2007 Albums of the Year

It's that time of year again. The time of year when best-of lists are made, argued over, and then forgotten. Perhaps I'm missing the party by a couple of weeks, but better late than never. This year, I decided to run down my top 5 favorite albums of 2007:

5. Son Volt - The Search

After a somber opening track, the album kicks into high gear with perhaps my favorite song of 2007: "The Picture". It's a great driving song and I often start car trips with it. The notable difference in this song, and other tracks on the album, from other Son Volt releases is the horn section. It adds a very nice layer to the fuzzed guitars and rock percussion and seems to be a step forward for Jay Farrar and the gang. Otherwise the album is your traditional Son Volt fare, though I have to say I think it's my favorite since the band's best, Trace. If you have an affinity for Son Volt at all, pick this one up.


4. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

Sam Beam's third full length album is another step forward in the songwriter's growing legacy. From the hushed tones of a man and his guitar on his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, Beam has graduated into lush rhythm's, textured melodies, and an arrangement of instruments in his latest. The laid back, almost not there vocals, and rich literary lyrics are still there, this time just set to a fuller backing music. While I love the adaptation Beam has made to his music, my favorite track, "Resurrection Fern", just happens to be the most reminiscent of his previous albums. All in all, a solid album that makes me excited to see what else will come from this brilliant musician and songwriter.


3. Beirut - Flying Club Cup

Every now and then you are introduced to a new band that instantly enters your own personal musical canon. Beirut is that band for 2007. Like Sam Beam to Iron & Wine, Beirut is the current musical project of 22 year old Zach Condon. Don't let the age fool you, though, the instrumentation, lyrics, and of course the deep, heartfelt vocals are mature beyond Condon's years. The music belies description, it's something that really just needs to be heard, but the best I can do is to practice a little imagination exercise...are you with me? Okay. Picture yourself in the 1940's in some country in Eastern Europe, it doesn't matter which one, just imagine the stereotype: the old buildings, the street cafe's, the well dressed citizens mulling the streets. Now picture a band of gypsies on the corner with accordions, ukuleles, mandolins, and glockenspiel's performing for tips on a Sunday afternoon. The songs range from the leisurely Sunday, to the drunken night before, to memories of days on the beach with a lost love from days gone by. It's a unique experience and a breath of fresh air. If you haven't heard this album, I strongly recommend it.


2. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Despite scoring a towering "Moby Quotient" (an equation designed to rate how big a "sell-out" a band becomes after selling a song to a corporation) when VW used the song "Either Way" in a recent commercial, I still think this is an amazing album and Wilco an amazing band. The amazing thing about Wilco is that they still maintain the hipster cred they did before. Which puts Jeff Tweedy alongside Thom Yorke from Radiohead in the "folks who transcend hipness" club. Sky Blue Sky is an excellent, beautiful, rocking album and further cements the band as one of my all time favorites. Tweedy made a solid rock record here, complete with rambling guitar solos. It's a departure from some of the sonic experiments of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born and hearkens back a bit to the early days of A.M. but more grown-up. This is a record that everyone can get into, and yet still it doesn't lose it's "cool-ness". High points: guitar solo on "Impossible Germany", lyrics on "What Light", and the sheer rocking beauty of "Side with Seeds". Check this one out.

1. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

What can I say? This is an amazing album. After much hype and anticipation after the band's excellent debut album, Funeral, this Canadian 7-piece transcended expectations. From the powerful organ running through "Intervention" (the band recorded with an actual full pipe organ in a church), to the low key title track, to the 80's-ish sounding "Keep the Car Running", the album keeps your interest from beginning to end. This one to put on during a long car trip and listen to the entire album. There is variety to the instrumentation, depth to the lyrics, and always a subtle yet strong hook to bring you back to the songs. A part of t he lyrics to "Windowsill" read "MTV, what have you done to me? / Save my soul, set me free". Whatever has been done by most of the music we trudge through, The Arcade Fire are doing their best to reverse it...perhaps not to "soul saving level", but they definitely help.

