10 Favorite Records of 2009… In two sentences or less

 

#10. The Pains of Being Pure of Heart – Self Titled

Horrible band name. Great album.

****

#9 Art Brut – Art Brut VS Satan

Frank Black kills it as producer. Eddie Argos continues to shine as a British, more sardonic Crag Finn.

***

#8 Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career

Scottish indie band continues to make great music by revisiting 60’s R & B. “The Sweetest Thing” and “French Navy” would be massive singles in a sane world.

Does this Video really remind anyone else of Hal Hartley?

***

#7 *Three Way Tie* Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar / Drive-By Truckers – The Fine Print / Drive-By Truckers – Live in Austin

I decided to group these three releases together – The Fine Print (a collection of rarities and covers), Live in Austin (The Truckers’ appearance on Austin City Limits in support of their 2008 effort Brighter than Creation’s Dark) and Patterson Hood’s 2nd solo record Murdering Oscar (made up of mostly older songs that Hood recorded during a band hiatus). If I had to pick one of these three releases it would probably be Murdering Oscar as “Pride of the Yankees” is probably the best song about 9/11 not written by Steve Earle or Bruce Springsteen, but the other two records have really strong moments as well.

 

***

#6 Viva Voce – Rose City

This local band continues to gain steam with each release (and the addition of more members did a lot to beef up their sound). Sonically this is probably the most varied album on my list.

 

***

#5 Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster

Favorite album cover of the year. Creativity is the word here as Thao is simply an amazing songwriter.

 

***

#4 Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies

When I finally sat down and really listened to this record I instantly realized that Justin may end up being a much better songwriter than his father.

 

***

#3 Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Self Titled

“Shampoo” is without a doubt my favorite song of the year. Lyrically the best record of the year, hands down.

 

***

#2 Jason Isbell and the 400 unit – Seven Mile Island

Jason returns to his muscle shoals roots and steps out of the shadow of his former group. “Sunstroke” is simply breathtaking and “No Choice in the Matter” sounds like something Sam and Dave could have recorded.

***

#1 Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

My buddy Curtis was very astute when during one of our chats he made the observation that this was the “Boxer” of 2009 in terms of consistent critical acclaim. Deservedly so, in my opinion nothing else this year sounded as inspired as this did.

***

Coming next week…..

My 20 favorite records of the 00’s.

Numbers 20-10

Pearl Jam – Backspacer

Three out of Five Stars

This has to be one of the most difficult things I have ever written on here.

On one hand I had to make sure that on one hand I gotten over the initial disgust of seeing them in a Target commercial and on the other hand I had to make sure I was over the initial euphoria that comes with seeing one of their live performances.

So yes, I am sticking with my initial review I gave on facebook after this album leaked, three out of five stars. 60%, a passing grade.

To my ears this record is composed of 4 excellent songs, 4 okay songs, and 3 bad ones. Very similar to every release they’ve had this decade in that respect.

But before I get to Backspacer, I have to say a few words about another highly anticipated 2009 release, one that dropped in January. Bruce Springsteen’s Working on a Dream.

Both records were produced by Brendan Obrien, both records were promoted by national campaigns (Bruce by his Super Bowl appearance, Pearl Jam by their Target deal). Both releases underwhelmed me upon first listen and continue to do so in part because they both sound tossed off and underdeveloped. Even more troubling, they lack the very depth that these bands are known and loved for.

Backspacer is better than Working on a Dream though (which I would probably give 1/5 stars for those wondering).  Much better.

Backspacer starts with a 4 song punch reminiscent of Vitalogy. The merely adequate “Gonna See My Friend” is followed by the SUBLIME  “Got Some” – Devo inspired riffs paired with a set of lyrics that are  ambiguous in all of the right ways and one of Vedder’s most inspired vocal performances on wax. Period.

“The Fixer” is also excellent. Probably the 2nd best single of the year (“Shampoo” by Elvis Perkins being the first). Its chorus is powerful enough to make you forget about the mad lib verses (If somethings bland, let me put a little spice on it - if something's blurred, let me put a little clear on it). “Johnny Guitar” is great because its different, clever and fun.

