Hello all! You can't tell it but I'm posting with blue fingers and chattering teeth right now. Yes, the Snowpocalypse of 2010 is upon us, and much of the eastern U.S. as well as my humble Johnson City are in the throes of that mean bitch we call winter. Luckily, I've stocked up with enough supplies and hired Blue Ribbon French Master Chef Boyardee to get me through the frozen onslaught. Also keeping me occupied and staving off cabin fever are the wonderful Netflix (There's nothing like a marathon of Ren & Stimpy followed by The Human Centipede) and some good tunes. What people sometimes overlook is that in the dark, depressing winter months the right sounds can really lift our spirits and prevent us from going all The Shining on our significant others.
You're Doing it Wrong, Clown...
Luckily for us, there are some songs that can cut right through that winter cold and bring us some sanity when we're stuck indoors for days on end. And so here is the beginning of a new section of Direct Hit, The Playlist. Hopefully these 8 songs can warm things up for you on these frigid winter days.
1. "Let's Go Sunning" by Jack Shandlin
This one serves two purposes, a shoutout to my fellow Fallout fans, and as an essential Winter pick-me-up. Composed by writer Jack Shandlin in 1954 and performed by an unknown singer, this song is pure 50's idealist gold. You can almost see the classic atomic family as they frolic for a picnic...or maybe you're like me and you think of nothing but fragging ghouls. Either way the song never fails to put a smile on your face.
2. "Walkabout" by Atlas Sound featuring Noah Lennox
Atlas Sound is the side project of Deerhunter's Bradford Cox. This song comes from his excellent 2009 album Logos and features a guest spot by Noah Lennox (AKA Animal Collective's Panda Bear.) The track is sunny and warm, with enough nostalgia to go around.
3. "Three Trees" by Tanlines
Tanlines may not be a band with household name status, but their tropical flavor of electronic music is perfectly suited for a winter playlist. The electronic duo's music contains a lot of diverse influences, including traditional Carnivale music from Brazil, Caribbean melodies, and African percussion. List this one under Kooky Carnival on acid...
4. "Warm Heart of Africa" by The Very Best
The Very Best is a musical collaboration consisting of Malawian musician Esau Mwamwaya and British DJ Radioclit. If it seems like an odd couple, it is, but there's no denying that the two have been making infectious Afro-Tinged music since 2008. Mixing the traditional music of Malawi with electronic and hip-hop sensibilities, the band never fails to make you feel like dancing, even when some of the lyrics are in the native Malawian language of Chichewa. This track also features Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.
5. "Tropicalia" by Beck
Beck has always been one of my perennial favorite artists, and it's mainly because he shows so much diversity in his music. Taken from his album Mutations, "Tropicalia" is a bit of a change up even for Beck. With Rio de Janeiro flavored percussion, and a Bossa Nova beat, this song doesn't have to work hard to transport you to a beach somewhere.
6. "The Sweetest Thing" by Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura sound as if they could have existed in the early 60's...and that's a compliment of the highest order. This track is from their amazing 2009 release, My Maudlin Career, and like the rest of the album it's tinged with nostalgic pop sensibilities. You can't help but get the warm feeling of flipping through a sepia hued photo album filled with old memories.
7. "So Bored" by Wavves
Noise pop group Wavves seemed to have nailed the "hey didn't I hear that in a surfer movie" aesthetic and have existed within that sound over the course of two albums. Hey, if it aint' broken, don't fix it. This track is from their 2009 album Wavvves (yes that's 3 V's) and it is a quintessential lo-fi surfer noise track. It costs lots of money to by a surf board and move to California, so why not just experience it with a pair of headphones? Never mind the obscure Japanese show in the video...these guys do a serious amount of drugs.
8. "Living in the Sunlight" by Tiny Tim
Lately, I've been attempting (pretty slowly) to learn the Ukulele. While it's a fun endeavor, I'm sure I'll never reach such cult status as Tiny Tim. A truly underrated artist, Tim was much more than a novelty with a falsetto/vibrato voice. This song is pure gold, and seeing his madcap live performance from an Australian variety show never fails to please. Tim was definitely a pioneer, a Weird Al before the times of Weird Al, and like Yankovic the goofy exterior belies a competent musician. Whether you were introduced to this song via Spongebob or not, it is truly immortal and serves as a reminder of happier days.