John Prine Video

I've been a big John Prine fan for several years now, since I was first introduced to him in college (his music, that is). In fact, recently I was asked if I could fill any musicians shoes, who would it be. My answer was Prine. He's an excellent song writer, funny, laid back, and seems like the kind of guy you'd want to go grab a beer with. The below is a really great video I stumbled accross of Prine from back in the day playing my favorite song. He tells a really funny story of a fan misunderstanding the lyrics to the song he's playing. For the reference of those that don't know the song, the chorus, and misunderstood lyrics, are: "That's the way that the world goes 'round / you're up one day, the next you're down / it's a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown / that's the way that the world goes 'round". Just thought I'd share.

Best Album of 2006

One year after picking up Picaresque, The Decemberists’ third full length release, my brother gave me The Crane Wife, the band’s fourth release, and first on a major label (Capitol) for Christmas this year. After one listen The Crane Wife won my personal Best Album of 2006 award. I haven’t been as excited about an album since my best album of 2005, Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois. Every track is great, and some are simply amazing.

The Decemberists are known for their archaic storybook lyrics and that doesn’t stop here. The title track (actually 3 songs, the third being the first song on the album and the first two comprising a medley towards the end of the album) is a recreation of a Japanese folk tale. In it, a man finds a wounded crane one day and nurses it back to health. Soon after, a woman shows up at his door and the two are married. Because they are poor, the woman says she can spin beautiful yarn, but the man must never look in on her while she is doing it. The man pushes her harder and harder because of his greed and finally his curiosity overcomes him and he looks in the room. Inside is the crane, pulling out her feathers to spin in the yarn. Upon spotting the man, the crane flies off, never to be seen again.

In addition to the literary feel of the lyrics they are often dark. Colin Meloy, the lead singer and lyrist, has a penchant for writing about abused children, thieves, murderer’s, and star crossed lovers tales ending in death. The topics are handled so expertly, though, and woven into such beautiful stories, that you could hardly be offended and in fact end up appreciating the rawness of the stories. The song “Shankhill Butchers”, based on the actual murderers in Ireland, reads like a Grimm’s fairy tale. The story was used to warn children into good behavior. The chorus goes:

“‘Cause everybody knows
If you don’t mind your mother’s words
A wicked wind will blow
Your ribbons from you curls
Everybody moan, everybody shake
The Shankhill Butchers want to catch you awake”

Good lyrics need good music to hold them up, and the music on this album is excellent. The Decemberists are typically described as “indie-folk” or perhaps even “indie-pop”, but it really is hard to classify the music. There are hints of rock through the ages from the Led Zeppelin-esque “When the War Came” to the 1970’s prog rock-ish 3 song opus “The Island” (especially the excellent middle track), and speckles of 80’s and 90’s rock throughout. The band certainly makes good use of its musical predecessors. The songs are upbeat when they need to be and down trodden at the right moments. Every track alternates between acoustic guitars, distorted electrics, drums, and bass guitar, all perfectly holding up the story book lyrics.

There’s no such thing as a perfect album, but this one is darn near close. The best part is that this prolific 5 piece from Oregon (they’ve already put out 4 full length albums in 4 years) is a long way from finished. It will be hard to top The Crane Wife, but even a near miss would still be an excellent album.

Start the New Year with Music

I recently discovered a really cool web-site. Fair warning: you may want to wait until you get home from work before clicking on the link for this site, as it will certainly consume a bit of your time, and I'd hate to see you get fired because of me.

The site is called Pandora, and it's an internet radio site. What makes it different from other internet radio sites is that you pick a band or a song that you like and the Music Genome Project matches the style of the artist or song you picked with others. It's a great way to not only listen to good music, but to learn about new artists. Plus they have a cool blog add on...scroll down on my page here and you'll see it.

Enjoy! And if you create an account let me know and I'll bookmark you as a friend and we can share stations.

