How's My Living? » Best Of

Favorite Photos of 2011: Part One

Sarah — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:20:45 +0000

For one reason or another, it’s been a pretty quiet year on the writing front around here. It happens, what can I say? Maybe 2012 will be better.

Anyhow, I may not have written a whole lot, but I’ve been keeping busy in 2011 by taking lots of photographs. Here are a few of my favorites. There will be more, later this week.

Broken Records; Reckless Records, February 26, 2011

I had only barely heard of Broken Records when I went to this in-store. Thanks to strong recommendations from Tart (Love Shack, Baby) and Steve (Baby, You Got a Stew Goin’), I knew I was going to hear some good music. The Scottish indie-rock-ish band certainly delivered, both at the tiny in-store and at a full headlining gig at Schubas later that night.

Broken Records: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter

Over the Rhine; Lincoln Hall, April 8, 2011

I was more than pleased to see one of my favorite bands at one of my favorite Chicago venues. Lately, Over the Rhine have been making an annual stop at the Old Town School of Folk Music in December, and it’s lovely to see them in such a classy venue, but I loved getting to be right up close at Lincoln Hall.Pictured above is Jason Goforth, who, in addition to having an awesome last name, has been playing with Over the Rhine live for the past couple of years or so.

Over the Rhine songs are always my go-to songs when I’m looking to give myself something to do vocally. I walked around the house singing along to their new album, The Long Surrender, the other day; my cat looked at me as if I’d lost my mind, but sometimes you’ve just got to belt out along with Karin: ”All my favorite people are broken, believe me, my heart should know.”

– Concert review, posted April 22, 2011

Over the Rhine: Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Store

Jessica Lea Mayfield; Schubas, May 14, 2011

This shot has some issues with lighting, but I love the expression on her face. It’s a pretty perfect, dazed, far away look, and it’s one that fits Mayfield pretty well.

Performing with a full band, Mayfield and company filled the room, even on quieter numbers. The crowd was a bit rowdy, but they loved her music, with many people singing along to every word. Mayfield’s music is dark and deeply personal: she writes what she knows, and what she knows could absolutely break your heart.

– Concert review, posted October 13, 2011

Jessica Lea Mayfield: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Luke Doucet; Schubas, June 2, 2011

Luke Doucet and his wife Melissa McClelland opened up for Teddy Thompson at Schubas and put on a fantastic show. Both Doucet and McClelland have released several solo albums of their own, but released an album together under the name of Whitehorse later in 2011. They performed many of their own songs but also previewed many of the Whitehorse songs, as well.

Luke Doucet: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook

Legendary Shack Shakers; Ribfest, June 10, 2011

I didn’t love this show as much as I’d hoped – the punk-rockabilly band tended much more towards punk than I remembered – but frontman J.D. Wilkes was a blast to photograph, and the crowd absolutely loved their antics.

Legendary Shack Shakers: Official Website | Facebook | Myspace | Twitter | Store

Bill Callahan; Lincoln Hall, July 3, 2011

I loved everything about this show. I almost didn’t go, because I was feeling lazy and hadn’t actually heard Callahan’s newest album, and I didn’t want to be that person who went to a show on a tour for a new album and griped about the fact that they didn’t play any songs I knew. But I sucked it up and went, like a real responsible grown-up, and was glad for it. Callahan’s performance was mesmerizing, regardless of the number of songs I actually knew. This show was somewhat difficult to shoot, because of frequently low lighting, and because of my position right under the mic stand, but I still came out with some of my favorite photos ever.

Bill Callahan: Official Website | MySpace

Violet; Notting Hill Arts Club, September 4, 2011

I went to London in September and was lucky enough to be there when Communion Music was putting on a show. Although I’d never heard of any of the bands on the bill, I trusted Communion to have a stellar line-up, and they didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, most of the acts are kind of un-Google-able, like Violet, pictured here. Hey, bands! I’d love to buy your music if only I could find you on the internet. (I would have stuck around after the show but I think I only had £10 in my pocket and wasn’t sure how long the buses ran in that area.) This was a pretty challenging show to shoot, and I only got photos of the last three acts. Apart from the fact that the only light was red (I understand now why photographers always complain about red stage lighting), I felt like the concert-going culture was much different than what I’m used to here in Chicago. People hardly even glanced at their cell phones, let alone spent their time snapping away on iPhones and point-and-shoots, so I felt pretty awkward lurking about with my DSLR, though I managed a few interesting shots.

Guest Post: Seven Albums That Came Out in 2011 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Sarah — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:44:31 +0000

[ Every year, my friend Mike, of Land of Absurdity, contributes his list of favorite albums. It almost makes up for the fact that I never bother to put these sorts of lists together anymore. Such is life. -S ]

Another year, another list. See I like lists, and I can make them much more efficiently than Ms Sarah up there, mostly because I don’t amass so much music and then listen to a song or two a day between fits of Andrew Bird and Mumford and Sons. Seriously, check her lastfm page, she’s listened to Little Lion Man more times than recommended by the FDA. But I digress, it seemed to me that everyone I liked released an album or EP within the first half of the year, and then new music sort of petered off for the year for me. But thanks to the magic of the Spotify, this year did have the biggest pool of albums to pick for the:

Seven Albums That Came Out in 2011 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Butch Walker and The Black Widows – The Spade
Every one of Butch Walker’s albums has a different sound, and this one may be the best since Letters. More of a straight up Tom Petty style rock and roll album than previous offerings, and every song is good. Synthesizers is by far the best song on the album and would be best song of the year if not for Innerpartysystem (whose song was written using synthesizers). Saw him perfom 90% of this album live, and he did not disappoint. Even grabbed my arm with a very sweaty hand. Butch is amazing. This album cements his legacy.

