BDB posted his books of the year so I'm taking the music of the year post. And like previous years, I find that I am less and less devoted to the long-form record and more attracted to the song. There are fewer and fewer brick-and-mortar outlets for me to browse through and find that record that surprises me. In fact, I find that I'm often surprised to find out that an artist I've been devoted to in the past has released a recording without my noticing. I've had to retrain myself to following music blogs, Spotify, online vendors, and artist and label websites to make sure I don't miss a release. I don't find this method as satisfying as setting aside 30 minutes in a record store, but I don't see that experience returning anytime soon.
And yet, I ended up buying more records than I did last year. I enjoyed Donald Fagen's
Sunken Condos, Andrew Bird's
Break It Yourself, Jack White's
Blunderbuss, Nick Waterhouse's
Time's All Gone, Spiritualized's
Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Michael Kiwanuka's
Home Again, Brad Mehldau's
Where Do You Start and Curumin's
Arrocha. I thought these records held up as suites of songs.
It was a good year for going to shows too. The memorable ones included the Robert Glasper Experiment, Nick Lowe, Curumin, T. P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (the pic is of me with trumpeter Vital Assaba; he's 65 if he's a day, and still throws outrageous shapes on-stage), and the Bad Plus. I'd also include seeing DC local legend and walking jukebox Olivia Mancini play at a neighborhood haunt, Doug Aiken's
Song 1 installation at the Hirschhorn Museum, and two gigs by my son Eric and his band. They tear the hell out of
I Predict A Riot and are working on
Bang A Gong among others.
The songs from this year that made me perk up and notice included:
So Long Marianne, by Bill Callahan -- Bill has quickly become my favorite baritone and he does more than justice to this chestnut from Leonard Cohen. What absolutely slays me, however, is the moment that the pedal guitar makes its first entrance.
Time To Go, by Wax Tailor -- I know absolutely nothing about this band, except that they have the taste to get Aloe Blacc to sing on this track. He's one of, if not the most soulful singer to come through in year and he knocks this out of the park.
The Only Place, by Best Coast -- Bethany Cosentino penned this song about her home state and it's just lovely. I can only guess that the reason that the CA department of Tourism hasn't used this in commercials is that she won't give her consent. But one listen is all you'll need to hop a flight to Cali.
California, by Delta Spirit -- I love these guys because their music awakens the 15-16-year old Steve and I can imagine waiting desperately for them to show up at the Corn Palace or Hammersmith Odeon of my youth. They're prolific too and anyone keeping track will notice that they've featured in all 3 of the last 3 years on my list.
Gone Tomorrow, by Lambchop -- This is such a warm seductive song and so quietly played.
Leyndarmál by Asgeir Trausti -- Asgeir is an Icelandic singer who is making big news in Europe with his pretty songs. He sings in Icelandic which will probably mean that he has limited potential here, but if he ever records in English, he will rule.
Tell Me A Tale by Michael Kiwanuka -- Another artist who has already conquered in Europe, his style reminds me of Bill Withers, which is a really good thing.
Andrew in Drag by Magnetic Fields -- Probably the best songwriter, lyrics and music both, working today is Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields. He's capable of the most delicate and beautiful love song, and also of this, a funny song about how the only girl he ever loved is a man in drag.
Afro Blue by Robert Glasper Experiment -- Robert Glasper came to my notice for his combo's cover of
Teen Spirit, but this track with Erykah Badu's vocal is just sublime.
Say I Wanna Know by Nick Waterhouse -- Unapologetically retro, this guy mines an R&B swagger that sounds really fresh. The horns on this track are infectious!
Honorable mentions include Curumin's
Selvage, Daughn Gibson's
In the Beginning, Beach House's
Myth, Toussaint Morrison's
Can't Relive the Party, Admiral Fallow's
Guest of the Government, Ben Gibbard's
Teardrop Windows, Amie Mann's
Labrador, Langhorne Slim's
The Way We Move, and the Dirty Projectors'
Gun Has No Trigger.