As mentioned briefly in my 2010 year in review post, The Killers' front-man Brandon Flowers branched off to do his solo album Flamingo earlier this year while his fellow members were on hiatus. While I really enjoyed this departure, I am, and always will be a Killers fan, which makes the recent news that the group will be back in the studio in 2011 really great. Before the group's short break, they wrote and recorded their annual Christmas song which has become sort of a Killers tradition. This year's track, "Boots," follows its predecessors in that all proceeds from its downloads on iTunes, Amazon, and other download services go to help a charitable cause. This year, the song's donations go to the Global Fund to Help Fight AIDS in Africa, and the band has stepped up their giving. Not only do all the download proceeds go to the fund, but if you watch the video here, each view equates to 5 cents donated towards fighting the disease. It's a worthy cause, and like the band's previous holiday singles it's really great, but I understand the qualms some people may have with donating to charitable organizations...if so, you can watch the video (directed by Napoleon Dynamite creator Jared Hess) via youtube right after the jump.
While I was driving back from Thanksgiving Break last weekend, there was a moment where I couldn't believe that the holiday had sneaked up so quickly. This year has definitely been a blur, but thankfully it's been a good one, and especially in the world of music. This post has been delayed nearly two weeks because after I recovered from my stuffing induced coma, I got slammed with final exams, projects, etc. If there's one thing I've learned throughout college it's that Dead Week is always anything but dead. But sifting through this year's music, the hours of soul crushing homework at least had a good soundtrack. And so, finally after some free time, here are my 10 favorite albums of 2010.
10. Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon
It seems that 2010 was the year of the solo project, and all in all, the lone wolf approach turned out some great music. Brandon Flowers of The Killers went solo to continue his Springsteen flavored pop with Flamingo, and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party made an honorable dance record with The Boxer. I really enjoyed those albums, and both cracked my top 20 shortlist, but the best solo foray of the year has to go to TV on The Radio producer David Sitek. Releasing under the name Maximum Balloon, the album serves as a playground for the producer to further explore his love of dance and electronic music. With an eclectic group of guests that includes Karen O, David Byrne of Talking Heads, and his TV on the Radio alumni, the album is a pulsing blur of dark disco and funk. Each vocalist makes these tracks feel like their own little vignette, and Sitek forms beats and rhythms tailored to their individual strengths. The result is an album full of headphone and dance-floor ready songs that keep the beat going all year.
9. Small Black - New Chain/Small Black EP
While Dubstep is the buzz-word sub-genre of 2010, 2009 was the year of Chillwave. Characterized by buzzing lo-fi synths, vocals, and 80's pop sensibilities, the mini movement bred some wonderful albums, most notably Neon Indian's Psychic Chasms. In late 2009, an upstart band by the name of Small Black released their eponymous debut EP and jumped into the Chillwave fray.
The EP was a brilliant first outing, and it contained their seminal track 'Despicable Dogs' which is my favorite song of the year since the EP has been re-released for 2010. Also released this year was their first full length album New Chain which is decidedly darker, but filled to the brim with their trademark glowing synth-pop. Check out 'Despicable Dogs' below, and if you haven't heard this band yet go download or buy them now. Your ears will thank you.
8. The National - High Violet
Fact: Matt Berninger has one of the best voices in music today. Well, that's actually just my opinion, but if you're a fan of The National, then you definitely share the sentiment. Luckily, a great sound isn't all that The National is capable of, and the band have been making achingly beautiful and melancholy music for years. This year's High Violet was no exception, and it's the best outing since their 2007 release, Boxer, if not there best album.
Right out the gate, High Violet hits you in that it's really dark. While Berninger and company have always been known for their misanthropic and yearning lyrical content, every once in a while they do produce a rousing barnstormer of a song, Alligator's "Lit Up" for example. There is certainly no foot-stomping to be had on High Violet, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The album is rife with masterful songs including "England" and "Sorrow," the latter of which is an album highlight, and about as dark as it gets:
"Sorrow found me when I was young.
Sorrow waited, sorrow won.
Sorrow they put me on the pill.
It's in my honey, it's in my milk."
In these songs, it seems as if Berninger has come to embrace the sadness in his life. And why wouldn't he? It's brought the band so much success, and if they continue to produce material of this caliber then we all win.
7. Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner
I first heard of Londoner Gold Panda (real name Derwin Panda) on NPR Music's All Song's Considered. Bob Boilen and Co. were showcasing up and coming talents in the world of electronic music, and Gold Panda's sound caught my interest immediately. Part of the current breed of electronic artists producing music using software in there own homes, Gold Panda is by far the best of these bedroom producers.