“Just Breathe” is where the record loses momentum. It has a real dentist office quality to it and should have been relegated to B-side duty.

Eddie insists that “Amongst the Waves” isn’t about surfing - but really, he has to see why people would be confused. “Riding high amongst the waves” may be a relationship or life metaphor but it conjures up the image of Eddie in a wet suit catching a wave and smiling ear to ear. An image that makes you smile, especially when it was paired with the crunchy riffs of “Big Wave” from 2006’s “Pearl Jam”. I’m not a huge Radiohead fan but do you know what Thom Yorke does in his spare time by listening to his records? Neither do I, and thats how I like it. Unless its something where he wakes up sucking lemons. In that case………ew.

“Unthought Known” suffers from the same phenomenon that “Amongst the Waves” does, it sounds like the band is TRYING to write another anthem for its fans like “Alive” or “Betterman”. The lyrics are a bit too self helpy and derivative of some of their past work (I’m thinking “Present Tense” here) for me to buy into it. Eddies 110% commitment to it almost gets me there on certain listens though. Certainly in concert.

“Supersonic” is a fun Ramones pastiche. “Speed of Sound” is a really interesting song thats become a repeat listen of mine. It suffers from, again, underdeveloped lyrics and some odd production choices (the demo version isn’t perfect either, but is essential listening for Pearl Jam fans) but possesses a strong, driving melody and some very powerful imagery.

“Force of Nature” is at best forgettable and at worst an exercise in butt-rock.

“The End” is the 4th excellent song in this group. Intensely evocative and cinematic with Ed’s voice in rare form, literally wrenching emotion out of every syllable.

Sometime around the early part of this decade the media and fans began comparing Pearl Jam to jam bands like Phish and the Grateful Dead, citing their rabid fans, epic rock shows and sub par releases. Its a comparison that I agree with at this point, I’ve been compiling my 50 favorite records of the decade and only one Pearl Jam release is a lock (Binaural) with their 2003 collection of rarities Lost Dogs probably making the cut as well. But how many Pearl Jam shows would be in my top 50 concerts seen this decade? Oh, all of them.

Think back to the some of the best records this band has released: Vitalogy for instance. What made this band so great was their ability to mix their experimental and self indulgent tracks like “Bugs” with punk meets classic rock scorchers like “Last Exit” and flat out classics like “Betterman”. None of their releases this decade have come close to doing that. A few songs on Backspacer have the punk ethos, a few songs on Pearl Jam have the anthems and a few songs on Riot Act are great exercises in creativity but none of them really stand the test of time or would really demand attention if anyone besides Pearl Jam released them.

Is it unreasonable for me to expect this band to release a classic album at this point in their career?

In a word, yes.

Looking at some of their influences: Bob Dylan and Neil Young have released some quality work well into old age but have both had their share of awful, unlistenable records. Bruce Springsteen has released at least two awful records into his 40’s and has had to essentially jettison the qualities of his music that hes best known for to remain relevant (Solo records The Ghost of Tom Joad, Devils and Dust. Playing with a folk band doing Seeger Sessions. Magic and The Rising were excellent, but that would be only 2 E Street records in almost 20 years so you catch my drift). The Who are sill touring (surviving members that is), but are essentially a tribute band and haven’t done anything artistically relevant since that concert for New York on VH1 shortly after 9/11. Tom Waits is a great example of an artist aging gracefully but hes only had a handful of releases this past decade and has turned to acting as an additional creative outlet.

Looking at their peers: They are essentially the last of the Seattle scene standing. Chris Cornell had some mediocre releases with Audioslave and severely tarnished his legacy with a Timbaland produced solo album. Dave Grohl has done some interesting projects (Queens of the Stone Age etc) and has had massive commercial success with the Foo Fighters. But lets face it, The Foo Fighters have been incredibly stale since There is Nothing Left to Lose in 1999 and weren’t anything like Nirvana conceptually anyway. Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan (not Grunge acts obviously, but broke at similar times) have drifted in and out of semi retirement, released some decent stuff and from what I hear put on pretty good shows but haven’t had the same level of output as Pearl Jam in terms of frequency and quality. 