The Spade was released August 30 on Dangerbird Records.

Butch Walker: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Store

The Antlers – Burst Apart
This album isn’t the sort of thing you can listen to everyday, but if you’re settling in for the night, or you’re in the midst of a rainy drive, this album is aces. When I saw them at Lolla in 2010, I mentioned that I thought that Paper Route was a better example of the style of music… well that was until I heard this album. An interesting side note, if you ever are watching the old French produced Anime The Mysterious Cities of Gold, No Widows synchs up pretty nicely to the cartoon.

Burst Apart was released May 10 on Frenchkiss Records.

The Antlers: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction/Ghost

The first two albums from this project made the list two years ago, so it’s no surprise that the last two get in too. Deconstruction is Devin’s toungue in cheek humor brought to the forefront, and Ghost is ambient bliss. Not everyone can pull of ambient bluegrass and songs featuring the Big Mac jingle. Devin can. Most entertaining Canadian offering since Strange Brew.

Ghost and Deconstruction were released June 20 and 21 on Inside Out Records.

Devin Townsend Project: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Store

The Naked and Famous – Passive Me, Aggressive You
For some reason, despite the fact that I don’t really like MGMT, I really like bands that sound like MGMT. I bought this album the same day I bought Torches, and really can’t understand why Foster the People gets more buzz. This album is leagues ahead. It’s not everyday that a bunch of Kiwis can make music that gets noticed outside of New Zealand. Which just goes to show how awesome this album is. Great trade offs between male and female vocals, and just pure awesome from start to finish.

Passive Me, Aggressive You was released on March 15 (in the US) o

The Naked and Famous: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

The Chain Gang of 1974 – Wayward Fire
If you have been following me on the twitter or my website, you will know that I’ve followed TCGO1974 ever since the beginning. Now he has a true debut album released by a real live record label. This album perfectly captures an 80s groove, while not singing about things that only mattered in the 80s. Tell Me is a great breakup song. Taste of Heaven should be in the next Cameron Crowe movie. And of course, Heartbreaking Scream is probably 3rd best song of the year.

Wayward Fire was released on June 21 on Modern Art Records.

The Chain Gang of 1974: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones
So I made a faux pas on my last list, putting Sleep is For the Week on there even though the actual album (not the mp3 rip) came out 3 years previous. Not so This year. England Keep My Bones was indeed released in 2011 and it was quite awesome. Much like with Butch, I saw Frank perform 90% of this album live and it was truly amazing. I Still Believe and Glory Hallelujah are seminal songs of Frank’s outlook. One Foot Before the Other shows off his hardcore roots, and English Curse and Rivers show his great English pride. Clearly one of the most underrated artists of our day.

England Keep My Bones was released on June 6 on Epitaph

Frank Turner: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

INNERPARTYSYSTEM – Never Be Content
After a near collapse of the band, they started working on new music. Got noticed by Red Bull Records, and put out this absolute gem of an electronic EP. Then they toured for a few months before going on “indefinite hiatus.” The album is more straight up housey goodness than previous IPS offerings, and is their best work to date. We can only hope that Patrick conquers LA, Kris Chicago, and Jared NYC and in five years we get a supreme IPS reunion. This EP also features what is like my favorite electronic song of all time now, Not Getting Any Better. When hearing that song live for the first time (a week before the ep dropped) my tweets were all caps and had ten exclamation points.

Never Be Content was released on March 29 on Red Bull Records.

Innerpartysystem: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Honorable Mentions
LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking
This album has Party Rock Anthem, Champagne Showers, and Sexy and I Know It on it, so that’s good. But also has a shitton of other tracks, so that’s bad.

Ella Riot – Love Child
Another band releases an EP and then goes on “indefinite hiatus.” This does have Clubbin on it, though, which is pretty much an electric bagpipe solo. Who doesn’t like electric bagpipes?

Lady Gaga – Born this Way
I feel like this album is way too long, and the songs are way to simple. Could be an outstanding dance album but just has something missing. Also, if I have to hear the Pittsburgh version of You and I six or seven more times I’m going to flip out.

And of course the Worst album of the year.
I had this award pegged for Lil Wayne for Tha Carter IV, but then I listened to Patrick Stump’s album. White people should not sing autotuned rap unless led by Andy Samberg. I guess when you take someone who used to be in Fall Out Boy, and he tries to put out a soul album, you should expect horribleness. And boy does Patrick Stump deliver. Who greenlighted this thing?