On Lucky Shiner, he effortlessly flows from digital beats to more organic sounds, incorporating both synths and Yo-Yo Ma cello on the Asian inspired 'Same Dream China.' In fact the album is a palette of the modern electronic spectrum, with more traditional house beats on 'Vanilla Minus' and delivering dubstep flavored outings like the amazingly layered 'Before We Talked.' The best part of the album comes from the intimate aside 'Parents' where audio of Derwin's grandmother are laced through plaintive acoustic guitar...or at least what seems like it. It's easy to get caught up in the songs moment before realizing that these warm acoustics are actually intricately place pre-recorded samples. The songs, and the album as a whole are filled with enough warmth to make you forget the artifice...which isn't too shabby for an electronic album.
6. Vampire Weekend - Contra
While I've been a fan of Vampire Weekend Since their eponymous debut, I've never run across such a polarizing band. People are usually in the camp of "I love Vampire Weekend" or "This is the worst music I've ever heard!" Even though I do take pause at the fact that they were once featured on an episode of The O.C. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited waiting for this sophomore effort to be released.
I wasn't disappointed.
Their bright and clean afro-pop aesthetic is in Contra in droves, and it's executed flawlessly. From the multi-layered drum arrangements of album opener "Horchata" to the frantic guitar of "Cousins" agood time is had all around, and these songs will be stuck in your head for months upon months. One of the main complaints I always get from those who dislike Ezra Koenig and the boys is that there music is about "nothing." While I would agree that VW rely on their trademark sunny aesthetic in a lot of their pop songs, that doesn't mean that they have nothing to say. "Taxi Cab," a slower and more vulnerable track has Koenig pining over missed opportunities, and how the youth of today tie so much nostalgia to "garbage" i.e. television shows, pop culture, and how such memories often take the place of more meaningful life moments. Whether you love them or hate them, the Ivy-League boys are here to stay, and hopefully they'll continue bringing out their Summery brand of well expertly crafted pop songs. Check out the cameo-filled video for "Giving up the Gun" below.
5. Kanye West - My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy
What more could I say about Kanye that hasn't already been said? He is simultaneously the most loved and hated persona in music right now...the Taylor Swift camp is readying their army (luckily their army is comprised entirely of tween girls and sad, sad adult fans)...and he still can't keep his mouth shut. Some think it should have stayed wired after his 2002 car accident, but I couldn't disagree more. Love him or hate him, Kanye is the most talented rapper in the game, and MBDTF is his crowning achievement.
Pop Quiz time! Match the two items with their definition. No Cheating!
1.__ An artist that will still be relevant 10 years from now
2.__ A fad Country-Pop hack, and possible extraterrestrial
After a more sparse and toned down effort with 2008's 808's and Heartbreak, West has thrown the car into full reverse with MBDTF. This album is overstuffed, audacious, and outlandish in it's production and West meant for us all to bask in his glory... and to be quite honest, who wouldn't? No other artist could take tribal chanting and a King Crimson sample and mold it into a song like 'Power,' easily the most epic rap song of 2010, if not the decade. And who else but Kanye could rally together the likes of Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Elton John. Yeah that's right, 'All of the Lights' features Sir Elton Can You Feel The Love Tonight John.
You better step up your game, Eminem
Like most of Kanye's albums, it's definitely front heavy. Although I love West's Bon Iver collaboration 'Lost in The World,' the album loses steam by the time we hit the sleepy John Legend track 'Blame Game,' and it dissolves into the weird with 'Who Will Survive in America' but the album's early highlights shine brighter than the sun, and honestly this album could consist only of 'Monster,' 'Power,' and 'Dark Fantsy' and it would still be a classic. A wise old man once said "Hater's Gonna Hate."
4. Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard
Ra Ra Riot's 2008 debut The Rhumb Line is perhaps one of the best freshman albums in the past ten years. It seemed incredible that such a fresh faced band could put out such moving music, specifically the powerful 'Ghost Under Rocks' a song made all the more haunting by the untimely demise of the band's drummer. Devastated, the band realized that the show must go on and set out to tour and craft their follow up.
The Orchard is every bit as emotional as their debut. It seems lead singer Wes Miles did a lot of soul searching on the road, that much is evident with the sweeping title track opener. On the mournful track we see the resurfaced pain brought on by seeing someone related to past loved ones:
"-but you imagined things,
Why does he speak to me?
To you, i know, i only stare without'
My life is dull,
and my body aches.
What have i seen this for?"
It's plaintive, sincere, and contains the bands beautiful trademark string arrangements. But the album isn't all melancholy. They shift gears with the sunny 'Boy' as well as the rollicking 'Too Dramatic.' I had the pleasure of not only seeing RRR live, but meeting them in person in 2009. They are a class act both on and off the stage, and I am positive that they'll continue their streak of poignant albums.
