi-hats still never fail to stir something in me. Doves suggested the song was written as an imaginary end credits song for Blade Runner, and it succeeds in capturing the marvel and trauma of technology that Vangelis aimed for before them. There’s a lazy, hazy feel to the guitars that responds perfectly to the swirling trills of synth and the earth-shaking bass pulses.
13. The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid. The centrepiece of The Hazards of Love, this song alternates between proggy, harpsichord-led folk, a kind of post-Arcade Fire anthem, and the stodgy brand of stoner-metal we love to hate the Decemberists for. What prevents it from spiralling into parody? The answer must surely be Shara Worden’s powerful voice, which suits her role as the Queen of the forest to a point. Worden is possessed with an astonishing set of pipes, which she puts to good use to keep the drama and lyrical intrigue of the song at the forefront of our minds.
14. The Cribs – City Of Bugs. It was on The Cribs’ last album that a member of Sonic Youth made a guest appearance, but it is here, on the Johnny Marr-enhanced Ignore The Ignorant, that the Wakefield trio (?) (quartet?) really unearth a vaguely noise-rock vibe. City of Bugs sounds like Sonic Youth circa-Murray Street, with a ringing pack of arty guitars doing battle over a backdrop of post-punk drums and a barrel full of bass. It’s long and meandering and some would accuse of it going nowhere, but hidden in the chord progression is an anthem dying to be heard, but partially silenced by the band’s eagerness to experiment and test the listener’s attention span. Gary Jarman’s voice, meanwhile, has rarely sounded so sincere and mature, inflected with the deep resonance of Nick Cave or Thurston Moore.
15. Wild Beasts – Through The Iron Gate. We close with a typically obtuse choice – a digital-only bonus track tacked on at the end of my album of the year, Two Dancers. But what an afterthought this is! Through The Iron Gate is a tricksy, stuttering waltz built on some seriously 80s-sounding orchestral keyboard stabs. Over this sinister backing, guitarist Ben Little weaves an intricate web of arpeggios, while a multi-tracked Hayden Thorpe goes predictably melodramatic with the vocals, wailing “He cried noooooo!!!” in a tone that suggests a degree of violation may be occurring in real time. It’s a pleasingly traumatic listen, replete with off-kilter syncopation in the rhythm section (including the farewell wave of those ever-present bongos) and dreamy, reverb-heavy overdubs. Before I bought the album, I was led to believe that this was in fact the actual album closer (Spotify does bad things to you!), and I would still maintain it’s a better fit than “Empty Nest”. Regardless of the band’s uninformed decision, it’s a breathtaking finale to a wonderful year of music.

It’s such a weird time of year, as it starts getting colder in most places, probably especially in our hearts and in our memories, and yet we cast our gaze ever backwards, trying to search our sonic amusements from the past year for value. What was important. What was worthy of being called “the best of” this odd little year that was.

I could wait forever for your answer and you could wait even longer for someone else’s answer, but here’s mine. I hope other members of Counterforce will pipe in at some point with albums/singles/music they valued in the past year, especially as we start cutting up everything of pop culture into lines to put in lists and snort up. But this is my picks, music-wise, albums either released or leaked into the blogosphere and my world this year, split unnumbered into three categories:  The Best Of and Somewhere In The Middle and Albums That Let Me Down This Year. That’s probably about as clear as I can be with categories. Now, let’s take a look back…

THE BEST OF:

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest.

Broadcast, Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age.

As I’ve seen many people say online, you might like this album if the album title alone attracts your interest. Simply put, this feels like a lovely dream pop/electronica soundtrack to a 60s horror movie about wandering sonic textures hunting down pop songs that I desperately wish was waiting out there for me to discover it.

St. Vincent, Actor.

The best album produced via GarageBand with songs inspired by Woody Allen and Disney movies ever.

Mos Def, The Ecstatic.

Fuck Buttons, Tarot Sport.

Japandroids, Post-Nothing.

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Quite frankly, car commercial music has never sounded this good.

mewithoutYou, It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright!

The Raveonettes, In And Out Of Control.

A Place To Bury Strangers, Exploding Head.

Where noise rock, shoegaze, space rock, post punk, and a truckload of dissonance all combine into a giant wall that falls down on you, crushing you. Or, exploding your head, if you will. Not a band for everyone, and definitely not an album for everyone, but if you love sonic death waves, this will be your bag.

Lisa Hannigan, Sea Sew.

I’ve been a huge fan of Hannigan’s work with Damien Rice but always disturbed that she’s been relegated to being in his backing band when her talent has always seemed up and front there with Rice’s own. And honestly, I can only watch/listen to a sad man moaning and keeping a girl down for so long. I hope this is the beginning of Hannigan conquering more and more accolades.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz.

Oh yeah, remember that this came out earlier this year? A solid album, definitely, but not totally compelling in a long term sense, but maybe nothing can be after a mountain like “Maps.” Regardless, I think this album works as a whole and still carries several excellent cuts on it. Silly though it may be, “Soft Shock” is a personal favorite of mine.

The-Dream, Love vs. Money.

Fever Ray, Fever Ray.

Beach House, Teen Dream.

SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE: Albums that are solid, but perhaps over hyped a tad. Or, albums that I like but sadly don’t love.

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast.

“Baroque pop” is how Wikipedia describes this album, and I can see it. It’s indie rock, and it’s well done, but it’s not my usual cup of tea. And I think the album reinforces that, actually, by always impressing me, surprising me with it’s mechanical beauty, but never making me feel like I am a part of it.

Mr. Hudson, Straight No Chaser.

The album is not so bad, but “Supernova,” the Kanye-produced (who also guests, of course)(and continuing his quest to either become European or just conquer European music) lead single by this British artist is my pick for what should be one of the songs of the year:

Bat For Lashes, Two Suns.

Dinosaur Jr., Farm.

Girls, Album.

Good, solid music, but not worth the hype. Praise comes too easy to some people who are not gifted with the depth of thought or true judgment.

The XX, xx.

See above, though this album has more going for it than the Girls album, I feel. Years from now, or possibly just months and days (with the way my life is going) I will quite possibly fall in love with this album. It’s simple in a way, understated, clumsy in a practiced way. There’s a nuance to it, but make no mistake: This is a album for the loneliest, horniest of hipster.

Handsome Furs, Face Control.

No longer a side project and now what feels like a good and proper musical collaboration between Dan Broeckner and his wife Alexei Perry. It fascinates me that their reference to New Order got this album delayed while it was cleared legally. There’s a beautiful rhythmic groove hatched in this album.

Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion.

This is, without a doubt, the album to take drugs to and then take your clothes off to of the year. Enjoy it with another person, but it’s still good by yourself too.

Sonic Youth, The Eternal.

La Roux, La Roux.

A shock and a revelation as far as European dance music goes. Bright, shiny, and beautifully off kilter.

Mirah, (A)spera.

…And You Shall Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Century Of Self.

Micachu and the Shapes, Jewellery.

Third Eye Blind, Ursa Major.