Guest Post: Seven Albums That Came Out in 2010 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Sarah — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:05:27 +0000

Hey, it’s Mike again, you know the friend of Sarah’s from way back who occaisionally fulfills her need for a list of albums because she spends 90,000 hours agonizing over her own. (Do I really like this Andrew Bird album more than this other Andew Bird album?) Ha. I keed. So I did this thing last year, and since I mentioned Paper Route, and Gavin (Paper Route’s drummer) tweeted a link to the site, I gave Sarah a bunch of traffic, so she owes me, and that’s why you get the:

Seven Albums That Came Out in 2010 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Devo – Something For Everybody
Devo’s first foray into the world of music since Smooth Noodle Maps was met with much ado (mostly by the band itself who used focus groups and a lot of fake promotional material to choose everything from what songs appeared on the album, what order they were in, what type of outfits Devo would don, and of course what color the new Energy Domes would be). Hoopla aside, this is actually a really awesome album. What We Do and Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man) are worth the price of admission alone.

Something For Everybody was released June 15.
Devo: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Chromeo – Business Casual
This is my pick for album of the year. Nobody is able to mix 80s beats, Roger Troutman Voicebox, and fun better than chromeo, and this album is nothing short of spectacular. I don’t think its possible to not like this album. From start to Huey Lewis finish, this album is nonstop fun.

Business Casual was released September 13.
Chromeo: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Gogol Bordello – Trans-continental Hustle
Gogol Bordello’s music is absolutely nuts, and their latest album continues the trend. With all this punk-polka it leaves me to wonder if there are any Mariachi Punk bands out there. That would be truely amazing, but I digress. [See Mariachi el Bronx. -S]

Trans-continental Hustle was released April 27.
Gogol Bordello: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
It’s been a while since I’ve heard such awesome surf music. Plus these guys use organ. That alone puts these guys up there with Man or Astroman? as surf punk greats.

The Soft Pack was released February 2.
The Soft Pack: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

Frank Turner – Sleep is for the Week
I really like this album, but it’s just songs about being hungover, so thats probably why. This guy is either the English equivalent of me, or he just reads my mind, and makes songs that I like.

[ Sleep is for the Week was released in 2007, apparently, but I'll let it slide. This time. -S]
Frank Turner: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Balkan Beat Box – Blue Eyed Black Boy
Rarely do you get a mix of ska, dub, rap and disco, and even more rarely is it any good. Balkan Beat Box manages to pull it off, though. This is great music to cruise around to in your convertable. Especially in suburban areas where there are few Israelis.

Blue Eyed Black Boy was released March 29.
Balkan Beat Box: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

The National – High Violet
My love of The National’s music can only be compared to my hatred of their live show. High Violet is moody, emotional and beautiful.

High Violet was released May 11.
The National: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Store

Honorable Mentions
Butch Walker – I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. Maybe it’s just cause Butch is now 40 but this is his most mature album to date. That said, there aren’t any real rockers on this album, so it falls short of my list.

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach. I didn’t like this album as much as I liked Demon Days, but Stylo and Superfast Jellyfish are awesome.

Maroon 5 – Hands All Over. Maybe its because the first time I heard Misery I was in the middle of a break up and the person in question didn’t answer any of my texts that day, or maybe it’s just cause I have a secret love of Maroon 5.

And of course the Worst album of the year.
This year it goes to Katy Perry for Teenage Dream. I am no snob to popular music, as many people I work with will tell you how disturbing it is for me to sing along to Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus when it comes on over the muzak, but Teenage Dream is just beyond garbage. It’s not great dance music, its not great pop music, and there’s a song about penis. Well, that’s not bad in itself, but it makes it seem like its really hard for a girl like Katy Perry to see dong. Though maybe it was in regards to Elmo, who ran away from her the entire Sesame Street skit that was yanked due to cleavage issues.

[ While not compiling Best Of lists for me, Mike can be found at landofabsurdity.com. ]

2009 Favorites: Part Four

Sarah — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:59:25 +0000

Happy NYE to those of you in time zones where it hasn’t happened yet! (Sorry, Australia and thereabouts, I missed you all.) I’ll be ringing in the new year on a rooftop in downtown Chicago, freezing in the name of fashion and a good celebration. It’s been an interesting year in many respects, and I’ve had a ton of fun in launching this website, jumping right in to the world of music bloggers, and meeting tons of new people. I’m looking forward to an even more interesting and music-filled 2010.

Now to the most pressing matter… I doubt that many of my top five choices will be a surprise to anyone, although two of the albums here were latecomers, sort of sneak-attack albums that popped up and grabbed my attention recently. To see my other top choices of 2009, check out albums 6 through 10, 11 through 15, and 16 through 20.

Without any further procrastination, I bring you (in alphabetical order), my five favorite albums of the past year.

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast.

Look, I’ve talked about Andrew Bird, and about this album, all year. I love this album, it’s that simple. I think it’s in a different category than The Mysterious Production of Eggs, which was Bird getting his feet wet and experimenting with putting out a full-fledged solo effort, or Armchair Apocrypha, which is as close to a rock album as Bird may ever get. Noble Beast may be playing it safe, but this album is much smoother than its predecessors, and it really seems to tap into the whole natural world sort of vibe that’s run through Bird’s music in the past. From the lyrics to the photography, from Diane Sudyka’s gorgeous artwork to the album’s title itself, Noble Beast is saturated in Bird’s love of the natural world. An additional nod of appreciation goes to Useless Creatures, the bonus disc packaged with the deluxe edition of the album. Useless Creatures is Bird’s “self indulgent” album, an eclectic mix of instrumental work, which may in fact be more innovative than anything on Noble Beast.

