2009 Year End Round-Up

It's hard to believe that a year ago I was spending my last days in Santee, getting ready for the big leap forward into Santa Cruz (not that Santee is "behind" Santa Cruz or anything...well, maybe just a little bit). I've put together a list that I believe not only gives a good picture of what I was listening to, but also characterizes the year's experiences and emotions fairly accurately. If I have time, I'll post a mixtape of my favorite songs of 2009 so that you can get an even better idea.

In 2008, I was listening to a lot of indie pop, twee, and 90's throwback psychadelia (I was obsessed with E6). In retrospect, I think that this was an attempt to bring balance into my life; those days were dark and stressful, with new responsibilities and fewer crutches. On the other hand, 2009's music for me has been much more mature, but also very versatile and well-rounded. Maybe you'll see what I mean...

I've made two lists: the first is a top-ten list, the second is an "honorary mentions" list. The albums are placed in no particular order; I don't really believe in ranking music, but I did want to separate the wheat from the chaff just a little bit. I should also mention that this is a list of personal discoveries, rather than my favorite new releases of 2009.

The Dismemberment Plan - Change
Released: October 2001
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock, Post-Hardcore, Emo

I first discovered "The Plan" a couple years ago. Emergency & I was a great album for someone still somewhat attached to, but also grown out of the pop-punk/emo genre. The lyrics were a bit angsty, the vocals were both high and abrasive, and there was definitely a good amount of drive to the songs. What set it apart was the jazzy instrumentation, and the overall willingness to experiment in ways that might frustrate your average listener. Change takes that maturity to a whole new level, as the title quite obviously suggests. Frontman Travis Morrison's voice softens to a dreamy mew, while the band pounds and clicks away, not unlike Pinback in many respects. The hooks in the songs, usually driven by synth, are much more effective even though the crazy left-turns are still there. Lyrically, Morrison sings about getting old, settling down, finding yourself...the kind of things you'd probably imagine hearing in a Scrubs episode.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Released: September 2008
Genre: Alt-Country, Indie Folk-Rock

This was one of very few truly perfect albums I have ever listened to. I mentioned my attachment to country in my review of Drag the River. This album hits the spot perfectly, along with so many others; classic rock, folk, psychadelia, Dead-style jams...this album has it all. What really makes this album addicting though is the cohesive theme of old-fashioned country waywardness and wild untamed youth.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Released: January 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

I first listened to Animal Collective when doing so was a somewhat rebellious thing. They were a bit too wild in their experiments, and almost embarrassingly joyous in their pop, so that when you told people that you listened to them, they knew that you truly and un-apologetically loved music, perhaps even to a fault. I think that in the years between Sung Tongs and Merriweather Post Pavilion the Collective has become progressively more universal. This is an album of catchy-as-fuck songs, plain and simple. This will be on the top of every year-end list you will see.

Deerhunter - Microcastle
Released: August 2008
Genre: Indie Rock/Pop

The first couple times I listened to Microcastle, I was disappointed for two reasons. First, the album just didn't sound the same as the ferociously dense Cryptograms. Second, I had learned a bit too much about the front-man Bradford Cox. Knowing the human vulnerability behind Cryptograms threw off its mystique, and made it much less interesting. That was before Microcastle grew on me. The album is much lighter and poppier than Cryptograms, but still retains a spectacular sense of pacing, which is clearly Cox's greatest skill. The album also retains the vulnerability of Cryptograms, making the albums seem like two sides of the same coin.

Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
Released: June 2008
Genre: Ambient, Folk

This album is fucking beautiful. I don't know what else to say. It's basically Liz Harris's hushed, dreamy, reverb-soaked vocals over gently swaying acoustic guitar and ambience. The first time I listened to this, I was reading the Watchmen chapter about Dr. Manhattan. The story and art fit the music perfectly; the epic loneliness, power, alienation, love and hope...it was an absolutely perfect combination.



mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream!It's Alright
Released: May 2009
Genre: Christian Rock, Indie Folk-Rock

I never really knew mewithoutYou was Christian when I listened to them in high school. I'm not 100% sure if it's accurate to call them a Christian rock band even now; does writing music about your faith automatically slot you into this niche? Maybe, maybe not. It's All Crazy is a departure from mewithoutYou's other post-hardcore albums, which were all about erratic distorted guitars and shouted/spoken lyrics. This album is a collection of folk-rock songs and narratives inspired mainly by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a sufi teacher and storyteller, and more generally by Christian spirituality. In today's increasingly agnostic/atheistic scene, this kind of art can be refreshing, whether you're a spiritual person or not.



Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Released: April 2002
Genre: Indie Pop, Alt-Country, Experimental

I've had this album on my hard drive for years now, but I don't think I really appreciated it completely before 2009. Some songs were instantly accessible, such as Heavy Metal Drummer and Jesus Etc. For the most part though, these are dense songs that slowly grow on you. This album is now one of my all-time favorites, and has really lived up to its reputation as a "perfect album".



Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Released: 1997
Genre: Indie Pop-Rock, Experimental

Yo La Tengo is an extremely consistent and versatile band, which is why I think people tend to fall in love with the first album they hear from them. For me, that was I Am Not Afraid of You And Will Beat Your Ass. I didn't really listen to any other album because I felt I didn't really need to; it was a long album filled with great songs, and I could (and did) listen to it over and over. Seeing them live was the impetus to explore their discography more fully. I now believe that I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is the one truly seminal YLT album. There are other songs as tumultuous as Deeper Into Movies, or as catchy as Autumn Sweater, but they probably won't move you in quite the same way.

Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
Released: 1994
Genre: 90's Rock-Pop weirdness, compliments of Garrett Smith

In terms of over-looked and under-rated artists, Ween is definitely the find of the year. I've been listening to their entire discography, but if I had to narrow it down to an album, Chocolate & Cheese is it. I have never heard of a band being so outrageous and weird without really being an "acquired taste", but Ween pulls it off perfectly. Chocolate & Cheese draws mainly from R&B and rock influences, but the beauty of Ween is that they can play anything, any genre whatsoever. Their music is a parody of pop music that in many cases is better than the original.



Vampire Weekend - S/T
Released: January 2008
Genre: Indie Pop, "Upper West Side Soweto"

I feel kind of silly for putting this one down, since I probably listened to it about a dozen times in 2008. Nevertheless, it deserves to be here just because it is so enjoyable. Also, I saw them live for the first time, and they really left an impression. In 2008, too many of their songs seemed too slow, too preppy, or too pretentious. It's funny how seeing a band live can redefine the context of their recorded works.

Honorable mentions:

The Apples in Stereo - The Discovery Of A World Inside the Moone
Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals
Beaches - S/T
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
BIGBIGcar - Limestone Throne/Kid Fight
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
The Clientele - Strange Geometry
Comet Gain - Broken Record Prayers
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Fleeting Joys - Occult Radiance
Japandroids - POst-Nothing
Kurt Vile - Constant Hitmaker
Lewis & Clarke - Blasts of Holy Birth
Machine Drum - Want To 1 2?
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Night Control - Death Control
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - S/T
Passion Pit - Manners
Phish - Junta
Qua - Q&A
The Rentals - Return of the Rentals
Ride - Going Blank Again
So Cow - S/T
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines
Viva Voce - Rose City
Washed Out - High Times
Wavves - S/T

Hum - Downward Is Heavenward

Thanksgiving is coming up! I'm really looking forward to a weekend at home. I'm going to eat till I puke, play some guitar, hang out with family & friends, and probably drink till I puke a second time. What more could a guy ask for?

I have work I should be doing, so I'm going to make this really quick.

Today's album: Hum - Downward is Heavenward

Genre: Alternative Rock, Grunge
Released: 1997
Running time: 10 tracks, 52:04
In a nutshell: Grunge astronauts rock the fuck out!!

The 90's is definitely my favorite decade for rock (the 70's being a close second), probably because of all the left turns the genre took. The departure from blues-based, guitar-hero antics really allowed artists to explore the rock format to its fullest extremes. Bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine pioneered new soundscapes of guitar noise, while other talents such as Billy Corgan developed them into chart-topping pop. Meanwhile, self-proclaimed pariahs criticized society on behalf of a new, directionless generation; Kurt Cobain did so rather abrasively, Billy Joe used a mix of humor and lust, and Brad Nowell...well, his death illustrated a sort of wise complacency that cast his songwriting in a similar light.

So that was what 90's rock looked like, and while Hum doesn't look any different, they definitely found a unique niche for themselves. Mixing the distortion and drive of grunge with shoegaze drones, and even some metal technicality, at times they seem like the best of all worlds. Hum departs from stereotypical 90's rock with lyrical content and vocal style. For the most part, these songs are introspective in a way that comes off as either peaceful or melancholy, but never angry or frustrated. This is strange because singer Matt Talbott shows he can muster a fairly powerful Cobain-growl when he feels like it, which isn't often. Usually, he sings plainly, almost dispassionately, while his band pounds and roars behind him. The overall effect is quite unique, even if the components aren't.

O.W.L. - Of Wondrous Legends

It's been a little over a month since I last posted. I know, I'm such a slacker. Actually, I've been busy trying to convince myself to so schoolwork, and subsequently doing said schoolwork. It's a very time-consuming process. I have an hour or so to kill, so here we are.