Originally entitled “That Hideous Strength,” taking it’s title from C.S. Lewis, this is a nostalgia pick that doesn’t totally betray me but there’s nothing resembling fireworks on this album. I’m probably the biggest fan in the world of their previous album and this one feels exactly like it was: six years late and the product of a long drought of writer’s block, but definitely the work of the same artist. The band will release their own version of Amnesiac, entitled Ursa Minor, at some point.

Atlas Sound, Logos.

Vivian Girls, Everything Goes Wrong.

Mastodon, Crack The Skye.

Art Brut, Art Brut vs. Satan.

It’s a crazy, fun music party until someone has the balls to challenge Satan. And this English/German indie rock band, with beautiful production by Black Francis, who take their name from Jean Dubuffet’s name for outsider art, lose to Satan, of course. But it’s a tight, clean, and highly listenable loss.

Metric, Fantasies.

Amy Millan, Masters Of The Burial.

The Antlers, Hospice.

Florence And The Machine, Lungs.

The album is decent enough, but all you really need to know is the song, “Dog Days Are Over.” Give it a listen and then tell me if I’m wrong.

ALBUMS THAT LET ME DOWN THIS YEAR: Maybe they’re not terrible, maybe they have some strong points, but like I said, they let me down.

Doves, Kingdom Of Rust.

A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Ashes Grammar.

U2, No Line On The Horizon.

Still the biggest band in the world, no matter how much it upsets your stupid sensibilities. The sad thing about being on the top though is that you can only fall down.

Julian Casablancas, Phrazes For The Young.

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t expect much from Casablancas. This album isn’t horrible by any means, but never lives up to the possibility you felt in it’s lead off single, “11th Dimension.” The rest of the album, which references Oscar Wilde in it’s title, feels like a few normal rock songs with extra silly production layered onto them by Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. If I was in junior high, or at least floating around somewhere in the first few years of high school, I would probably think this was the greatest thing ever and might request it at a dance or something. And possibly adding insult to injury, I give you the song (which I actually like quite a bit) by Courtney Love that’s about Casablancas:

The Boy Least Likely To, The Law Of The Playground.

Brand New, Daisy.

Better Than Ezra, Paper Empire.

Another nostalgia pick. BTE, actually, used to be my favorite band. It’s a long story, one that started with a girl, but thankfully, at the end of the story I was left with the better of the two: the music. Now I feel like I don’t even have that. For a band that that mines a brand of “cool” and “joy” that is wonderful and easy to inhabit, I would easily recommend this band. Their previous album was slyly wonderful, as were all of their albums before that.

The Mars Volta, Octahedron.

I think I’m just over this. I appreciate music that sounds like you’re on drugs but I have grown to dislike the Mars Volta’s evolving sound into my needing to be drugs to find an appreciation groove in what they do.

Well, this has been my 2009 in music, for the most part. The best of, the solid and entertaining, and the stuff that let me down. There’s some highs and lows in here, as far as music released/leaked this year goes, but these are my peaks and valleys. What do you think? And what was your year in music like?

UPDATE: Grab a convenient playlist featuring two key tracks from (almost) all of the albums featured here.

2009 has been a year when I’ve taken stock of a fair bit of older music – thank Spotify for that! – which might explain my profligacy in terms of listening to some really highly-regarded new albums. Nonetheless, in the last few weeks I’ve clawed back lost ground and taken the opportunity to investigate the hype surrounding some of this year’s gems.

In the interests of economy, I’m only listing my fifteen favourite albums; there were plenty of others that I enjoyed, but couldn’t justify adding to this list. So, as well as the albums listed below, do please go and have a listen to wonderful albums like Doves‘ triumphant Kingdom Of Rust, The Cribs‘ Johnny Marr-enhanced Ignore The Ignorant, and Atlas Sound’s mesmerising Logos. But without further ado, and a bit more explanation where necessary, here are my offerings:

15. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love. It’s cheesy and Floydian in places, but you can forgive them their excesses the instant that you hear the killer riffs (“The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid”), the beautiful melodies (“Isn’t It A Lovely Night?”), and the witty and clever wordplay (“The Rake’s Song”). The concept holds up pretty well too, even if you’re not paying close attention to the lyrics booklet.

14. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love. Channelling the brutal power of shoegaze and noise rock through big-beat pop songs with heart-on-sleeve lyrics, this album manages to pummel you in the base of the neck at the same time as winning your heart over. It sounds simultaneously dug up from twenty years ago, and beamed back from twenty years into the future. Its emotional appeal is timeless; the music an alluring mix of anthemic (“Dominos”) and avant-garde (“Frisk”).

13. Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light. Part environmental musing, part contemplation on the life cycle, we’ve had to wait a long time for this follow-up to I Am A Bird Now. Luckily, it’s worth its lengthy gestation – Antony has soaked up the talents of numerous instrumentalists and collaborators to create a sparse, fragile collection of songs that float along (“Epilepsy Is Dancing”) with great grace, considering the immense gravity of their subject matter (“Another World”).

12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!. Cult NYC art rock trio swap guitars for synths that sound like guitars. Result: an album that frisks the listener through a heady night of disco, new-wave, and the distilled highlights of indie rock music. At its most energetic (“Heads Will Roll”), you feel lifted above the dancefloor; at its most reflective (“Runaway”), you feel emotionally cleansed.

11. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs. Having brought us albums that have oscillated between downtempo trip-hop, 60s pop, and pulverising noise-rock, Yo La Tengo bring it all home with a surprisingly cohesive album that draws in all their influences and winds up showing off some of their best-written songs to date. “Here To Fall” is all soaring strings and reverb-heavy keyboards; “If It’s True” is pure Motown; and where would we be without a token Ira Kaplan sonic freakout like “And The Glitter Is Gone”?

10. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug. Yes, I get it. Albums like this aren’t supposed to appear on these lists. But the songs are still thoughtfully written, the music is every bit as beguiling and stormy as early reviews indicated, and the lyrics – however obtuse – should be printed in their own hardback and sold at Waterstones’.

9. Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship. I didn’t think Tortoise were ever going to make another album, after the tombstone-like epitaph/leviathan that was 2006’s A Lazarus Taxon. But here they are, future-thinking as ever, whether dissecting a rave-up on opener “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” or blowing punk’s socks off on “Yinxianghechengqi”. This is a dazzling piece of work imbued with great precision, but not at the expense of tangible emotion.

8. The Horrors – Primary Colours. Speaking of surprises, few would have expected this Southend five-piece to turn their backs on their lamentable gothic origins; knuckle down in the studio with Portishead mainman Geoff Barrow; and emerge bearing this strange, ripened fruit. On a beautiful journey through krautrock, shoegaze (“Mirror’s Image”) and glam (“Do You Remember”), The Horrors show us that they’ve been taking considered notes from the bands they used to only namecheck; Faris Badwan’s lyrics and vocals, meanwhile, reveal a surprising depth of emotion and recast him as a doomed romantic, far away from silly eyeliner and ghostly make-up. And it ends with an eight-minute motorik epic, “Sea Within A Sea”, which deserves its place in the annals of recorded music.

7. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic. I was initially sceptical of this mammoth work, which spreads out over 70 minutes and boasts nary a commercially viable single. It is unrelenting in ferocity, misery and acid-fried terror, but somewhere in that cauldron of krautrock-frazzled grooves lurks Wayne Coyne’s unpredictably scared heart, no longer an amused commentator, but a real-life citizen of a planet (real? imaginary?) on the verge of imploding. And if the colossal epics like “Worm Mountain” and “The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine” get too much, there’s some relief in the form of far-out beauties like “Powerless” and “The Impulse”.

6. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca. It should suffice to say that this album features the best Mariah Carey song she never sang on (“Stillness Is The Move”). If that won’t satisfy you, then take heart from the fact that Dave Longstreth has reined in previous excesses to produce a surprisingly focused set of R&B-tinged gems that look to Africa (“No Intention”), the charts, and the stunning vocal talents of Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian. The guitar parts are still fiddly and time-signature ignoring, but the songs they inhabit are accessible and deeply loveable.

5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion. For long stretches of the year, I didn’t dare listen to this album. I was afraid that the reviews were all wrong, and that an intangible sonic mush was swallowing up the middle of it (“Bluish”, “Guys Eyes”). Then I re-visited it, and realised that I was mistaken. This is a class act, bringing together the musical and lyrical themes of all the collective’s previous releases into a sophisticated, challenging, but ultimately rewarding work. The opening pair of “In The Flowers” and “My Girls” lets us know about the band’s new-found love of earth-shattering bass; the tropical closer “Brother Sport” ends in a mesmeric rave; and along the way we’re treated to forward-thinking pop music with vocal harmonies to die for, and gurgling production that eventually yields happiness for the listener.

4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest. I don’t care how antiquated it seems to say this, but this album reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel. There’s something about the intricacy and studiousness of the musicianship, coupled with Daniel Rossen’s slightly grainy voice, that can’t help but forge a link with songs like “The Boxer” and “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”. Not that that’s a bad thing – far from it. Grizzly Bear have fashioned the most wonderful chord changes and a sweet harmony that many would formerly have sneered at, in an album that captivates and charms and regularly sends chills down my spine. In Rossen’s songwriting contributions (opener “Southern Point” being a highlight), they explore unconventional shifts in timbre and mood; in Ed Droste’s more straightforward material (“Two Weeks” is one of the pop songs of the year) they still manage to shimmy in subtle textures that could easily be disregarded. Veckatimest is a work that rewards multiple listens, each revealing new complexities in the music, and strange new meanings to the language of the lyrics.

3. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns. Natasha Khan’s voice is an astonishing agent of emotion. By turns it resembles the innocent wanderlust of Björk, the impassioned lover of Kate Bush, and the punkish energy of Karen O. And each of these transformations is a fearsome engine, driving Two Suns along its initially tenuous narrative, and complementing the alarming variety of musical styles displayed throughout. From the beguiling opener “Glass”, which pits tribal drums against a selection of glacial synths, through the unashamed starstruck pop of “Daniel” (my song of the year, undoubtedly), to the plaintive piano-led moaning of “The Big Sleep” (ably assisted by the guttural baritone of Scott Walker) – Khan journeys through a wondrous landscape of sounds and textures, never losing sight of her lyrical intrigue. When she quotes the Song of Solomon, it doesn’t sound laboured or fussy; rather, it seems like a natural decision that links the past with the future on an album that melds a variety of influences, as well as pioneering musical styles that have never really been ventured into before. It’s interesting that in shedding the classical ornaments Khan favoured on her debut, Fur and Gold, she has succeeded in making a far more original album, and one that balances her unique aesthetic with compelling songwriting craft.

2. The xx – xx. What more is there to say about this mature and considered album, crafted in an innocent yet post-lapsarian manner, by four twenty-year olds from south-west London? There’s so much to like in its concise and economical running time, and also so much to fear, like the solitary sub-bass pulses that haunt “Fantasy”, and the quivering cry that signals the opening of “Crystalised”. xx is an essential listen for anyone who thought Aaliyah was dead and that her inspirational pop music of the turn of the millennium was buried forever. It is also the soundtrack to walking through the city at night; to wandering between empty night-buses; and to taking one’s tentative, scary steps through love and friendship. Only a small fraction of this album is actual noise – the deal is sealed by the empty space and the sound of dead air that envelops much of it. This unique method lets every guitar part trill, and every swooning vocal – whether uttered from Romy Madley Croft’s naïve lips, or from Oliver Sim’s raspy bark – resonate into the darkest recesses of your mind. Some critics have suggested xx sounds like the work of artists twice their age, such is its maturity, but I would beg to differ. For me, such maturity as is displayed here could only be derived from innocence, and the feeling of awe at being locked in a makeshift studio at night, free to roam through the emotions of being a young person in love, without needing to engage with the studio as a treasure trove of instrumental stardust.

1. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers. Similarly austere to xx, there is something very paradoxical about Wild Beasts’ sophomore release. Where they previously discussed sex and violence over a baroque-n-roll soundtrack, here, they tone down the musical rollercoaster and dial into a kind of steely, vaguely tropical funk, while upping the ante, lyrically, to tackle subjects like tentative romance, chav warfare, and… gang rape? The result is an utterly cohesive album that doesn’t shy away from experimentation (see the echo-drenched two part title-suite, “Two Dancers (i) and (ii)”) but is also unafraid of lavishing the listener with instantly memorable vocal and instrumental hooks (“We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ on our Tounges”, “Hooting & Howling”).

Of course Hayden Thorpe’s honking falsetto is still a major attraction (or turn-off, depending on personal preference), but it’s put to good use effortlessly, evoking a range of emotions and melodrama. The secret weapon in the band’s arsenal, meanwhile, is surely Tom Fleming’s more traditional baritone, which provides them with a useful counterfoil to Thorpe’s antics on songs like “All The King’s Men” and “Empty Nest”. This balance of power between the two vocalists helps make a body of work that continually surprises, but never loses its way in terms of excesses. Along with Fleming’s increasing prominence, the other major surprise on Two Dancers must surely be the percussion, which memorably features bongos alongside a more traditional drum kit. The syncopated polyrhythms this set-up allows for carries the album’s more upbeat songs inexorably forwards; on the slower, more meandering songs, it creates a more luxuriant, laid-back mood that is equally affecting.

On considering why I chose this album, which is ostensibly a thirty-seven minute document of guitar-based pop music, above the layers of experimentation and sonic warfare fostered by other artists this year, I can only come to one conclusion. Two Dancers succeeds in entertaining the listener like no other album – I do not just admire it as the fruits of its creators’ labour; I revel in every minute of it, as it delights the ear with its mellifluous instrumental work, and pleasures the mind with its libidinous and raunchy lyrics. In a year where we have been subjected to waves of tragedy and pessimism, it is wonderful to be able to enjoy an album that basks in the thrill of hedonism and creates passionate, believable drama out of the base and corporeal. Wild Beasts, like The Horrors, have confounded expectations, and returned with an album in which they have invested not necessarily a great deal of time (the band admits that much of the album was recorded live, with minimal overdubs), but an enormous quantity of soul and spirit and intellect; the end product is exactingly produced (in a manner that brings to the fore the band’s defining qualities) and earnestly performed, and yet manages to convey more intention and feeling than albums with far lengthier gestations. Two Dancers is a vital piece of work, made by young people full of brain and brawn – just the right cocktail to see you through the next decade.