Noble Beast was released January 20 by Fat Possum.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love.

I thought that maybe I would get tired of this album as the year’s gone on, but I haven’t. This album gave Colin Meloy and company a chance to show off their prog rock leanings, a tendency that’s always been a bit buried beneath the hurdy-gurdy and the Civil War-era tinkering. This album is best appreciated as a whole unit rather than as individual songs, although “The Rake’s Song” seems to hold its own outside of the album. I love this album because it’s just so different from what we’ve been seeing recently. In a time where the mainstream media keeps trying to tell us that the album is dead, the Decemberists have shown that you can still put together a solid hour of cohesive music and make it awesome.

The Hazards of Love was released March 24 by Capitol.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Fanfarlo, Reservoir.

If there’s any such thing as a perfect indie pop album, Reservoir might just be it. Everything about this collection of songs just feels good. I regrettably didn’t discover how much I loved this album until after I’d missed the band’s show at Schubas, but I’m hoping they swing back across the US and make it to Chicago again in 2010 so I can make up for that. What’s not to like about this album? There are catchy songs, trumpets and mandolins and plucky violin notes. It’s enjoyable all the way around.

Reservoir was released September 29 by Atlantic.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Florence and the Machine, Lungs.

Handclaps! A crazy disco pop sort of sensibility! Strong female vocals! This album was made for me to love. I didn’t expect to love this album as much as I do, but for a while there, I couldn’t stop listening to it. The songs here are equally at home in a dance club or as background music to hilarious scenes on TV (see: “Kiss With a Fist” on the Christmas episode of Community). I’m interested to see what Florence Welch follows up Lungs with, and whether or not it will be able to top this. Fingers crossed for 2010.

Lungs was released on October 20 by Island.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More.

It might not be fair to put this album on my favorites list, as I’ve just discovered it within the past month or so, influenced by the album making appearances on several other Best of 2009 lists. But I haven’t really stopped listening to it since finding it, so I think that makes it a fair inclusion. With vocals that at times remind me of a rowdier, Frames-era Glen Hansard, with banjo and bluegrass and tambourine and some incredibly tight folk drumming, this album definitely took me by surprise and hasn’t quite let go yet. Here’s to hoping that the album sees a release here in the US and that they hit a few more cities here than just NYC and LA/San Francisco.

Sigh No More was released on October 5 by Island.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

And while you’re still reading, here are some other albums which I’ve enjoyed throughout the course of the year, but just didn’t get to know them well enough to bump them up onto my top 20. Don’t worry, extra list of albums, you’re still some great, great music.

The Antlers, Hospice / Antony & the Johnsons, The Crying Light / Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle / Bon Iver, Blood Bank EP / Brandi Carlile, Give Up the Ghost / Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career / Cass McCombs, Catacombs / Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King / Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca / The Flaming Lips, The Dark Side of the Moon / Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest / Hockey, Mind Chaos / Jesca Hoop, Hunting My Dress / Jim Gaffigan, King Baby / jj, jj n° 2 / Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Want / Kid, You’ll Move Mountains, Loomings / Lady Of The Sunshine, Smoking Gun / M. Ward, Hold Time / Miike Snow, Miike Snow / The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice, Moon Colony Bloodbath EP / Patrick Watson, Wooden Arms / Patrick Wolf, The Bachelor / Patton Oswalt, My Weakness Is Strong / Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11 / Regina Spektor, Far / Tegan & Sara, Sainthood / Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Know Better Learn Faster / Vandaveer, Divide & Conquer / Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz!

2009 Favorites: Part Three

Sarah — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:25:45 +0000

Here are some more albums which have seen some pretty heavy play around here this year. In case you’ve missed it, check out albums 11 through 15 and 16 through 20 on my list of favorites from the past year.

A.A. Bondy, When the Devil’s Loose.

I had waited and waited and waited for this album to come out, as I had loved American Hearts, and I absolutely wasn’t disappointed. Bondy’s returned here with his own brand of Americana; if it weren’t for his intense live show, you’d hardly know that he got his start in grunge rock band Verbena. I find it easy to get lost into this album. I’ve put it on a bunch of times and just found myself listening to it over and over again. Even better than the album, though, is Bondy’s live show, which is what cemented this album as one of my favorites of the year. While the album at time is gentle, Bondy holds nothing back in performance. If you ever have the chance to see him (and oh, you will; he tours relentlessly), do go see him.

When the Devil’s Loose was released September 1 by Fat Possum.
MySpace
Buy the album here.

The Mountain Goats, The Life of the World to Come.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve come to realize that for the most part, I appreciate this album best as a whole, rather than individual songs. When listening on my Not iPod, I find that I skip a lot of songs when they come up on shuffle. As a whole, though, I love the album. John Darnielle really is one of the best songwriters out there today. Reading his lyrics can mess you up, to put it simply. The songs may be named after Bible passages, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that The Mountain Goats aren’t going to be running off and recording hymns any time soon. With lyrics like “And I won’t get better but someday I’ll be free, ’cause I am not this body that imprisons me,” The Life of the World to Come isn’t a happy little album, but it sure is beautiful.

The Life of the World to Come was released on October 6 by 4AD.
Official Website | MySpace
Buy the album here.