Sufjan Stevens

Wednesday night, Sufjan Stevens performed at The Fox in Atlanta. The Fox is a beautiful venue and very well kept. This is kind of bittersweet for a concert in my opinion, because while it’s a cool room to see a show in, people tend to be more reserved. Everyone sat and took in the show as if it were a symphonic performance (though Sufjan did have a string section and a brass section) only with loud cheering after each song, instead of gentle applause. I suppose his style of music lends itself to this environment, but I still felt funny sitting at a “rock” concert.

We arrived early enough to get in, grab a way overpriced plastic cup of Sweetwater 420 (the only beer available, it was that or a $10 shot of Jager), and find our seats before the opening act, My Brightest Diamond came out. The show was sponsored by Paste Magazine and so there was a table in the lobby handing out free copies of Paste. I had a strange Hitchcock style moment before the show when I looked around the room and saw everyone sitting quietly in their seats flipping through their free copies of Paste; the gentle rustling of pages as the only sound. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but it was definitely a mini-surreal moment.

My Brightest Diamond came out, led by Shara Worden, who is also a part of Sufjan’s band, promptly at 8pm. This was the first I had heard of MBD and while they had an interesting sound, they were more the background music to everyone’s arrival. People filed in, conversed, grabbed drinks, and made trips to the bathroom, which made concentration difficult. She caught most of the audience’s attention with her last few songs, though, which were more up beat.

After a brief intermission Sufjan and his 14 piece back-up band came out. All were wearing large colorful butterfly wings. In addition to his usual group of guitarist, bassist, and drummer, he hired a string section and brass section to round it all out. Instead of traveling with this many people, though, he hired different musicians in each of the cities he’s playing in. The groups receive sheet music prior to each show and then rehearse briefly beforehand, but that's it. It didn’t show, however, as the music and arrangements all went very well.

The show began with “Sister” from the album Seven Swans. This was a perfect song to start the show with, because it is an instrumental build for about 5 minutes, then cuts out and leaves Sufjan to sing and play piano. I could tell we were in for a good show.

The only problem occurred during “The Transfiguration”. The band was in full swing, when suddenly an ear shattering high pitched feedback shriek rocked the room. All of the band members jumped and nearly dropped their instruments. Sufjan mumbled a quiet, “uh, sorry” and ran off the stage. No one knew quite what to do, so to fill the new awkward silence there were intermittent screams from the audience. Soon the problem was fixed and the show was back on.

During the middle of the show, Sufjan took it down a notch playing the quiet, yet powerful songs, “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” from Illinois. The songs truly show Sufjan’s lyrical genius. The former is a contemplation on a friend/girlfriend who is suffering from bone cancer. The characters in the song are young, probably high school, and when the girl finally passes away, the main character ponders the amazing Grace of the Lord, with the amazing pain we face in life:

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders, and He shook my face,
and He takes and He takes and He takes

The latter song mentioned above, “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” is a startling portrayal of the serial killer mentioned in the title. With careful phrasing, Sufjan mentions the evils of this man only to finish with: “And in my best behavior / I am really just like him / Look beneath the floor boards / For the secrets I have hid.”

If this section of the performance showcased Sufjan’s lyrics, the next showcased his music. “Jacksonville” is a beautifully arranged song that utilized the full band. Then, arguably my favorite Sufjan song came, “The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!” He prefaced the song with a short story about how it came from a time when he was at summer camp and was chased by a giant “bird wasp”. It was a funny story, told in a somewhat nervous manner. Perhaps it was the size of the room, or perhaps it was just his personality. At any rate, the song didn’t disappoint.

The evening finished with the title track from Illinois followed by a two song encore. All in all it was an excellent show and well worth the money. I’m excited to see what Sufjan comes out with next.