Is it lamentable if this band keeps releasing records with only a few songs that stand alongside their best work - but keep playing epic rock shows that only a very small amount of bands can compete with?

Hell, no!

Seeing them in Seattle and Portland in September made that entirely obvious to me. This is a band that still has musical integrity, punk rock attitude and will always be more than the some of its parts. I’d still like to see them make a record that goes in a different direction (think electronica, or country or a bell to bell punk rock record) or see Eddie Vedder do a full fledged solo project (ideally one made up of all punk songs done with an outfit like Zeke or C Average) but even if they don’t: this band will always be a HUGE part of my life. And one worthy of all the superlatives that a music fan can offer.

But just like when the Blazers will inevitably lose a hard fought game to a Western Conference rival this year for lack of effort. I listen to this record and can’t help but think……

They could have done better.

2009 Halfway roundup Pt. 1: Records I've heard

2 part series here. 2009 in Music, at the halfway point. Heres a list of albums released this year that I've heard. I decided not to include U2's last "record" because they're more like Cirque du Soleil or Celtic Women at this point. Next up: The Five best Records of 2009 thus far.

Artist - Album

St. Vincent - Actor

Art Brut - Art Brut Vs. Satan

Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Favours For Sailors - Furious Sons

Schuyler Fisk - The Good Stuff

M. Ward - Hold Time

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

Booker T. Jones - Potato Hole

Viva Voce - Rose City

Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane And Sugarcane

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Seven-Mile Island

Mute Math - Spotlight EP

Ramblin Jack Elliot - A Stranger Here

Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health

Steve Earle - Townes

Casiotone For the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream

Various Artists - Dark Was The Night

Song Analysis - Down to The River

I’ve decided to use this blog to take an in depth look at some of my favorite songs. This piece will tackle Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” from the 1980 double album of the same name. Its regarded as one of his best songs by fans, critics and this blogger – I’d probably put it in my top 5 Springsteen songs in fact.

This song was, for all intents and purposes the first expression of to that point a long running interest that Bruce had in two American icons: Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. “The River” certainly has an implicit political consciousness that reminds me of some of Guthrie’s work like “Pretty Boy Floyd”. Musically “The River” is patterned after Williams “I’m a long gone Daddy” (that title would later find its way into “Born in the USA””) and shares all the bleak and lonesome qualities of William’s best work. Clearly this was the point where Springsteen began to internalize the American folk tradition, much like Born to Run proved he had internalized American Rock and Roll.

So what about the lyrics? Lets go line-by-line.

I come from down in the valley

Already Springsteen establishes the economic conditions of the protagonist by using simple geography. Typically the poorer residents of a community live “down in the valley”. Think Everclear - “I will buy you a new house – in the west hills"

where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done

After an economic boom people are again finding themselves less mobile, both economically and geographically. Theres less class mobility as well. This is what happens during recessions, be they our current mess, the economic climate of the late 70’s that Bruce lived through, or the dust bowl era of woody guthrie. There is also a certain amount of destiny woven into the story here, and father issues, always father issues with Bruce.

 
Me and Mary we met in high school when she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green

So its with Mary that he’s able to get out of the Valley. This is important to note.

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride

The River is really the other main character of the song. Consider all the meaning rivers have. Think Mesopotamia. All the Biblical language surrounding rivers. Clearly The River in this song is also a symbol of life and vitality.

Then I got Mary pregnant and man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteen birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse and the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle
No flowers no wedding dress

This is purely expository, but heartbreaking nonetheless.

 
That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
On down to the river we did ride

Despite all this, the narrator is still able to escape with Mary. Life is still full of possibilities.

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy

This is where things go off the rails. Springsteen, like Steinbeck understood the spiritual dimension of work and what happened when good people found themselves in poor circumstances.