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

This is the perfect summer pop album which turned into the perfect pop album for the whole year. The lyrics are smart, the songs are catchy, and the band is French. What’s not to love? Phoenix flew under my radar (and under the radar of pretty much everyone else outside of France, I guess) until I saw them on some late-night show earlier this year. Impressed with the performance, I sought out the album and loved it at first listen. It’s one of those feel good albums that you stick back into rotation every so often just to put a smile on your face.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released May 26 by V2.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Buy the album here.

St. Vincent, Actor.

Annie Clark is so, so deceptive. I mean, just look at her. She’s this tiny little lady, all pale skin and cute curly hair. Her voice sounds just as delicate as she looks, but underneath it is something much, much harder, maybe even a little dangerous. ”Save me from what I want,” Clark sings, and you get the feeling that you probably should step in to intervene. Things might get a little messy otherwise. Clark is a musician not afraid to play with sound, inserting messy feedback and distortion into songs which could otherwise be seen as cute little pop songs. Her live show is what won me over, if only because the visual of Clark creating her ruckus on stage is just so incredibly striking.

Actor was released on May 5 by 4AD.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Buy the album here.

The xx, xx.

I didn’t want to like The xx. I really didn’t. Every other blogger and hipster kid was going on about how awesome this album was. What can I say, I’ve been burned one too many times by buzz bands that ended up sucking. I finally gave in, though, and man, now I wish I hadn’t ignored them for so long. I don’t know that there’s anything particularly innovative about their brand of electronic pop, but it’s good, catchy material, delivered in a laid-back, almost disinterested manner which is intriguing in its own right. Time will tell whether or not The xx will be able to follow this up with something great, but I’m pretty sure the entire internet will be waiting to see what’s next.

xx was released August 17/October 20 by Young Turks.
Official Website | MySpace
Buy the album here.

2009 Favorites: Part Two

Sarah — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:10:40 +0000

Here’s the second of four installments of what should really be called “stuff I listened to a bunch this year” but more concisely referred to as “favorites”. In case you missed the first post, you can find it here. I’ll be back next week with the last two installments.

Alec Ounsworth, Mo Beauty.

This is a new discovery for me; I found it because the song “Holy, Holy, Holy Moses (Song for New Orleans)” appeared on a couple of Best Songs of 2009 lists. I liked what I heard and searched out the whole album and, yes. Just, yes. Ounsworth’s voice is intriguing; in places, it almost reminded me of Elvis Perkins, with this low, gritty feeling and delivery. The vocals are interesting and took a few listens to grow on me, but at the end of the day, I’m a sucker for interesting voices. The album doesn’t fit neatly into one style, with the slow beauty of “Holy, Holy, Holy Moses” being followed up with the more perky almost-rocking-out song, “That Is Not My Home (After Bruegel)”, for example. You can’t pigeon-hole this album, but on a whole, it works.

Mo Beauty was released October 20 on Anti.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You.

This album is positioned so far down on my non-ranked-but-still-segmented list of favorites because for me, the best song is the title track, which leads off the album. The rest of the album is still fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but I had higher hopes for it based off of that first track. I’m a newcomer to The Avett Brothers’ music, having heard a few songs here and there over the years, but not bothering to look into their music more until this album came out. I’m a fan, though, based on what I’ve heard, and the album’s on rotation on my Not iPod, so here’s to hoping the rest of the album winds up growing on me as much as that first track has.

I and Love and You was released September 29 by American Recordings.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Elvis Perkins in Dearland.

This album isn’t Ash Wednesday, and with good reason. Perkins set out to make a different record entirely, and this album is overall much more upbeat… sonically, at least. The lyrics are a different story, full of heartbreak and hurt. Even the perky “Doomsday” (which gets redone into a slower version for the equally wonderful Doomsday EP) throws in the heart-wrenching reference to Perkins’ mother’s death on 9/11: “Now in all of my wildest dreams it never once did seem that doomsday would fall anywhere near a Tuesday.” Perkins’ voice gets his point across perfectly, though. His sound’s been fleshed out more on this album, with his backing band providing trombone and clarinet and saxophone, moving away from the stripped down sound of Ash Wednesday and instead making an album that’s probably as close to a celebration as Perkins can get.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland was released March 10 by XL Recordings.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

Justin Townes Earle, Midnight at the Movies.

Listen to this even if you don’t like country-esque records. Midnight at the Movies is a creative, sophisticated entry into the world of modern country, and deserves to be heard by more people. S0me of these songs sound like relics from a time long ago, not songs written by a 27-year old, no matter what talented family tree he comes from (son of Steve Earle). This is a travelling record for me, the kind of thing I could imagine popping in on a long ride through miles and miles of endless corn fields or something. Maybe the next time I’m crazy enough as to drive for that long again, I’ll bring this along with me.

Midnight at the Movies was released on March 3 by Bloodshot Records.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

Neko Case, Middle Cyclone.

The more I listen to Middle Cyclone, the more I like it. You can’t describe it as anything other than a Neko Case album. While I still like Fox Confessor Brings the Blood, this album has been growing on me. The album has been a great critical and commercial success for Neko, with Amazon naming it as its album of the year (and selling it so cheaply that I don’t know how anyone managed to make a profit) and it’s fabulous to see her getting the attention that she deserves. All of the songs on here are gems, just classic pop-rock songs carried along by Neko’s always strong vocals. Even the 30-minute sounds of nature track that closes out the album is interesting to listen to.