Today's album: O.W.L. - Of Wondrous Legends

Genre: Psychadelic, Folk
Released: March 2008, recorded 1971
Running time: 12 tracks, 50:21
In a nutshell: Knights, kings, and carnivals

Apparently this album was originally recorded by Stephen Titra back in 1971, but it was never released to the public. Some hipster record-freak dug up some test pressings and decided to share it with the world last spring.

Did the world really need to listen to this record? Well, maybe we didn't need to, but I think it was an hour well spent. The album is an ornate mix of old, Western European folk and psychadelic rock. This was by no means a new combination; a lot of British rock bands have done this, such as Small Faces, and even Led Zeppelin to a lesser extent. O.W.L. shoots for the same general aesthetic, but with less emphasis on blues, rock, and eclectic psychadelia.

Instrumentally, the band sounds incredible, creating an intricate flow of acoustic folk instruments, flute and wind, xylophone, melodic bass and percussion. The melodies are often sound very medieval-classical, but there are also elements of blues, jazz, and even bossa nova here. My personal favorite is the third track, Be Alive, which adorns a bouncy acoustic guitar with jazzy electric piano, and a catchy bass melody. The musicians are usually virtuosic without being overwhelmingly "progressive".

Lyrically, Titra often tries to transport the listener to a somewhat fantastical version of medieval Europe through musical narrative. A Tale of a Crimson Knight is exactly that; a tale of a knight's encounter with an enchanting maiden. The longest track on the record, Midnight Carnival, matches lyrical description of the setting with alternating currents of groovy psych-rock and woozy atmospherics. The effect is often a bit cheezey, but I think I'd fall for it if I was high enough. This is definitely a stoner/geek album; it takes either drugs or an overactive imagination to really become absorbed in the environment that Titra creates.

This is not to say that this is a concept album, telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Titra uses his medieval medium for introspection (in Be Alive), and even political righteousness (Everyman and the Philosopher King). So I think that, on the rare occasion where I feel like smoking a bowl and listening to something this nerdy, I'd rather go all out and listen to something like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

Crocodiles - Summer of Hate

I'm gonna make this one rather quick. I have a ton of shit to do, and this happens to be my current mode of procrastination.

Today's album: Crocodiles - Summer of Hate
Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze, Noise Punk
Released: 2009
Running time: 9 tracks, 33:59
In a nutshell: Yet another noise-punk duo captures our attention

Is pop-punk done yet? I'm actually asking you because I honestly don't know. I still listen to pop-punk albums I was in to about 5-7 years ago for the sake of nostalgia, but otherwise I feel like I've grown out of the genre. It was (still is?) cheezy fun, but I'm not 17 anymore.

That being said, I'm beginning to see a new pop-punk trend forming in indie/hipster circles: the lo-fi, noise-punk duo. As far as I can tell this started with No Age, and has gained momentum with bands like Wavves and Japandroids. These bands are freakin' cool, in that unmistakably high school way; that is to say, cool without reason. Cool without money, without football field conquests, without glitz or glam. They are cool with raw charisma, or more specifically, raw hooks. They supplement these hooks with thoughtful, spirited, and often messy sonic soundscapes. This is their way of rebelling against the structures that make them cool; in other words, this is what gives their cool substance.

So, are Crocodiles jumping onto this bandwagon? Maybe. They definitely have the hooks and charisma needed to hang with the cool kids. Their radio hit, I Wanna Kill, is brilliantly catchy, dirty, and yes, probably stolen. Refuse Angels buzzes and screeches with fast-paced feedback, like a JAMC song about to derail.

Other tracks, such as the stompy waltz of Flash of Light, seem to reign the noise in a little more. In fact, I would say that the entire album's use of effects is much more directed than you might expected. The result may not be totally original, but it's incredibly enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the slow, psychadelic parade of Here Comes the Sky. Overall, there seems to be more of an effort to please here, which ironically makes Summer of Hate less of a sellout than you might think, given the pretentious abrasiveness of current trends.

Yea. Take that pitchfork.

Drag the River - It's Crazy

It's been a shitty week. Nothin' like a whiskey-soaked alt-country album to match my mood. Check it out.

Today's album: Drag the River - It's Crazy

Genre: Alt-Country
Released: June 6, 2006
Running time: 13 tracks, 1:09:15
In a nutshell: Crack open a beer and enjoy the twang

I just listened to this for the first time, and absolutely loved it. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for country, having been raised on country radio. Of course I realize that contemporary country radio has less to do with actual country, and more to do with sugar-coated Americana, but when you're young you'll latch onto just about anything that catchy.