Why this band aren’t bloody huge, I’ll never know. In the last ten years they have released four astonishingly good albums and several spellbinding singles and yet nobody ever seems to make much of a fuss about them. The story of how I fell in love with the band will keep for another time, but this is the story of how I rekindled that love after allowing them to fade from focus and simply sit on the shelf for some time.

Regular readers of this blog will have seen my review of Doves’ third album, ‘Some Cities’, posted recently as part of my self-indulgent revisiting of former glories, and will know that I rated that record pretty highly. Four years having passed since that album appeared, by the time I found out that the band were finally returning, they’d slipped down the pecking order rather and I needed convincing again. It didn’t take long. One listen to the album’s title track and I was sold. A strangely understated five minutes of music, it was a combination of everything I love about Doves: a shuffly drum beat, peculiar guitar noises winding in and out, a slight tease about when the chorus will actually kick in and then an actual chorus that doesn’t soar on its first couple of outings, but which gradually takes flight until the latter renditions are something you can belt out shamelessly in the privacy of your own home, car or local concert venue.

Their Nottingham Rock City gig earlier this year was the best show of theirs I’ve seen. They seemed to have gone from being a slow-paced indie band who did a few fast ones to an energy-packed, fast-paced indie band who do a couple of slow numbers. We even got ‘Spaceface’ out of them, which meant we all left grinning like absolute twats. Listening to ‘Jetstream’ and ‘Compulsion’ thumping out of enormous speakers as the band seemed more lost in the music than ever before, I was bordering on ecstatic. It was one of those concerts where you forget everything for the duration and leave wondering how you’ll ever top it, even though you know that it happens from time to time.

The New Order comparisons stand up to a certain extent, but I’m not sure Barney and Hooky ever quite managed such a heavy sound, and the almost anti-song approach of aforementioned album opener, ‘Jetstream’, which seems to build then lull, build then lull all over the place and, in an ideal world, would go on for pretty much all of eternity. It says a lot that the normally promo-only instrumental version of this record was released for purchase as a download recently, such is the strength of the actual music on this album. It is certainly their most accomplished record, but perhaps not quite their best.

My six porcelain Love Doves are out of the kiln and quite cute. They will be awesome little gifts for my family in Ohio. And I had a lot of gift requirements: something meaningful, original, home-made, budget-friendly, flying-friendly, and pretty. The Fetching fingerless gloves turned out perfect, but I am not a fast enough knitter to make five more pairs in a week. I need to start now for next year. A few weekends ago, I had the idea for my Love Doves. It was a way for me to get back into the pottery studio and make a few things quickly. I hadn’t been in the pottery studio all semester much to my dismay. I’m not sure why either. I live a stone’s throw from the studio.  I had originally wanted to make them as ornaments, but they turned out to be too heavy and I turned them into wall hangings. Two of the six have small cracks, but otherwise they all made it through the many steps in pottery – from wet clay to bone dry to fired to glazed. A rarity in the ceramic world. I am very pleased. And they were so easy to make. Here’s how I made them if you want to make your own Love Doves.

Before going into the studio, draw a simple dove shape on to copy paper and cut it out to use as a template.

In the studio, wedge a manageable chunk of porcelain clay on a clean surface. Roll it out. [I have found the easiest way to 'roll' out a slab of clay is to flatten your ball of clay by pounding it down with your fist, pick it up and throw it against the table. Repeat these steps, but keep picking up the slab of clay from the left-side instead of the top. It creates a sort of counter-clock-wise direction. You end up getting all of the air bubbles out of the clay, it doesn't stick, and it creates an even surface.]

I made some fun designs on the clay with an assortment of objects. Literally. I used lace and pine cones and kids toys and letters. Just press whatever in the surface to give it some texture. Cut out the birds with the template using a sharp knife. Be sure to make holes where you can hang the doves during this step.

To keep the birds from warping while they dry, I covered them with boards and let them dry very slowly (about a week).  When they are bone dry, load them into the kiln. Fire them at high-fire. Glaze them. I used a white crackle that we have in the studio. Fire again and voila! Love Doves.

Oh, don’t forget to sign the back!

This image is my representation of day two of the twelve days of Christmas.

I knew that this photo of these doves would come in handy. Ok I got two done and I already feel the pressure, I’ll do my best.

Source.

One of my favorite memories of a family trip to Arizona was seeing Gambel’s quail and white-winged doves. These birds are suburban wildlife, and coming from a place where the native quail species (the Northern bobwhite) is all but gone, the Gambel’s were my first experience with quail.

The birds lived and nested at the hotel where we were staying. I remember that one quail hen laid her eggs in flowerbed that was four feet off the ground.  One of the hotel staff motioned us over, and when we looked into the flower bed there was a quail hen and a bunch (maybe a dozen) tiny chicks. They were like turkey poults but much smaller.

***

I thought white-winged doves were some kind of mutant mourning doves until I consulted my field guide.

And I thought Stevie Nicks made that animal up!

Source.

In the top video, there are mourning doves mixed in with the white-winged doves. They aren’t that hard to tell apart when they are standing near each other.

In a few weeks, we say goodbye to the aughts. It seems only fitting that we provide you, our readers, with our own “best of” lists. What better way to kick it off than with our “Best Albums of the Decade.”

For me, it’s been a decade of great discovery musically–one where I’ve opened myself to new artists and genres–and moved past some of my previous biases. The 1990’s were marked by great albums with huge commercial success. It seems like everyone had a copy of Ten, Nevermind and OK Computer. Times have changed and the manner in which we consume our music has evolved. Gone are the days where terrestrial radio dictates what we listen to and no longer do we go to our local music store to purchase our favorite CD’s.

Instead, we turn to the Internet–to download, share, listen and get recommendations. This has paved the way for artists who lack traditional commercial appeal to find their way into the home of every American.  Most of the albums on this list, never dominated the charts, but each one packed an emotional punch from beginning to end and provided the listener endless pleasure.

With that said, this selection process was not without a system. My iPod contains all 10 albums. I have carefully analyzed my listening stats for each album, averaging the ranking of all the songs on an album, using the iPod 5 star ranking system. In the event of a tie, I moved to the average number of listens per song for an album.

1.)    Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Bright Eyes

Saddle Creek Records, 2002

Seattle played a major role in defining the music of the 1990’s and while no one city has dominated the music world like Seattle in the aughts, the closest thing we had was the Midwest scene in towns like Lawrence, Kansas, Omaha, Nebraska, and Columbia, Missouri.

