Here is my Top 10 Albums list for the year. It was generally a good year for music, though there weren't any real standouts. I had a hard time ordering this list, because there isn't a very big difference in quality from 1 to 10 (and there are definitely a few more that could have made the list).
#10. The Dodos -- Time To Die
I was deciding between The Dodos and The Monsters of Folk for the final place on my list, and I went with The Dodos because the sound is more unique and a little more modern. The driving drums at the forefront of every track make these songs a little more urgent than most folk music, even though the guitar and vocals are generally straightforward folk styles.
#9. Surfer Blood -- Astro Coast
This technically should wait for my Best of 2010 list, because this record doesn't officially get released until January. But I bought it from the band at their show, so I'm counting it. I often bemoan the wussiness of my own musical tastes, as I buy more and more chamber pop and indie folk/rock, so it's always great to find something more on the rock side I actually enoy. Surfer Blood definitely make melodic rock songs, but the low-fi recording (this CD was recorded in a college dorm room, I think) and the focus on guitars gives the music a little more edge. Great melodies, too, though. Expect a lot of buzz on these guys in a few weeks when the official release happens.
#8. Various Artists -- Dark Was The Night
The Indie Rock compilation of the year (is this one, not the Twilight soundtrack). If only for volume, this 2-disc set packed with rarities by indie rock darlings wins. There isn't much cohesiveness to the album, but there are very good songs, including Jose Gonzalez and The Books' take on Nick Drake's Cello Song, Antony's version of obscure (but awesome) Dylan song I Was Young When I Left Home, Well Alright by Spoon, Lenin by Arcade Fire, and an incredible redo of the Bright Eyes song Lua by its writer Conor Oberst with Gillian Welch. But that's just the tip of the iceberg on a great compilation. And it's for a good cause!
#7. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Despite the pains of having to use that awful name to describe them, this band came out of nowhere to gain a lot of indie buzz and a lot of fans with their debut album (and a follow-up EP called Higher Than the Stars, which is equally good). Playing a decidedly retro style of music in a slightly new style -- they sound like an 80's band whose synthesizers were taken and replaced with heavy fuzz guitars -- they probably got both the nostalgic audience and the younger folks who hadn't had the first go-round (sort of like The Strokes' first album when it came out). This is another low-fi recording that makes it difficult -- sometimes the wall of guitar sound completely dominates the vocals, which can be a little frustrating -- but songs like Come Saturday and Young Adult Friction are good enough to make up for that.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday
#6. Tor / Sufjan Stevens -- Illinoize
Just a tremendous random find from the Internet. Available as a free download, this mixtape by producer Tor mixes Sufjan Stevens vocal and instrumental tracks with beats and top-notch MCs. Not a real album, but this might be the one I re-listen to more than any of the others in upcoming years. Standout tracks include those featuring Big Daddy Kane, Brother Ali and Grand Puba.
Tor/Sufjan Stevens/Gift of Gab - Make You Feel That Way
#5. Andrew Bird -- Noble Beast
This CD came out way back in the beginning of the year and blew me away at the time. With his extremely esoteric lyrics and musical style, you would think Bird's would be pretty inaccessible music. But his melodies are so good (and catchy), and the instrumentation so interesting (and how can you not love the whistling solos), that it's a very easy listen. (Even if I have no idea what he's talking about or if half his lyrics are even real words...)
#4. Fanfarlo -- Reservoir
Fanfarlo are a great band, who seem to be getting more and more coverage as they tour our country. (I think they're British.) They get compared very frequently to Arcade Fire, but I don't know Arcade Fire well enough to know how accurate that is. To me, they sound like Noah & The Whale, but a little more mainstream with better vocals (the lead singer sounds a little like David Byrne and the boy-girl harmonies sound great, too). This is a great debut with lots of awesome pop songs and I'm hoping they'll keep growing as they tour and write new songs.
Fanfarlo - The Walls are Coming Down
#3. The Postmarks -- Memoirs at the End of the World
This is the year's best concept album, the type that is even better as a whole than the sum of its songs. Imagined by the band as a take on 60's-era soundtracks, it is lushly produced with multi-instrumentation including horns and string sections, and layered vocals. The final result is a gorgeous album that really does feel like a soundtrack to a romantic movie you just wish you could be in.
#2. The Very Best -- Warm Heart of Africa
I suspect I would love a lot of African music if I just heard it. This record found a couple of European DJ/producers putting together beats and backing tracks for an African vocalist. That African vocal style is so distinct and so great -- wonderful melodies and harmonies that ring just as clear as the African-style guitar Vampire Weekend and Paul Simon made such great use of. I only wish it was summer again, so this music could be enjoyed on a warm sunny day.
#1. Phoenix -- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The sheer upbeat power of these songs puts Phoenix at the top of my list. Almost every song here, and especially big hits Lisztomania and 1901, are unrelentingly bouncy and fun in a way that seems like it should get old very quickly, but somehow doesn't. At least it hasn't yet.
Back to my running list of great songs that came out this year...
An incredible source of songs this year was a charity compilation called Dark Was The Night. Two guys from the indie darling band The National got all their other indie darling friends to contribute songs into what turned into a 2-CD monster who's-who of Indie Rock. Some of my favorite contributors to the album included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes), The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Spoon, Beirut, and Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver).
And also The Books and Jose Gonzalez who got together to do this awesome cover of a Nick Drake song:
OK, I saw the annual Los Lobos show, it got its annual place in my Top Concerts, and now I can make my list...
It was another great year for concerts and I saw a lot of them, even though I did cut down a little bit on concertgoing to preserve dwindling cash reserves. With the addition of a new venue in the area (the renovated Fox Theater in Oakland) and the addition of a new concert buddy (my nephew Noah), it was a good year...