 
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air

Circumstances have changed. Instead of a life of possibility and opportunity its a life of obligations that can’t be fulfilled.

Now I just act like I don't remember, Mary acts like she don't care

This is where things get really tragic. How many marriages have been destroyed as a result of economic hardship. I’m no Marxist but its hard not to see the alienation that capitalism can create, even between life partners.

But I remember us riding in my brother's car

So he acts like he can’t remember. But he does.

Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir

The symbolism could not be richer here. He remembers her in a resevoir.

At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse

What could be worse than losing the things that mean the most? Not being able to forget them, to get any respite from your loss.

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse

This is probably the best line in the song. It reminds me of this poem:

  What happens to a dream deferred?
  Does it dry up
  like a raisin in the sun?
  Or fester like a sore
  And then run?
  Does it stink like rotten meat?
  Or crust and sugar over
  like a syrupy sweet?
  Maybe it just sags
  like a heavy load.
  Or does it explode?
       "Harlem" - Langston Hughes

When I think of this line I think about some of the failures in my life. I had many moments where I failed because I didn’t try. I could always tell myself that things could have been different had I applied myself. The moments that really hurt were the times where I tried my hardest and came up short. Did the narrator’s dreams not come true because he didn’t believe in them? Or did they simply not happen for other reasons? What are those reasons? What does that mean? This is biblical stuff.

that sends me
Down to the river

Its these kinds of questions that send him searching – for things he can’t have and moments he can’t relive.

though I know the river is dry
Down to the river, my baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride

The first performance of this song:

Watchmen Review (no spoilers, I promise)

In a move that should surprise none of you I saw the film adaptation of Watchmen last Friday. Amber and I strolled down to the Broadway Theater, a regal outlet across the street from the Schnitz known for its independent theater Mondays, low attendance and shoe box shaped auditoriums. Its been some time since I've seen a movie on opening day so the fact that we had to wait in line gave the whole experience an exciting lift.

There were things about the movie that were really strong. Visually Snyder nailed the comic panel by panel. Jackie Earle Haley brought Rorschach to the screen more authentically than any other actor in any other comic book movie. Heath Ledger was great as the Joker, but his Joker wasn't really patterned after a specific Joker in the Batman oeuvre, the way Rorschach on screen is a lifelike representation of Rorschach on page. Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan was also strong, especially in his origin scene (a high point of the film).

That being said, there are many areas in which this film failed. Really bad casting hurt it quite a bit. Malin Ackerman as Laurie Jupiter = epic fail. Lifetime movie quality. She brought down nearly every scene that she was featured in. Many other actresses could have nailed Laurie and still looked the part (Jennifer Connelly in particular would have been awesome). I won't go into it in depth in order to avoid spoilers but there was another poorly made casting decision that totally telegraphed the climax of he stort. Zack Snyder shouldn't be allowed to direct another movie, period. Hes great at visuals but, lets say less than great at everything else a director needs to do to make his film successful (not to mention his complete lack of subtlety). Patrick Wilson was great in "Little Children" and "Angels in America" but was really inconsistent in this film, a sign that Snyder isn't very good at interacting with talent. I know they had a lot to fit in a relatively short amount of time but the pacing of this film was way off. Specifically the scene in Vietnam (again, no spoilers) was cut in a way that robbed it of the emotional impact it should have had. The soundtrack choices were trite and obvious, the score wasn't particularly memorable and was too prominent in the mix.

There were several things in this movie that were significantly changed from the comic. None of the changes made were improvements, especially the ending. Everything that was altered was done in a way that made things more blunt and banal which betrayed the multi-layered nature of the source material What do I know though? I guess Slumdog Millionaire proved that people are still attracted to the most pedestrian narratives and need to have their hand held through things.

Snyder's Watchmen is still faithful enough to the material to be a worthwhile experience its just that whereas the comic is a deconstruction of the superhero genre that touches on fatalism, objectivism and cold war paranoia, the film is simply a meditation on the super hero genre and a pretty entertaining comic book movie with a downer ending.