Good Beer

I guess my top living songwriters post got me in a list making mood, so here I've posted 5 beers that I've found to be especially good. I'm always willing to add more to my list, but I've enjoyed these for a while now, and they never disappoint. Also, I'll take this opportunity to put in a plug for the best bar in the world...if you live in the Atlanta area or are passing through, be sure to stop at The Brick Store in Decatur. It will be well worth your time. So, without further delay, bring on the beer:

1. St. Bernardus Abt 12: this dark ivory colored beer is brewed at the Trappistenweg 23 monastery in Watou Belgium. It has a rich fruity flavor, which is characteristic of the Belgian ales. It is very complex and very different from what most Americans think of as "beer", but it is well worth trying. Only problem is you'll be hooked. Be careful, though, at 10.5% ABV (Alcohol By Volume) it can hit you pretty quick.


2. Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA: after this you'll never drink another IPA. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find this in Georgia. I picked up a six-pack in North Carolina this summer, and while I'm glad I did, I am now ruined for any other IPA. Like most IPA's it is quite hoppy, but this one is at a level seldom tasted. If you run across this be sure to pick some up for yourself (and for me).


3. Rogue Mocha Porter: the Rogue Brewery in Portland has a great selection of beers. In fact, the Brick Store Pub, mentioned above, always keeps a Rogue on tap. Of all the Rogue brews I've tried, though, this one is my favorite. It has a rich bittersweet chocolate flavor. It goes great with a meal or by itself. While dark, it goes down smooth and is not a "meal" in and of itself.

4. Three Philosophers: this Belgian style ale brewed at the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY, which is also the location of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Good beer and baseball...what could be a better combination? Anyway, this beer has a rich fruity flavor and is the closest thing you'll come to a Belgian Abby ale outside Belgium. This also makes it easier to find. Most liquor stores will have Three Philosophers. You just have to hunt for it through all the Bud and Icehouse.


5. Samuel Adams Summer Ale: finally, I thought I'd finish off with a seasonal beer. Sam Adams is probably the best mainstream brewery around. You can find their beer at any grocery store or liquor store and they always have great seasonal brews. The Summer Ale is a wheat beer with a hint of lemon. It's a great tasting beer for a hot summer day. Be sure to pick up some quick, if there's any left, or else you'll be waiting for next season.

Top Ten Living Songwriters

A few months ago Paste Magazine released an issue listing the 100 greatest living songwriters. Of course, this got me thinking, so here, for your reading pleasure, are my top 10 greatest living songwriters, right now (it’s always best to add the “right now” in there, because “best of” lists are always subject to change). Please feel free to add your own list, mention those I forgot, call me an idiot for including/excluding someone, or whatever else comes to your mind in the comments.

1. Bob Dylan
Favorite Album: Blood on the Tracks
Favorite Songs: “Tangled up in Blue”, “Shelter from the Storm”, “Visions of Johanna”
Comments: What is there to say? Dylan is the iconic songwriter. He has so many high points throughout this career it’s impossible to narrow it down. From the absurd to the poignant, his lyrics always make you think and his composition is always perfect. I had the chance to see him live a few years ago and it was an incredible experience. Listening to him play “Like a Rolling Stone” gave me an amazing feeling of connection with all the people over the years that have heard that song and identified with it. The man is a legend.

2. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings, Solo)
Favorite Album: Let it Be
Favorite Songs: “Let it Be”, “In My Life”, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)”
Comments: Again, how do you narrow down a career like McCartney’s? My focus with him is mostly on his time with The Beatles, but he has been a prolific songwriter since then as well. McCartney, as well as Dylan, is responsible for so much of our shared culture and our understanding of pop music. There couldn’t be a list like this without his inclusion.

3. Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel, Solo)
Favorite Album: Graceland
Favorite Songs: “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, “American Tune”, “Slip Slidin’ Away”
Comments: While all of the songwriters on this list are unique and have constantly sought to expand their musical styles, none have delved into world music or sought connections with genres outside their own as much as Paul Simon. A perfectionist, his lyrics are always insightful, brimming with humor and heartache, and his music always manages to be complex and challenging and yet remain at its heart pop music.