Middle Cyclone was released March 3 by Anti.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

2009 Favorites: Part One

Sarah — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:14:54 +0000

So between now and the end of the year, I’ll be bringing you my 20 favorite albums of 2009. These 20 albums aren’t in any particular order, aside from the fact that I put them into four groupings of five albums each. There’s nothing scientific or measured about this, it’s mostly just an order based on which albums popped into my head first. The posts themselves are in alphabetical order. Because I hate ranking things, so there.

Without further ado, I bring you the first five albums.

Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster.

I guess this spot on the list really is more for Lady Gaga in general, not entirely for The Fame Monster, but whatever. It’s my blog, I do what I want. There is no good reason for me to love her music as much as I do. It’s not particularly original or deep or ground-breaking, but it is just some damn fun music. Time will tell as to whether or not she’s a flash in the pan or if she’ll be sticking around for a while, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts. With its inventive and catchy songs, The Fame Monster showed that hopefully it’s going to be the latter. She’s definitely a talented woman, that’s for sure. Even if I am bitter that she’s younger than me.

The Fame Monster was released November 18 by Interscope.
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Loudon Wainwright, High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project.

If you don’t like folk/Americana/banjos/bluegrass, this probably isn’t the album for you. This release takes a look at the catalog of Charlie Poole, a banjo player and singer in the 1920s who drank himself to death. Listening to it, you feel as though Wainwright gets the material, both the original source material (Poole didn’t write any original songs) and Poole’s interpretations. In addition to the covers of old material, Wainwright and friends threw in a handful of fabulous original songs, which fit in so well that it would be difficult to guess which they were. This album would rate higher on my list if there simply wasn’t so much material – there are 30 tracks over 2 CDs, and it’s hard to get in-depth with something that lengthy. High Wide & Handsome was a great cap on the decade for Wainwright, who’s received a Grammy nomination for the project, which would be a well-deserved win.

High Wide & Handsome was released August 17 by 2nd Story Sound.
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

Metric, Fantasies.

Honestly, I sort of forgot about this album for a little while, despite the fact that I listened to it a whole lot after I first got it. I saw it pop up on a lot of other best-of lists and decided to give it another chance. I’m listening to it right now and am having a moment where I’m all, wow, how did I not listen to this all year? It would have been a great album to listen to on days where everything else is crappy. This is a really strong collection of pop-rock songs. They may not be the most memorable (see: the fact that I forgot about the release for a while) but it shows that Emily Haines and Metric still have it, four years after their last release.

Fantasies was released April 7 by Arts & Crafts
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Sarah Jarosz, Song Up in Her Head.

This album is almost too precious for me. Everything about it is cute and adorable and I just want to squish it. She even makes “Shankhill Butchers”, a cover of a Decemberists song, sound cute. But seriously, this is a fantastic debut album from Sarah Jarosz, a bluegrass musician/singer-songwriter from Texas who is just eighteen. Please hold while I have one of those moments where I wonder just what in the world I’m doing with my life. Listening to this, you would never know that this is a girl who has just graduated high school. Her music is much older than her age would suggest.

Song Up in Her Head was released June 16 by Sugar Hill Records
Official Website | MySpace
Purchase the album here.

Zee Avi, Zee Avi.

This is another album that’s just absolutely adorable. I have to be in the right frame of mind to handle adorable, though, which is probably why both this album and Sarah Jarosz’s don’t rank higher on my not-really-ranked list. With her ukulele and sweet-sounding vocals, Zee Avi’s created a great summertime record. Don’t let the cuteness fool you, though; this is a very grown-up record. Behind the upbeat vocals and instrumentation are terribly serious songs like “Poppy” (“My baby, he don’t act like himself no more … he spent his nights slapping his veins”) and a cover of Morrisey’s “First of the Gang to Die” (“You have never been in love until you’ve seen the sunlight thrown over smashed human bones”).

Zee Avi was released May 19 by Brushfire Records
Official Website | MySpace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Music Memoirs: Looking Back on 2009

Sarah — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:39:26 +0000

Today’s Music Memoirs post asks you to look back on 2009. Feel free to play along.

The albums that you love the most
While I’m still working on getting my Best of 2009 list up and running, I’ll give you a sneak peak at it now, I suppose. Fortunately for all of us, I wrote my list out at home, and I’m typing this up at work, so I don’t really remember what order I had my list in. So here are three 2009 albums that I know I’ve been loving.

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast. There are enough Bird fans out there who felt let down by this album that I almost feel like I shouldn’t love it as much as I do, like there’s some memo I missed out on getting. Sure, the record is no Armchair Apocrypha, but Armchair was no Mysterious Production of Eggs, either. I remember fans being similarly disgruntled whenever Armchair came out, saying that it didn’t live up to Eggs. Not to get into some music nerd discussion about it (ugh, this was supposed to be like, one sentence about why I love the album, not a dissertation) but I really feel like each album has its own motif, both in sound and in concept, and that it’s kind of difficult to compare the three, which are drastically different from one another. When Bird releases an album that I feel falls short of the mark, I’ll call it out, but for me, Noble Beast is not that album (in my opinion, blah blah disclaimer, you’re entitled to your own opinion and I won’t hate you for it).
Florence and the Machine, Lungs. The verdict is still out on Florence, mostly because I haven’t been wowed by her live performance (the recordings/videos that I’ve seen), and because I’m just not sure what she’ll follow up her debut album with. There are some fantastic songs on this album, though, and I’m hoping that she continues to bring it in 2010.
The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love. I have a love/hate relationship with the concept album nature of this one. I love and appreciate the fact that there are still artists out there who are creating albums that are pieces of art, that are meant to be taken in as a whole. But because it’s a concept piece and is meant to be listened to from start to finish, it makes for some abrupt changes when tracks change on the shuffle of my Not iPod.