So watch the movie - but please read the comic as well.

Music roundup

Music related things that are getting me excited in 2009.

1. The new Springsteen record leaked this week and not surprisingly its pretty damn good. Not as good as "Magic" or "The Rising" in terms of modern E Street Band projects, but good nonetheless. I still need some time to process it so I'll probably wait to post my review until its official release date of 1/27 - who knows, I may not really "get it" until I hear it on the Vinyl I buy from Music Millennium that Tuesday.

2. The new M. Ward is being streamed on NPR and is quite good. Two cool covers (two of my favorite tunes actually, "Rave on" by Buddy Holly and blues standard "Oh lonesome me"), great guest appearances and killer arrangements. Definitely will be picking this up in Feb.

3. First confirmed show of 2009! Lisa Hannigan at the Wonder Ballroom. Amber and I have a lot of work left to do to get to our 2008 concert total, 17 more shows to be exact.

4. Neil Finn's "7 world's collide" project seems to be progressing quite nicely. They have tons of awesome videos up. The CD and DVD will be must buys as all proceeds go to Ox Fam

5. I should have a great mix next winter, looks like theres a lot of good stuff on the horizon:

Likely releases:

Steve Earle's record of Townes Van Zant covers
Ryan Adams
Neil Young
Lucero's major label debut
Townes van Zant reissues
Ted Leo
Damien Rice
Art Brut (with Frank Black producing!)

Possible Releases
Pearl Jam (damn they take their sweet time making records)
Drive-By Truckers
Some Glen Hansard related project
The National

Not Anticipating
U2 - No Line on the Horizon (each time they record something do they play a game of who can pick the most pretentious sounding title?)

In 2009 I hope to see........

Bruce Springsteen (not likely, should be a short tour)
Pearl Jam (sort of a crapshoot there)
REM (not likely, looks like they're done touring the last record)
The National - finally (likely, I can't say why I just have a good feeling)
Ted Leo (likely, dude needs to get paid, and should have a new record)
Steve Earle (see above)
Damien Rice
Art Brut
Ryan Adams
Cr Avery
Pavement (might finally happen this year)

Chilling

Killer version of this song:

Bruce Springsteen
The New Timer (Autoharp) CAA 20005
http://www.mediafire.com/?1v4jqj4bnog

He rode the rails since the great depression
Fifty years out on the skids
He said you don't cross nobody
You'll be all right out here kid

Left my family in Pennsylvania
Searchin' for work I hit the road
I met Frank in east Texas
In a freight yard blown through with snow

From New Mexico to Colorado
California to the sea
Frank he showed me the ropes, sir
Just till I could get back on my feet

I hoed sugar beets outside of Firebaugh
I picked the peaches from the Marysville tree
They bunked us in a barn just like animals
Me and a hundred others just like me

We split up come the springtime
I never seen Frank again
'Cept one rainy night he blew by me on grainer
Shouted my name and disappeared in the rain and the wind

They found him shot dead outside Stockton
His body lyin' on a muddy hill
Nothin' taken, nothin' stolen
Somebody killed him just to kill

Late that summer I was rollin' through the plains of Texas
A vision passed before my eyes A small house sittin' trackside
With the glow of the saviours beautiful light

A woman stood cookin' in the kitchen
Kid sat at the table with his old man
Now I wonder does my son miss me
Does he wonder where I am

Tonight I pick my campsite carefully
Outside the Sacramento Yard
Gather some wood and light a fire
In the early winter dark

Wind whistling cold I pull my coat around me
Make some coffee and stare out into the black night
I lie awake, I lie awake sir
With my machete by my side

My Jesus your gracious love and mercy
Tonight I'm sorry could not fill my heart
Like one good rifle And the name of who I ought to kill

Coming Soon!

1. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska Live

2. Best Political Songs of the Bush Era

3. Best live performances I've seen

Okay, you decided

A Ryan Adams project by the end of the week then. The subject may be surprising.