4. John Prine
Favorite Album: Sweet Revenge
Favorite Songs: “Souvenirs”, “That’s the Way that the World Goes ‘Round”, “All the Best”
Comments: Picking a favorite album is hard with Prine. He’s the type that you really need a good best of CD to really understand. He’s been writing great music since the early ‘70’s. His wit and humor shed a new light on difficult times and laughter in better ones. The previous 3 mentioned on this list seem untouchable because they’re such celebrity, but Prine, even though he’s been recording great music for 30 years, is more down to earth. He’s the poet for the common man.

5. Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco)
Favorite Album: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Favorite Songs: “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”, “Jesus, etc”, “The Late Greats”
Comments: Jeff Tweedy has become a golden boy of modern rock music. After his work in Uncle Tupelo, often considered the driving force behind the Alt-country movement, he formed the band Wilco and has evolved his musical style with each album. He has moved right near the top of the list of artists who can experiment with feedback and even noise and still turn it into great rock songs.

6. Tom Waits
Favorite Album: Rain Dogs
Favorite Songs: “Come on up to the House”, “Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)”, “Time”
Comments: If you sat down and listened to everyone on this list you would probably come away saying that Tom Waits was the strangest, and you’d probably be right. No one else on this list has experimented the way that Waits has over his long career. His style ranges from folk to polka, from gospel to piano bar lounge music. His lyrics often tell sordid tales of people on the wrong side of the tracks. He is the musical equivalent to Charles Bukowski or straight whiskey. He is an acquired taste but one that is well worth the time.

7. Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Solo)
Favorite Album: Straightaways
Favorite Songs: “Windfall”, “Caryatideasy”, “Gramophone”
Comments: The other big name from Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar has not reached the pinnacle his counterpart did. Most thought Farrar would be the golden boy to save rock music, and while I tend to identify with him more, Tweedy won the badge in the critic’s eyes. Ever since his Uncle Tupelo days as a teenager he has always sung and written as a man far older than his age. His songs sing of blue collar heartache and carry the feeling of sitting alone at closing time at the local bar. He captures this mood better than just about anyone.

8. Sufjan Stevens
Favorite Album: Illinois
Favorite Songs: “In the Devil’s Territory”, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is out to Get us”, “Decatur, or, Round of Applause for your Stepmother”
Comments: In a very short time Sufjan has released several albums. Among them are Michigan and Illinois, two releases in his plan to release one album for each of the 50 states. His musical style ranges from lush instrumentation to a simple banjo strum and voice. His lyrics touch on faith, loss, joy, and everything in between. He is one of the most talented musicians I’ve seen in a long time and I’m looking forward to what I hope is a long career.

9. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
Favorite Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
Favorite Songs: “Passing Afternoon”, “Muddy Hymnal”, “Naked as we Came”
Comments: Beam is a born songwriter. His first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was recorded on a 4-track in his home. It is a soft recording with hushed vocals accompanied by guitar, banjo, and mandolin, but it speaks volumes. This style continues on his later releases, but he turns it up a bit on a few songs and it creates a wonderful mix. His music is the type that fills the room you are playing it in and it is hard to do anything else but listen.

10. Ben Harper
Favorite Album: Fight for your Mind
Favorite Songs: “Pleasure and Pain”, “By my Side”, “Ground on Down”
Comments: While he can border on cliché at times, especially with his political themed songs, Ben Harper has a knack for writing accessible songs about everyday life and events. His music is dynamic, as shown especially on his newest album Both Sides of the Gun: one song is funk the next folk and the last all out rock. He may not be the headiest songwriter around, but he’s always one I enjoy listening to.

So, that’s that. I realize now that I’ve finished with the list that, aside from the length (sorry about that), there are no female artists on it. I thought of including Gillian Welch, Ani DiFranco, and Emmylou Harris, all of whom I’ve enjoyed in the past, but I don’t know enough about them to make an intelligent entry. So…please leave me some artists/albums that I should check out in the comments. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the list.