Any new artists you discovered
2009 was an awesome year for discovering new artists (both new to music and new to me), but I’ll go with two similar-ish acts: The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. I’d heard a few songs by The Avett Brothers before this year, but hadn’t really delved too much into their back catalog or anything. They got a lot of buzz with the release of I and Love and You, so I decided to check them out, and I’m really enjoying what I’ve heard. Mumford & Sons, I got into because I saw them pop up on the Best Of lists of some fellow bloggers whose opinions I trust, and I was totally blown away. Their music is fantastic, gritty folk rock, and “Little Lion Man” is pretty much one of the best songs I’ve heard all year.

Best concert you attended or watched
Andrew Bird and Alpha Consumer at Schubas. It wasn’t the tightest show I’ve seen from him, but the energy and vibe and feeling of community in that packed room was intense. It was one of those shows where you know you may never have an experience like that again, and so you appreciate every last moment of it. Plus, there was the added bonus of being pressed right up against the stage. Fangirl moment, what what?

The song that best defines 2009 for you
I don’t know that I can pick one song, but I’d say my 2009 Mix would be defined by delightful yet mostly meaningless pop music. Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, anything with a good beat that would get me dancing around. 2009 had its fair share of crappy moments, but I also had a lot of fun, and a lot of that fun was had while flailing around on disgustingly dirty dance floors. And during those crappy moments, The Mountain Goats’ “This Year” has and always will be one of those songs that gets you through. “I’m going to make it through this year if it kills me,” indeed.

Guest Post: Seven Albums That Came Out in 2009 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Sarah — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:55:54 +0000

[ While I'm busy debating what my own Best of 2009 list will be comprised of, enjoy this guest post. It's a little different in the department of musical fare than you'll usually see offered by me. -S ]

So before you wonder if Sarah has gone all schizophrenic or just decided to listen to drastically different music than her normal mix of Andrew Bird and any number of Wainwrights, this is, in fact a guest post. My name is Mike, I’m a friend of Sarah’s from way back, and am bullying my way onto her blog ’cause it gets a whole lot more traffic than my own site, found at www.landofabsurdity.com. Most people around this time of year release their “Best Of” lists, but as I feel that I don’t listen to enough music to determine what is “Best” (other than crushing your enemies, having them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of the women). So without further introductions and shameless plugs, I give you, in no particular order, the:

Seven Albums That Came Out in 2009 That Mike Listened To and Enjoyed the Most

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
When I first heard that Franz Ferdinand was writing a “disco” album, I was preparing for the worst. I mean anytime a band sets out to make a certain type of album, it usually is a flop. What I didn’t realize was that Franz Ferdinand’s brand of garage rock set to a new wave beat works perfectly if you just throw in a few more keyboards. Also, as if Tonight: Franz Ferdinand wasn’t a great enough album, they decided to rework the entire thing into a Dub album as well. There was never a Sgt Pepper Dub album.

Tonight was released on January 26 by Sony.
Official website | Myspace
Purchase the album here.

The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die
I used to think that The Fat of the Land was the best electronic album ever made, but then The Prodigy decided to all get back together and put out Invaders Must Die, and now The Fat of the Land seems dated and almost unlistenable. Invaders Must Die is the best thing to come out of the world of electronica in a very long time (or at least since Does It Offend You, Yeah? came on the scene).

Invaders Must Die was released on March 3rd by RED Distribution.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Paper Route – Absence
Now when you think of a musical act from Nashville, whats the first thing that comes to your head? Exactly: ambient electro post rock. These newcomers mix vocal harmonies with keyboard noise to make huge music. They put the Awesome in Progressive Emo. Well, they would if there was an A in Progressive Emo, I guess that segue doesn’t really work. In any case, you should check out Paper Route, they have the balls to put on acoustic sets right out on the street after their shows, whether the cops are called, babies are awakened or not. Also, they love pancakes.

Absence was released on April 28th by Universal.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Miike Snow – Miike Snow
So what do you get when you mix up some piano driven rock, add some reggae beats, and crank up those synthesizers? You get Miike Snow. No, that’s not a typo. It’s a band from Sweden. And we all know how much I love Swedish bands… especially Swedish Bands who make reggae influenced electronic music. But Miike Snow is leagues beyond Ace of Base and Dr. Alban. Also, they have excellent DJ bobs.

Miike Snow was released on June 9th by Downtown.
Myspace
Purchase the album here.