Seattle’s Sub Pop Records introduced the world to Nirvana, arguably Seattle’s most influential band. Omaha’s Saddlecreek Records, introduced the world to Bright Eyes, arguably the most influential band in the Midwestern sound and possibly the defining sound of the 2000’s. Nirvana already had a loyal following prior to the release of Nevermind, but it was that album’s release that earned them mainstream success. Similarly, Lifted earned Bright Eyes, already a favorite among the indie crowd, a mainstream following.

No album of the decade captures the post-9/11 angst many Americans my age felt. Indeed, Lifted marked Conor Oberst’s first overt attempt to fuse his music with politics and his own unique brand of existential dread, as evidenced by the opening lines of the albums’ first song, “The Big Picture” (The picture is far too big to look at kid/ Your eyes won’t open wide enough and you are constantly surrounded by that swirling stream of what is and what was./Well, we’ve all made our predictions but the trust still isn’t out/So if you want to see the future, go stare into a cloud.).

These themes continue throughout the album, hitting emotional crescendos in songs like “Waste of Paint” and “Don’t Know When But a Day Is Gonna Come” and my personal favorite song of the decade, “Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)”.

I first discovered Bright Eyes in 2001, at the end of a dark chapter in my life. A friend gave me a copy of Fevers and Mirrors and I listened to it religiously. I bought Lifted the day it was released and I credit it for keeping me sane through the majority of the Bush years.  I knew at that point the album was special, but it wasn’t until I began this project to compile the best albums of the decade that I realized just how special it was and remains.

2.)  The Moon & Antarctica

Modest Mouse

Epic Records, 2000

Modest Mouse achieved their greatest commercial success starting in 2004 with their release of Good New for People Who Love Bad News. However, this Seattle act has been rocking since 1993.  The Moon & Antarctica represents their most complete album with hardly any blemishes. Compared to their albums, The Moon is much more instrumental driven, featuring numerous memorable guitar riffs, some of which have permeated our popular culture. Nissan used the opening to “Gravity Rides Everything” in an ad campaign a few years back. With that said, Modest Mouse manages to avoid being superfluous with their music, never allowing their instruments to overshadow the deeper meaning of their songs. Indeed, their unique sound provides an ethereal backdrop for delivering a chilling, often heart wrenching message.

Though not a concept album by definition, the songs blend perfectly together. I divide the album into three parts and an epilogue. The first part begins with Track #1, “3rd Planet” and culminates with “Perfect Disguise.” Part Two  begins with “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” and climaxes with “The Stars Are Projectors,” the most powerful song on the album. The third part begins “Wild Packs of Family Dogs” and ends with “Lives.” While “Life Like Weeds” and “What People Are Made Of” combine to form the perfect postscript.

3.)  Picaresque

The Decemberists

Kill Rock Stars, 2005

I was a little surprised at how well Picaresque scored when I started going through the numbers on my iPod. I knew the album would make my Top 10 list, but I didn’t remember how great this album is until I actually started going through it again. While the Top 2 spots are held down by albums full of melancholy, Picaresque is much more lively and fun. The Decemberists don’t shy away from dark subject matter, but beginning with the high-energy “The Infanta” on track 1 you get a totally different vibe. What sticks out most about the album, and can be found in most of The Decmberists work, is the tight narratives that hold the songs together. Frontman Colin Meloy is a master of the use of imagery within a song, the likes of which we have not seen since Paul Simon. As you listen to the songs, Meloy paints a vivid picture, so the experience becomes as much visual as audible. Some even remind us of some of the great writers of the English language. The first time I heard “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” I could not help but think of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” While the plots aren’t the same, the structure that both Coleridge and Meloy employed are similar.

If you want a small sample of this album’s greatness, I recommend “Eli, the Barrow Boy.” It is a perfect example of the imagery and narrative I discussed above and my personal favorite from the album.

4.)   Kid A

Radiohead

EMI, 2000

One album sure to be on every “best of the decade” list is Radiohead’s Kid A. Since it’s release, Radiohead fans and music fans alike have debated over the meaning of the album. The commonly held belief is that it is a concept album about the world’s first human clone, “Kid A.” Musically and stylistically, the album represented a break from the Radiohead of the 1990’s and defined the Radiohead sound of the aughts. The songs feature electronic sounds and vocal distortions, rarely used in the group’s first three CD’s, but that have been more common in their more recent work. I love Radiohead, but would never have the audacity to claim to be an expert on the band. I know they have a very loyal fan base and out of respect to that fan base I will refrain from commenting too much on the album. I don’t need to!  The album speaks for itself. I will say that “How to Disappear Completely” is my favorite Radiohead song and “Optimistic” is not too far behind.

5.)  Backspacer

Pearl Jam

Monkeywrench, 2009

This choice will not surprise many of who know me and understand my love of Pearl Jam. Simply put, the best  Pearl Jam album since No Code and the best album released by anyone in 2009. I doubt Backspacer will win over many new fans to the band, but Pearl Jam has a well established fan base and those fans, including myself, can see the growth this band has experienced over the years. Perhaps it’s the new President or maybe it’s being free of a major label and allowed to express their artistic freedom, but Eddie Vedder and the entire band seem almost happy for the first time in their career. Indeed, on the album’s firs track, “Gonna See My Friend”, a song about addiction, Vedder expresses a common theme for the album, “I’m gonna shake this thing/I wanna shake this pain before I retire.” For the past twenty years, Pearl Jam has rocked against the establishment with a youthful exuberance and proud ideology. While they remain true to those principles, it seems like they’ve learned, through experience, that in spite of the problems the world presents, there are many places to find a respite and some inner peace.

One of those places seems to be their own music. No longer trying to please a record executive, the band can make music they want to hear. Backspacer is much more up tempo and high energy than the band’s previous releases. It’s almost as if they’ve had all this energy stored, throughout the years, and finally have an outlet to express it.

Vedder also looks to love as a means to some inner peace. In “Amongst the Waves,” a song that traces the path of a relationship, Vedder writes, “if not for love I would be drowning/I’ve seen it work both ways, I’m up/Riding high among the waves/I can feel like I have a soul that has been saved.” On “Just Breathe”, we see Vedder adopt the acoustic style he favored for his recent solo work to carve out an old fashioned love song. They return to the sea analogy and more hints of love in the anthem, “Force of Nature”–the best song on the album.

6.)  Tennessee

Lucero

Madjack Records, 2002

“Alt-country” experienced a boom in popularity during the decade. From some of the early pioneers of the genre like Ryan Adams and the Old 97’s, to the new blood of bands like My Morning Jacket and Drive-By Truckers, the music permeated the landscape and found it’s way into other genres as well. One band in the genre that is often overlooked is Lucero. I first saw Lucero play a show around the time they released Tennessee. At the time, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find decent entertainment during a weekend trip to Little Rock and just happened to walk into a Lucero show. I had never heard of the band and did not know what to expect, but to this day I rank it as one of the best shows I have ever been to.  The band played festivals all over the country in support of Tennessee and earned a loyal following.  One of the best reviews I read regarding Tennessee upon its release compared Ben Nichols’ vocals to a “country” Kurt Cobain. Indeed, there is a grittiness to his voice and it is that distinctive voice that draws the listener into the lyrics. Once drawn in, the band takes the listener or a journey into dance halls, honky tonks and little roadside dives all across the United States. This is especially true with tracks like “Slow Dancing”, “Nights Like These” and “Here at the Starlite.” Since the release of Tennessee, Lucero has experienced some mainstream success, but still doesn’t get the respect of My Morning Jacket or Drive-By Truckers. Take it from me, they have done more for the country rock genre than anyone since Gram Parsons.