To be fair, Drag the River isn't 100% country either; they definitely belong in the alt-country niche. The band actually has a punk background, which is reflected in the music; a few of the songs have a bit more drive than you'd expect from traditional country. Even the slower drawl of Fire & Flood ends with a shockingly abrasive guitar solo, totally overpowering the otherwise complacent rhythm section. Beatuiful & Damned also adds just a hint of distortion to the slide-guitar for a rather unnerving effect. For the most part, however, the album features all the rollicking twang you'd probably expect.

What really distinguishes this album is the lyrics. These aren't exactly rednecks...or perhaps they are, but they seem to feel a bit out of place nonetheless. The theme of alcohol is fairly consistent, but is often used to convey a deeper sort of emotional turmoil. In other words, there aren't any point-blank narratives here. At the same time, the album avoids gutter-depression with some really fun songs, especially the 3 song suite of Amazing G-Dirty Lips-Cousins.

The final track on the album is a 30 minute reprise of the entire album, but it sounds more or less the same. Some of the songs sound like they have been mixed a bit better, such as album highlight Me & Joe Drove Out to California, but otherwise there isn't much of a difference.

This is definitely recommended. It's 5 o'clock, I'm on my second beer of many, and I'm feeling a lot better. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Hasta luego...

Now, Now Every Children - Cars

I fixed my speakers! It was as easy as opening them up, finding what looked like a loose wire of some sort, reconnecting it, and BAM! I can listen to music again. What a relief! I really didn't want to spend money on new ones.

Today's Album: Now, Now Every Children - Cars

Genre: Indie Rock
Released: due February 10, 2009
Running time: 11 tracks, 38:30
In a nutshell: Dynamic female-fronted indie rock

This band is new to me only in the sense that I haven't listened to them before. Their formula is instantly familiar, and very enjoyable, even if it's not very interesting. Now, Now Every Car is your typical girl-fronted indie rock band; feminine without being effeminate, heavy without weight, light without delicacy. Definitely listen to this if you're into Metric, or maybe Tegan and Sara, and don't mind sacrificing their hooks for a little bit of spirit.

I think I'm onto something there. I couldn't really say why I like this album at first; the crunchy guitars, tight beats, and silky smooth vocals are consistent to the point of being a bit dreary. I think it's a matter of spirit. This kind of stuff will really hit the spot if you're in the mood, and I think there may be a good deal of substance to explore in the lyrics.

The most interesting moments on the album come when the band plays the 'adorable/quirky' card. My favorite track is We Know Martha Webber, a song with heavy keyboards and oddball lyrics; I'll ask my friends on the internet / if twenty-five cents is cause for excitement...
I could picture this band doing a suburban-epic sort of album, like the Arcade Fire's Funeral. Such an undertaking would require a little more BANG! out of them, but I think the format would work.

Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand

Hi there! I've got about an hour to kill, so I thought I'd write some. This is good practice; school starts this Thursday, and it's time to start kicking my brain into gear.

Today's album: Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand

Genre(s): Indie Rock, Lo-fi
Released: June 20, 1994
Running time: 20 songs, 43:27
In a nutshell: tape-hiss bliss

One of my all time favorites has popped up today. This is good, I am totally in the mood for this music.

Bee Thousand is an indie cult classic, the masterpiece of GBV's songwriting duo, Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout. I think it takes a couple of listens to really get this album, partly because the fuzzy lo-fi aesthetic doesn't come easily to everyone, and partly because of Pollard's schizo lyrics. If you can digest these aspects, then it comes to you: these songs are fucking catchy. And there is no filler! They could have taken a handful of these songs, extended them by a couple of minutes (most of the tracks are under two minutes), added filler songs, and still have had a nice album filled with rich moments.

In my head, I used to compare Pollard/Sprout to Lennon/McCartney. They do have some similarities; for one, they both have the same good-cop-bad-cop thing going on. Sprout adds a more sensitive, poppy sound to Pollard's rough, psych-punk tendencies, although he tends to contribute less than McCartney did (Sprout wrote 5 of the 20 tracks on Bee Thousand). Both songwriting teams also split up to pursue rather flat solo careers. Sprout's mewing sensitivity is boring without Pollard's louder musicianship, and Pollard's wacky imagination is too raw without Sprout's pop sensibilities.

I've never listened to any other GBV albums, mostly because I'm still stuck on this one. I have Do the Collapse, and I'm a little bit afraid to listen to it as it is frequently referred to as GBV's "clean album". I used to have time to listen to albums I knew I would hate, but I have been extra busy lately. That's fine by me.

Until next time, friends!