Devin Townsend Project – Ki/Addicted
Ziltoid The Omniscient made this list a two years ago, so it’s no surprise Devin makes it again. These albums are the first half of a four album series, each one completely different but I’m counting them as one. Ki hits you with ambient music, much more prog than his traditional noise and screaming. Trainfire is also a neat track, along with Quiet Riot which harkens to the band of that name. Addicted is less prog and more europop, but with Devy’s fingerprints all over it. Think Vengaboys with a lot more screaming! Plus there is a souped up version of Hyperdrive! from Ziltoid. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why DTP makes the list.

Ki was released May 25th by HevyDevy. Addicted was released November 17th by HevyDevy.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the albums here.

K’Naan – Troubadour
When I saw K’Naan at Lollapalooza in ’08 he was great, but a niche act. Rhythmic Angry Black Man Rapping over top of a stripped down band does not appeal to everyone. But then Troubadour came out and polished his style into something even better. In an age where rap seems to be about drinking Crystal in the hotel room, it’s nice to hear messages again.

Troubadour was released on February 24th by A&M/Octone.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

The Bravery – Stir the Blood
Dancing on the dark side of the disco ball is never an easy thing to pull off, but the Bravery continue their streak of awesome with their third album. The album is nowhere near as depressing as The Sun and the Moon and may in fact rival Exciter as the soundtrack to my sex life.

Stir the Blood was released on December 1st by Island.
Official website | Myspace | Twitter
Purchase the album here.

Honorable Mentions Go To:

Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
The jury is still out on whether Dream Theater is back or if this was just a flash in the pan.

The Lonely Island – Incredibad
Comedy albums will always be novelty music, but I’m On a Boat is pretty much just a rap song with no novelty about it.
[And proving that the Grammys continue to try to be relevant but only succeed in unintentional hilarity, "I'm On a Boat" just got a Grammy nod for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. I'm rooting for this one, all the way. -S]

Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
This album is super catchy, and samples the best part of Rob Base, but I just don’t think it has lasting power.

Also, I’m not going to leave you without a pick for worst album of the year. That honor goes toTrans-Siberan Orchestra for Night Castle. Cheesy orchestrations may work for yuppies who buy Christmas music, but when that formula is put to use on a Non-Christmas album, you get absolute crap. Even the inclusion of Believe is trite. They would have been better off making a suite of When the Crowds are Gone, Believe and Alone You Breathe, I think that’s what every Sava-fan wants anyways. I was hoping this album was going to be more Savatage and less cheese, but I guess they’re too old to rock and roll. Their idea of giving a more Sava-feel to the album is just putting instrumentals from other Savatage albums onto this one, albeit under new names. Gone is 5 part counter melody and in its place is “Childhood Childhood Childhood Childhood Childhood.” It truly is an audio train wreck!

Best of 2009… so far.

Sarah — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:19:53 +0000

I’ll admit off the bat that I’m horribly behind on listening to music that’s been released this year. I know there are some gems out there that I’ve missed, and hopefully I’ll be able to rectify that by the end of the year. For now, though, here are five albums I’ve been enjoying so far in 2009.

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast. It’s nice when you have high expectations for an album, and the album winds up totally delivering. Andrew Bird’s latest offering stays true to his eclectic indie-alt-folk style, with whistling and nonsensical lyrics and intricate, layered music. But he’s made this album to be a bit more accessible to people unfamiliar with his music, with songs that have catchy hooks and — gasp! — choruses.

Noble Beast was released on January 20, by Fat Possum Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Noble Beast and other fine recordings.

Dave Matthews Band: Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King

Dave Matthews Band: Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King. A rather bittersweet new album from the Dave Maththews Band: there are some fantastic songs on here, and it really reminds me of the intensity found in some of their earlier recordings, but it’s also the last release which will include LeRoi Moore, the band’s saxophonist and a founding member, who died while the album was still in pre-production. Sure, Matthews’ lyrics are not always great, but the whole album is bigger, more raw, and perhaps more true than any of their other releases.

Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King was released on June 2, by RCA Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King and other fine recordings.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This is one of my guilty pleasure albums of the year so far. It’s a little pop-rock-ier than my tastes usually run to, but it’s a great album to just put on and enjoy. It helps that the song are catchy, with some interesting lyrics. I mean, “Lisztomania” references freaking Franz Liszt. How many other indie pop-rock-whatever groups are out there name checking dead composers?

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released May 26, by V2 Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and other fine recordings.

St. Vincent: Actor

St. Vincent: Actor. I’ve got to admit, I am fairly late to the St. Vincent train. I’d managed to miss out on catching her first album, Marry Me, writing her off for some reason as another twee, vaguely experimental act that would annoy me. Actor has generated a fair amount of buzz, though, so I checked it out and am so glad I did. Yes, her sound’s pretty experimental at times, but nothing so out there that it’s distracting. She’s got a great voice and is making some truly interesting music.

Actor was released May 5, by 4AD.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase Actor and other fine recordings.

The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love

The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love. Speaking of interesting music. This album is so ambitious and so epic, I don’t even know where to start. It’s a concept album, it’s an indie rock opera, it tells a story, it’s just amazing. Several other familiar names from the indie music scene are guest artists on the album, including Lavendar Diamond’s Becky Stark, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. Shara Worden in particular gives a very striking performance. The Hazards of Love is something that really needs to be listened to from start to finish; a few songs can stand on their own, but it works best as one big piece of music.

The Hazards of Love was released May 24, by Capitol Records.
Official website, Myspace.
Purchase The Hazards of Love and other fine recordings.