7.)  The Blueprint

Jay-Z

Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam, 2001

As a teen in the early 90’s, I became a huge fan of the rap and hip-hop of the time. I still count Dr. Dre’s The Chronic as one of the top 5 albums of any genre and I loved everything 2Pac put out, but when 2Pac died the genre seemed to fade as well. Instead of remaining true to telling stories of the streets, rap and hip-hop evolved into a philistine, pseudo-art form. It reminded me of the evolution of rock. In the 60’s and 70’s, rock was defined by truly talented artists writing great songs of political and social importance. In the 80’s, hair bands started hijacking the genre and rock went from fighting “the man” to one big party, full of booze, Aqua Net and strippers. When rap and hip-hop laid down their guns and picked up the bling, the music took a serious hit. Sure, it was easier for a suburban audience to consume, and thus more profitable, but it just wasn’t the same as the great music I experienced in middle school and high school.

For years, I refused to listen to any “new” rap or hip-hop, including some of Jay-Z’s earlier stuff, but when I first heard The Blueprint I heard an edge that had been missing from the genre for far too long.  Without a doubt, this is the best rap/hip-hop album released since the death of 2Pac. At the beginning of “The Ruler’s Back,” Jay-Z announces “what you about to witness is just my thoughts.” When I heard those words, I knew real hip-hop was back.

8,)  Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Belle & Sebastian

Rough Trade, 2003

If I had to use one word to describe this album it would be “fun.” At the end of the day, sometimes music needs to be fun. In Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle & Sebastian reaches back into the annals of music and channels the spirit of so many of the great “British invasion” bands. Catchy tunes and whimsical lyrics abound on this album, including the title track.

As a fan of classic rock, I simply love the Thin Lizzy inspired “I’m a Cuckoo.” The baseball fan in me laughs at the tongue and cheek humor found in “Piaza, New York Catcher.” No matter what life may throw my way, I can listen to this album and know that at the end I will be in  a much better mood. It may not be as great or artistic as some of their recordings from the 90’s and, yes, it was released at a point when their music was becoming far more commercial, but when you stack it up against the rest of the music of the decade, this one definitely lands in the Top 10.

9.)  Cassadaga

Bright Eyes

Saddle Creek, 2007

The second Bright Eyes album to make our list is a much more polished version than the first and finds Conor Oberst refining many of the styles he experimented with on Lifted, most notably the alt-country genre. Indeed, if you listen closely you can hear the influence of The Byrds’ Sweethearts of the Rodeo stage and Gram Parsons.

The pedal steel plays in the background, mixing beautifully with Oberst’s Dylan-like delivery of lyrics on “If the Brakeman Turns My Way”.  On “Four Winds”, Oberst puts an alt-country twist on William Butler Yeats’ “Second Coming”.  Perhaps the most moving of all the songs on the album is the haunting “Middleman,” a collection of beautifully played strings mixed  with the distant howling of a woodwind section creates a symphony of sorrow best enjoyed alone.In “I Must Belong Somewhere”, Oberst points a mirror directly at America, causing each of us to pause and question our society and culture–the sign of a true artist.

10.)  Fever to Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Interscope Geffen, 2003

I never got the chance to visit CBGBs. When I listen to Fever to Tell, I like to imagine that this is what it sounded like back in its prime. Lead singer Karen O is our generation’s Patti Smith and the music’s raw energy makes you want to jump out of your seat and move along with the beat. The album is best known for the single “Maps”, which received heavy radio play, but relatively speaking it’s a “weak” song when compared to the rest of the album. The one-two combination of “Rich” and “Date With the Night” gets the album off to a fast start, which continues up until “Maps” when the album takes a decidedly slower turn, not that it’s a bad turn. In fact, the closing trio of “Maps”, “Y Control” and “Modern Romance” caps the album off nicely.

Honorable Mentions

Lost Souls – Doves

Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World

You Are the Quarry – Morrissey

Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant – Belle & Sebastian

Living in America – The Sounds

Sweet little pair of doves I found on a recent thrifting jaunt. WHY in the world would someone paint them black??

A~HA!!! Turning them over and looking at the back, I discover that the black paint is covering up a layer of country blue AND a layer of olive green. Again . . . WHY??!?!?

I gave them a good dose of KILZ primer, then some nice white paint. Once dry I sanded them a bit to bring out the details.

Wont’ they be cute with a Valentine’s display?

Don’t forget to please CLICK HERE to vote for me in the Handmade Holidays contest. Just clicking on the link will give me a vote. No need to do anything else

2008 had a slight folk-tinge to it and 2009 was to be no exception. February saw the arrival of a mass of Fence Collective stuff. I had a bit of a Fence-freakout and ended up placing a huge order on their website; Adrian Crowley, John Hopkins, Reuben Taylor, On The Fly, Reporter, Found, Weasel Squealer, King Creosote, James Yorkston, Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra, Gangplank, Viva Stereo, Clock, The Pictish Trail and Kwaing Creasite. Obviously Mr. Yorkston and King Creosote have had some considerable success, but I’d advise that you at least give some of the Fence Samplers/compilations a try.

Hot on the heels of Fence, and in a similar folkish-bent “The Best Of Steeleye Span“. Aw, come-on, it’s part of my British musical heritage – the missing link between Robin Hood, Morris Men and LSD. Fender’s playing recorder riffs! When you think that only 1 year after “All Around My Hat” a certain J. Lydon was to join a fledgling punk outfit called the Sex Pistols, this band occupies an interesting (and uneasy) mid-point in the progression from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. (And that’s the beauty of British music).

“Checkmate Savage” by the Phantom Band was vying for album of the year back in Feb. It’s still up there. It was an early gem. It’s slipped a bit since then, but the hints of Krautrock and folk ensured that it’s a favourite almost 12 months later.

Compilation of the year – “Dark Was The Night: A Red Hot Compilation“. What a lineup. Introduced me to The Decemberists so for that alone it was worth the price of admission. The Antony (with Bryce Dessner) track “I Was Young When I Left Home” is stunning.

(Oh, by the way, we’re in March!)

I wasn’t sure what I’d purchased when I received the Beirut “March Of The Zapotec” CD. For some reason the 2 CD format containing less than 35 minutes in total turned me off. To this day it’s still largely unplayed. The music isn’t bad. I think I feel cheated. The listening effort is decidedly one-sided (all mine). And who/what are Realpeople Holland?