What were you listening to this year?
2 Comments:
Great list with a few things to seek out. Mine should be up in a day or two
Completely agree about how few albums I'm listening to. More about songs now.
Stellar list, as usual, mate - thanks for the post. Like you - and as Simon Reynolds noted in Retromania - my music consumption has radically changed in the 21st century. Those who are old enough will remember when the LP was king and there was something magical, tactile about flipping through a rack of used records, reading the liner notes, slipping the large disc out of the sleeve, placing it on a record player. That’s long gone, of course, as has the habit of buying full discs. I was also shocked by finding out that artists I love had produced albums that snuck up on me - for example, Shelby Lynne had left her label, started her own and released albums in 2009 and 2011! That said, these albums held up for me as fully-formed album-length statements:
1. The Robert Glasper Experment – “Black Radio”
2. Brad Mehldau Trio – Where Do You Go From Here?
3. Melody Gardot – “The Absence”
4. The Best Coast – “The Only Place”
5. Donald Fagen – “Sunken Condos”
6. Sharon van Etten – “Tramp”
7. Kat Edmonson – “Way Down Low”
8. Charlie Haden and Hank Jones – “Come Sunday”
9. Leonard Cohen – “Old Ideas”
Right at the end of the year, one more disc came within my radar – Theo Bleckmann’s tribute album to Kate Bush – “Hello Earth.” I haven’t heard the entire disc yet but I heard enough within a few minutes to force me to order it immediately. It’s on its way and will likely make my final Top Ten.
One of the big disappointments of the year was Diana Krall’s “Glad Rag Doll.” I saw Diana at the Chautauqua Institution, one of the highlights of the year for me, and she notably didn’t play any of the contrived ragtime era arrangements that ended up on this T-Bone Burnett produced disc.
Also like you, most of my new music was consumed in individual stand-out tracks downloaded from various places as mp3s. My Song of the Year was Best Coast’s sunny “The Only Place,” which transported me to SoCal beaches. Here were the ones that gave me the most joy at home, in the car and on the bike (from uptempo to downtempo, as I usually organize them in my iTunes playlist):
* Santigold – “Disparate Youth”
* Alex Clare – “Too Close”
* Kishi Bashi – “Bright Whites”
* Imaginary Cities – “Hummingbird”
* Jack White – “Sixteen Saltines”
* Seapony – “What You Wanted”
* Stars – “Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It”
* The Sea and Cake – “On and On”
* Sharon van Etten – “Serpents”
* Passion Pit – “Take a Walk”
* The Tings Tings – “Soul Killing”
* Robert Glasper Experiment – “Afro Blue”
* Deep Time – “Clouds”
* Andrew Bird – “Eyeoneye”
* The Shins – “Simple Song”
* Kathleen Edwards – “Change the Sheets”
* The Magnetic Fields – “Andrew in Drag”
* Dirty Projectors – “Gun Has no Trigger”
* Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”
* The Lumineers – “Hey Ho”
* First Aid Kit – “Emmylou”
* Gotye – “Somebody that I Used to Know”
* Melody Gardot – “Mira”
* Macklemore – “Same Love”
* Aimee Mann – Labrador”
* King Krule – “The Noose of Jah City”
* Beth Orton – “Magpie”
* The Avett Brothers – “Live and Die”
* Brad Mehldau Trio – “Baby Plays Around”
* Kat Edmonson – “I Guess I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”
* Leonard Cohen – “Show Me the Place”
* Charlie Haden and Hank Jones – “Going Home”
Finally, I upped my live music this year. Highlights included seeing Brad Mehldau solo with the family at the 6th and I Synagogue in Washington, three classic rock shows – Yes, Peter Frampton, and most awesomely, Foreigner - at Art Park on three glorious summer evenings, Robert Glasper Experiment at Tralf Hall in Buffalo with Steve and Diana Krall at Chautauqua. I’ve already got tickets for Dawn Upshaw and Bela Fleck for the spring, so I’m hoping for more of the same to come.
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