Don't Throw it out Just Yet

In this article in the Weekly Standard, columnist Louis Wittig makes an observation about the power of the blogosphere to influence politics and culture on a mainstream level in America. He compares the recent Snakes on a Plane phenomenon (see my previous post for more) with the liberal blogoshere in an attempt to show that the effect is basically nil: politicians were not elected because of the efforts of left-wing blogs and Snakes on a Plane only garnered around $15 million its opening weekend. His ultimate reason as to why is:

“People go to the blogosphere because they can't find a sizable number of people in their everyday, off-line lives that are as enthusiastic as they are. The blogosphere gathers together atypical fans and brings them together in what quickly becomes a broadband echo chamber. The louder and more intense the online community gets, the farther it's likely drifting from what is happening offline.”

This may be true, but what Wittig is overlooking is the fact that this echo chamber wasn’t available before at all. Before the internet, if you were overly enthusiastic about something and couldn’t find anyone else that was, you probably just kept it to yourself. Now, anyone with an idea can link to people all over that might share their passion. Snakes on a Plane, as stated in the article by a fan lamenting its poor opening weekend performance, might never have happened without the online support. The fact that a bunch of geeks with the internet got the producers to re-film scenes says something in and of itself.

Perhaps the blogosphere is not going to elect major politicians or have far reaching cultural impact now, but it allows ideas to come to the surface that never would have before. Also, it’s quite young. There’s no telling what effect it may have in the future. At the very least, it is a useful tool and provides a medium to sort through ideas and hopefully cull the best from the dregs to come forward to national attention. I would be hesitant to throw it out so soon as an influential medium.

Snakes on a Plane

I just returned home from the movie event of a generation. Never before has a movie inspired such anticipation, such excitement, such internet buzz. You think I'm kidding? The makers of this movie had no idea what they had on their hands until it got out to the internet that there was a movie in production called Snakes on a Plane starring Samuel L. Jackson. The combination couldn't have been more perfect to inspire excitement at the sheer absurdity of it. Word grew and it became an internet sensation: spoof posters, fan fiction, spoof trailers, and more all started circulating. The producers even held off any viewings until opening night. They didn't want anything to spoil the anticipation that had built for this first opening weekend. The movie was completed in September of 2005, but the producers held off releasing it and used the internet gossip to fine tune. The most notable addition is the famous line, which will undoubtedly go down in movie history, spoken by Samuel L. Jackson. We'll get there, don't worry...

There was definitely something akin to excitement in the air as we walked into the theatre tonight. The movie goers took their seats and prepared for what was to come. The opening credits began and the first bit of applause started when Samuel L. Jackson's name appeared on the screen...then "Snakes....on a Plane". Everyone cheered. I was happy that we had a good crowd. Snakes on a Plane is more of an event than just a movie. It won't be the same once the luster has gone a few weeks from now and certainly not when it comes to video. I liken it to a play. You have to be there to experience it. Once it's done, it's done.

Of course, the movie had everything you would expect. There was gruesome violence, campy dialogue, and every stock character imaginable. The theatre loved it. The audience added to the soundtrack with laughter, applause, and cheers. I will leave off any detailed descriptions because not knowing what to expect and then suddenly knowing exactly what will happen next is part of what makes this movie fun. Everyone is sitting there waiting for the inevitable to happen. And so the movie goes until it builds to the climax; the line we all came to hear...

The camera focuses on Sam Jackson, slight up-shot, he's got the look in his eyes that only Sam Jackson can get, the theatre was on the edge of their seats, and then... "Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers and applause. It was so loud that it drowned out the end of the line. I've never seen anything like it.

No other actor could have pulled this off. Sam Jackson played it perfect. You could even see the glint in his eye on certain lines; he knew what he was doing. This movie was wink-and-nod campy with just the perfect level of irony. Hollywood makes so many bad movies that try to be good, that it was refreshing to have a movie that didn't pretend to be anything but what it was, and it didn't disappoint. It was well worth my eight bucks...not just for the movie, but for the event.