Another collective sparked my interest in 2009 – Willkommen Collective. I heard an interview with Nick Hemming from The Leisure Society on Guy Garveys Finest Hour. Guy played “The Last Of The Melting Snow” and I was hooked. Cue some crazed googling followed by some equally random spending and I became the proud owner of releases by; The Miserable Rich, Sons Of Noel And Adrian and The Shoreline. (Unfortunately I had to wait for The Leisure Society). Definately a label you should follow. The bands all exhibit varying levels of “folkiness”, but that’s a good thing. Right?

Polly Jean and J. Parish gave me a jolt in April. I was stood in Galway City HMV desperately trying to find something worth buying and I recognised Ms. Harveys voice drifting, and then shrieking, over the in-store sound-system “I want his fucking ass, I want his fucking ass, I want his fucking ass, I want your fucking ass”. Apologies were extended by the young lad being the counter to the lady with the child. Not suitable? Noise? Fucking U2 – that’s unsuitable. Bring your child up with a discerning ear. PJ Harvey. Anyone who can write lyrics like her should be enshrined as a national treasure. Add the CD to your already bulging Polly Jean collection.

I bought “Kingdom Of Rust” that day. Just “Rust” would have been more appropriate. This really didn’t hit the spot for me. Now, hearing the Doves play these tracks live at Dubai Sound City they took on an altogether different feel. Dynamic, raw and interesting. Not over-engineered background music. Disappointed.

At this point I’m going to stop. We’re in earl April 09. Elbow and shoegazing in next post.

The Irish Times published their top 20 albums of the decade recently. I was big indie kid back in the day and felt recently that  was out of touch. Of the 20, I own 13, 3 were/are on my wish list, I have never heard of 3 of them and I’m not too bothered about 1. So it appears that I’m not completely out of the loop.

Interestingly, I purchased Fleet Foxes’ self titled album in October, just before going away for a 3 week holiday. I bought it as it was number one on my amazon list of recommendations. And I love it. Amazon obviously know my music tastes too well. Interestingly enough, Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago is number one on my Amazon recommendations list right now so I think I’ll have to get it.

1 Arcade Fire - Funeral (2005)

2 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)

3 The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)

4 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)

5 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

6 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) (2001)

7 Brendan Benson - Lapalco (2002)

8 Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (2005)

9 Cathy Davey - Tales of Silversleeve (2007)

10 Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

11 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)

12 The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

13 The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)

14 PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000)

15 Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006)

16 Ash - Free All Angels (2001)

17 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

18 Sigur Rós - Ágaetis Byrjun (2003)

19 Doves - The Last Broadcast (2002)

20 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (2008)

For the last two years, indie rock band Akeal have been creating a stir in Warwickshire’s music scene with their rapidly-growing fanbase.

Known widely for their UK tour with Coventry band The Enemy and their various performances at events such as the 2008 Godiva Festival, lead singer and guitarist, Gaz Openshaw talks about his experiences during his rise to fame.

Inspired by bands such as Interpol, Elbow and The Doves, Gaz told of how his love of music started “when I was about 17, I’d always listened to music, you know, doing a bit of air guitar when no one’s around, but I’d never really learnt to play any instruments, but I figured it’s not too late to learn” and went on to meet fellow bandmembers Matt Graham (drums), Sean Davenport (bass) and Chris Hamblett (guitar) at a music group in Leamington Spa, where they soon became close mates and “it became apparent we’d be in a band”.

Gaz’s ideal situation would be that the band would become so sought after that they’d “be able to pick and choose where (they) wanted to play out of pretty much anywhere”.

When writing songs for the band, Gaz admits “I’ll be honest, when I first sit down to write a song, I’m not focusing on the message I’m putting across as much as I’m focusing on trying to make it sound good, but as soon as I’m happy with the music I’ll sit down and fit some meaningful lyrics to it: it’s not one-sided.”

“Do you see being in the band as mainly business… or pleasure?” I ask as he stops for a few seconds before answering with “I love being in the band, it definitely started as a hobby, but right now I’ve gotta say it’s about 60/40 in favour of business.”

Gaz then went on to tell me of his excitment about the possibility of touring with General Fiasco at some point next year, although it’s not been finalised as of yet. The bands’ next big performance is to be the Snowbombing festival in Mayrhofen, Austria next year between the 5th and 10th of April, where Akeal will be playing alongside established artists such as The Enemy, The Doves, Fatboy Slim and The Editors.

By Ryan Brailsford

Sources
- http://www.myspace.com/akeal
- akeal.wordpress.com

100 was te veel, 50 was wat te weinig. Was het dan geen goed jaar? Tuurlijk wel, alleen zit uwer aller Ahdeboys niet dagelijkse blogs af te schuimen, eerder wekelijks, of tweemaandelijks, zoals de laatste update hier misschien doet uitschijnen.

En toch, toen ik de laatste weken mijn map ‘SINGLES_REMIXES_APARTE NRS’ doorzocht op zoek naar materiaal voor dit eindejaarslijstje kon ik moeilijk anders dan concluderen dat er ook weer dit jaar een pak heerlijke nummers/remixes/covers zijn gemaakt. Voor de muggenzifters onder jullie (toch wel zeker 73% van het soort mensen dat dit soort lijstjes leest): misschien zit er soms wel eens een nummer van 2008 bij of ouder, of waarvan het album er al was in 2008, maar laat ons zeggen dat er toch zo veel mogelijk op gelet werd en dat onze redactie nogal onderbemand is voor dit soort research. Genoeg inleiding nu, tijd voor muziek:

66. Memory Cassette – Asleep at a party

De mislukte recensent in ons denkt ‘dromerig’, en zo van die woorden. Niet te verwarren met slaapverwekkende psychedelische brol. Als u iets tegenkomt van Memory Tapes of Weird Tapes: ‘t is dezelfde gast. Hopelijk even goed!

65. Absynthe Minded – Envoi

Jaja ‘t is gebaseerd op een gedicht van Hugo Claus enzo, kei chique. Zodanig veel gehoord de laatste tijd dat zelfs de grootste niet-chauvinist in ons moest toegeven dat dit méér dan ok is. Gezien? ‘Méér dan ok.’

64. Chromeo – Night by Night

Smooth, smoother, smoothest, Chromeo. Misschien wel beter dan hun doorbraakhitje ‘Needy girl’.

63. Gypsy and the Cat – Jona Vark

Gewoon vanonder in dat zwart balkske op de play-knop klikken

“Her name was Jooooooona, Jona Vark”. Hebdem?

62. Annie  – Antonio (Designer Drugs remix)

Het beste nummer dat niet op de  nieuwe plaat staat. En jammer genoeg voor haar ook gewoon haar beste recente nummer, albumtracks inbegrepen. En ‘t is dan nog een remix, Annie .

61. Kid Cudi – Pursuit of happiness (ft. MGMT & Ratatat)

Wie was er niet behoorlijk curieus toen dit nummer overal begon op te duiken op blog allerhande? Het nieuwe wonderkind van de hip hop plús MGMT die mee de vocals verzorgen en die crazy mannen van Ratatat die achter de knoppen zitten. Boenk er op! Nu gij, Kanye.

60. Chairlift – Bruises

By far het liefelijkste nummer dat hier gepasseerd is dit jaar.

59. Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity of huge

Als we mogen kiezen horen we dit graag nog eens terug zo ergens volgende zomer tijdens Ten Days Off in een net niet te volle Vooruit, om toch genoeg plaats te hebben voor een aantal zotte moves.

58. Beck – Sunday Morning

Wanneer Beck niet aan nieuwe albums bezig is of aan het aanpappen is met Charlotte Gainsbourg houdt hij wat tijd vrij voor zijn hobbyproject: samen met andere artiesten klassieke albums coveren (o.a. de  banaan van The Velvet Underground) Moeilijk voor te stellen wie dit nummer beter had kunnen onder handen kunnen nemen dan de heer Beck Hansen.

57. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – Dance the Way I Feel

Geen nieuwe ‘Kids’, maar toch een verdienstelijke poging om toch zeker de synths niet uit het oog te verliezen.

56. Doves – Kingdom of Rust

Vaststelling: Doves brengen nooit minder dan goede platen uit. Voorspelling: bij de volgende plaat doen ze een ‘Elbowke’, m.a.w.: ze brengen een even goeie plaat uit dan de vorige maar plots worden ze dan toch eens écht opgepikt. Het is hen van harte gegund.

55. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele – Meet Me at the Garden

Doet wat denken aan het verschrikkelijk relaxte sfeertje dat indertijd ook ‘Island in the sun’ uitstraalde. Hangmatnummertje!

54. Good Luck at the Gunfight – Malibu

tra002 (5 dagen geleden)

the beginning is just so epic……

The whole song is just so epic

53. Jack Beats – Get Down (VIP edit)

Feesje? Feesje.

52. Kronos Quartet – Dark Was The Night

Toegegeven, wij zijn toch wel suckers voor het betere instrumentale nummer. Kan zo de soundtrack vormen voor een of andere kickass film van de Coen Brothers ergens in de woestijn in Arizona, ofzo.

51. Bat For Lashes – Daniel

Matige plaat. Wereldnummer. Deftige balans Miss Kahn.

OK.  It’s good to go.

Anyone wanting a copy of my best of 2009 CD let me know.  Here’s how it shapes up.

Eagle eyed observers will immediately spot that there is a very high presence from the hip hop and R and B world which, I have to say, has somewhat taken me by surprise.  But, hey, they’re all there on merit.  In fact, by my standards it’s almost mainstream.

The two stand outs for me are Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys which blew me away when I first heard it and Melody Gardot’s sublime My One and Only Thrill which I will, in fact, be performing on December the 19th.

Enjoy.

a great depiction – both lyrically and visually – of the fruits of boredom in an uninteresting place. makes me smile.

visually, the highlight is 2:22-2:30 (sheer brilliance). click here to watch

July 2011,Taliban,The text in quotes is Ralph Peter’s who Writes foir the N.Y POST, the text in BOLD is mine!

“Just plain nuts: That’s the only possible characterization for last night’s presidential declaration of surrender in advance of a renewed campaign in Afghanistan. ” (What a Commander in Chief, gives up before he starts)
“President Obama will send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan — but he’ll “begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011.” Then why send them?” (The election is in 2012 isn’t it)

“If you’re going to tell the Taliban to be patient because we’re leaving, what’s the point in upping the blood ante? For what will come down to a single year by the time the troops hit the ground?” (Hang on Taliban, when we leave we wiull give the Afghanian people alot of equipment and munitions that you can rip off for your own)

“Does Obama really expect to achieve in one year what we haven’t been able to do in more than eight?”
(He knows not what he is doing and neither do his advisors)

“And what did this “new strategy” come down to, otherwise? More of the same, but more: More troops, more civilians, more partnership.” (How about more LIES)

“Well, the troops will go, the civilians won’t — and the partnerships are a fantasy.” (The civilians and our so called “partners” are both to smart to fall for this load of troops he is sending with orders not to shoot anyone)

“Our president is setting up our military to fail — but he’ll be able to claim that he gave the generals what they wanted. Failure will be their fault.” (Once again it is all about Barack Hussein Obama and Chicago Machine Dirty Politics)

“He’s covering his strong-on-security flank, even as he plays to our white-flag wavers. His cynicism’s worthy of a Saddam.” (Obama isn’t much on knowledge to be a President but he sure knows how to cover his ass)

“This isn’t just stupid: It’s immoral. No American president has ever espoused such a worthless, self-absorbed non-strategy for his own political gratification.” (This President is worthless and self=absorbed and only interested in what is good for Barack Hussein Obama)

“On the other hand, the stage lighting and the camera angles at West Point were terrific. Our president looked good. Jaw jutting high (in his “hope” pose), he decried political partisanship — but spent more time blaming Bush and Iraq for our Afghan problems than he spent blaming the Taliban” (Why did he choose West Point for this televised speech? I know, you figure it out! Blaming GWB is getting real old, it’s been a year Barack, get off it)

“Nor did Obama miss a single chance to praise himself, insisting that he’s already transformed our relationship with the Middle East (please notify the Iranians, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas) and that all of his dithering demonstrated wisdom.” (Of course, Barack Hussein Obama can do no wrong, He just can’t see anything around him because of the brightness of his own self believed halo)

“This guy loves to hear himself talk. The last quarter of the speech was boiler-plate rhetoric that wandered off into the clouds. And that human-rights stuff? Where was that during his visits to China and Saudi Arabia? Hypocrisy, thy name is Barack.” (He talks and talks and talks and says nothing)

“Above all, where was the strategy? And where are the four-star resignations over a policy designed to squander American lives just to give an administration political cover?” (I wonder what will come of the numbers of our military killed in Afghanistan after this, will we be told truth or the Obamaized version?)

“After eight years of failure to create effective Afghan security forces and a responsible government, does anyone believe we can do it in 12 to 18 months?” (Obama will wave his magic wand and it will become so, Yeah sure it will))

“Target the insurgency”? Does that mean our soldiers will finally be permitted to go after our enemies and kill them? Nope. Those troops are going to “secure population centers.” We’ll be passive and let the enemy choose where and when to strike.”( you betcha, rules of engagement will be very strict, Obama surely doesn’t want a high body count for the Taliban to militate against him)

When fighting insurgents and terrorists, if you’re not slamming them up against the wall and breaking their bones, you’re losing. Obama isn’t sending more troops — he’s sending more targets.

“By the time Obama finally got to Pakistan — the refuge of evil — he was spouting pure nonsense: “We are committed to a partnership with Pakistan that is built on a foundation of mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual trust.” But our interests diverge, we don’t respect each other and we certainly don’t trust each other. ” ( What is it with Obama and Pakistan , better know as Evilistan, he always manages to make them appear the victims, maybe it is because he has so many wealthy Pakistani friends and donors to his campaigns!)

Mr. President, you are a dim bulb and have sent our troops into a trap and sold the country of Afghanistan down the river. You have made yourself (you think) bullet proof by trying to appease both sides, the hawks and the gutless doves! You have erred greatly and will pay as your asinine waiting for months and coming up with this cockamayme plan is nothing but political suiside!

RWD