#10. Bob Dylan at the Greek Theater 10/11
I had taken a 5-year break from Dylan shows, but Michael Jackson's death reminded me I should see this guy every chance I get. (No offense, Bob. You could do it another 20 years, but sometimes you look like you're maybe one too many mornings & a thousand miles behind, if you know what I mean...) Anyway, Dylan didn't disappoint. Well, OK, the set list did disappoint a little, but the performance definitely didn't. Great harp solos, even some good guitar and piano playing, and very spirited vocals added up to another age-defying Dylan show.
#9. King Khan & The Shrines at Great American 5/28
I discovered these guys care of Lou Reed's radio show. They play retro garage-soul/funk music and that's a kind of music that you just know is going to be great live. With a horn section and a charismatic lead singer (Khan) who just might be insane, as well as an enthusiastic crowd, this show rocked from beginning to end.
#8. 1/2 Little Joy at the Independent 6/3; 1/2 The Decemberists at the Fox 5/20
Neither of these concerts deserved to be in my top 10 as a whole, but in parts, they were two of the best I saw all year. Little Joy sounded so excellent and played such great music that they would have been much higher on the list -- except that they played less than an hour. They apologized for not knowing enough music, which was no excuse in the eyes of this full-price-ticket-buying audience member.
Meanwhile, The Decemberists absolutely killed with a straight-through live performance of their Hazards of Love album. The musicianship was excellent as always, and the ending rousing and cathartic. And then, they came back for a second set that was lackluster and uninspiring and made us forget how good the first half had been.
#7. Los Lobos at the Fillmore 12/11
Los Lobos. Need I say more? OK, I will. Cesar Rosas and especially David Hidalgo are such great guitarists, it was like watching a shredding clinic standing 5 rows away from them trading solos on various blues jams. To keep things interesting (though the variety in their back catalog does that just fine), they even brought out Boz Scaggs to play and sing a few songs with them (and he was surprisingly good).
#6. Flaming Lips at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/18
This one definitely wins as the most exciting show of the year. Starting with their entrance, birthing themselves out of a giant pulsating vagina, and followed by literally tons of confetti, big balloons, big balloons filled with confetti, Wayne Coyne in his famous hamster ball surfing the crowd, and even some great songs (capped by the entire crowd singing along to lines like "Yoshimi - they don't believe me - but you won't let those robots eat me"), they really made the perfect ending to a day-long indie rock festival.
#5. Devo at The Grand 11/6
I had to miss the show where Devo played the entire Freedom Of Choice album, but I did see the entire Are We Not Men? show. Besides it being great music, it is also great live music. Every song on that album is upbeat and rocking (believe it or not, it's actually a very guitar-driven rock music on that first Devo album). And though the band is looking a little old for the jumpsuits, Mark Mothersbaugh can still sing. The crowd were extremely nerdy but also extremely into it. Can't wait for these guys to come back again next year in support of a new album.
#4. Iron & Wine at Swedish American 5/7
Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) playing an all-request solo-acoustic show in an extremely intimate venue? Guaranteed Top 5 concert. Beam was funny and self-deprecating. But mostly it was just great to hear this guy doing his amazing fingerstyle guitar, singing in his amazing warm voice, playing his amazing songs. (This video's not from the show, but it's from an in-store he did earlier that day. Same thing.)
#3. Band of Horses at the Fox 4/17
I just love this band. Their music is epic in scale but still subtle, so it's perfect for a venue the size of the Fox -- big enough to fill with sound, not too big to lose the details. They played great, and Ben Bridwell's voice sounded terrific. I had high expectations for this concert, and it met them all.
#2. Bon Iver at the Fillmore 9/22
The Bon Iver show was truly mesmerizing. Justin Vernon's falsetto is even more amazing when you can see the big guy it's coming out of. I loved the Bon Iver record, and never would have guessed it could be transformed to a viable live show, but the concert was the perfect performance that doesn't just match the recording but builds on it into something unique and memorable.
#1. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Warfield 1/28
As it turns out, the first concert I heard this year was never matched. This was a classic soul revue, with a big band, strong musicians but tight and well-rehearsed. And most important, fronted by a true master. Sharon Jones owned the stage, entertaining with her charm and wit, interacting with audience members on and off-stage, as well as with her dancing. And did I mention she's an incredible singer? I love all of her originals, but she really brought down the house with her rendition of Sam Cooke's powerhouse A Change Is Gonna Come.
Los Lobos were amazing (of course) last night. I was looking to see if there were any videos of the show already up on YouTube, and stumbled on this:
and this:
Through the magic of technology, Julian now has a song available for sale on iTunes. Pretty cool to see. You can search for it in the iTunes store or go here to see the Julian Hornik iTunes page. Fun.
Yo, Josh, I'm-a let you finish with your Best of 2009 list, but some group called Grand Atlantic had one of the best covers of that Beyonce song all year...
Hey Theo Epstein, I was just looking at an article on ESPN.com and, I'm not sure if you realize this about Red Sox Nation, but:
WE WANT A PITCHER! NOT A BELLY ITCHER!
I'm pretty sure it's been a while since I put a rap song in one of my Best Songs lists, but this year some DJ named Tor put together an incredible set of songs using Sufjan Stevens music for the beats and mixing top-notch MCs (including Grand Puba, Big Daddy Kane, and Outkast) rapping over them. He called the set "Illinoize" and he offered it free on his Web site. It will definitely be making my Best Albums list, as well.
Here's a great one with a heartwarming message, "Make You Feel That Way" featuring Gift of Gab doing the rapping...
Just a few photos of the midtown lights...even when I want to kill the tourists bumbling around the sidewalks, these make me happy.