3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire have been releasing epic, sprawling music since their classic debut Funeral, and with The Suburbs it looks like Win Butler and company are continuing their tradition. What I liked most about this album is that there was a noticeable shift in songwriting. Specifically, AF's lyrical content has become more grounded in reality, and less dependent on metaphor. Gone are the days of "My Body is A Cage" and here to stay is a defiant, more auto-biographical band.
It's really hard to find a bad track on the album, from the twanging 'Modern Man' to the the miniature epic that is the 'Sprawl' suite. On 'Sprawl II - Mountains Beyond Mountains' Butler's wife Regine Chassagne has never sound more confident, and it's amazing how much she's grown vocally since we first heard her on 'In The Backseat.' The song is stirring, and we feel the defiance in Chassagne's voice as she defies her naysayers:
"They heard me singing and they told me to stop, Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock, These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose, But late at night the feelings swim to the surface."
Regine isn't the only one in top form, however. Her husband and the rest of the band have tightened their sound as well. They even take time to bite at today's sardonic, disillusioned youth; attacking twice with the wavering 'Rococo' and the year's ultimate foot stomper, 'Month of May.' What's nice is that the band isn't afraid of offending the acid tongued hipster crowd who makes up a good portion of their fan-base, because Arcade Fire have always made music not to please a niche, but to further their craft. The music world is all the better for it.
2. Janelle Monáe -The Archandroid
Janelle Monáe is a jack-of-all trades. I first listened to her music last year when I discovered her debut EP Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase), and I was blown away. Instead of a run of the mill R&B album, I found the first in her ambitious sci-fi concept album saga about an android named Cindy Mayweather who will become the robot messiah. If that alone doesn't get you interested in Janelle, her sounds definitely will because the Archandroid is a veritable buffet of genres.
Arranged to be listened to in one sitting for cinematic effect, the album first immerses its listeners with an instrumental track worthy of a John Williams scores. After that, it's a roller coaster ride through style, musical periods, and sonic landscapes. One minute we're escaping from android policeman with poet/rapper Saul Williams on "Dance or Die", the next we're in the fictional insane asylum where Janelle's character is imprisoned and dancing a fine line between sanity and insanity (the metaphorical "Tightrope" with plenty of James Brown inspiration in good measure.) Further on, she even goes as far as the psychedelic 70's with the fuzzy, Jimmy Page-like guitar of "Mushrooms and Roses" all while telling a noir-ish chapter of her Android Saga. Even of Montreal make an appearance on "Make the Bus" with the ever mercurial Kevin Barnes lending his voice, songwriting, and production to this fun musical aside. All of this is great fun, but the real album stunner is "Oh, Maker," a soulful and melancholy ballad that shows us that Monáe's crystal clear voice is as powerful a weapon as her creativity. Even though the last few tracks of the album aren't as strong, the first three quarters are a fine example of a concept album not getting lost in the theatricality that sometimes creates unwanted campiness. It's bold and ballsy, and that ambition is what I enjoyed most about the album. Thus begins the waiting game for the next installment of the Cindy Mayweather Saga.
1. Beach House - Teen Dream
Teen Dream came very early in January 2010, and it immediately emerged as a promising start to the new year. It wasn't hard to decide even that early on that it would remain amongst the top albums of the year for me, and this is all thanks to lead singer Victoria Legrande. Her ghostly, ethereal voice has always been her trademark, and the duo have used it with great effect on their two previous albums, but she and partner Alex Scally have perfected their form.
The resulting album is a drowsy, hypnotic sea of noise; dream pop of the highest order. Every song here is hauntingly beautiful without ever feeling put-on or contrived. What's even better is how the band manages to keep the same dark, dreamy aesthetic through the entire album while still offering unique sounds on each song. Driving, repetitive guitar, and droning keyboards give way to angelic vocals on the album's opener 'Zebra.' a song that sets a high mark up front. It just keeps getting better though, and the more I listen, the more LeGrande's soothing baritone reminds me of one of my favorite female vocalists, Stevie Nicks, in her prime. These songs are crafted in such a way that they allow the listener to craft a visual narrative inside their minds, and that's what makes them so effective. For instance 'Walk in the Park' could easily transport listeners to some wistful, bygone day of hand in hand with a loved one. Even when the tempo is quickened like on 'Lover of Mine' it wouldn't be a far stretch for someone to imagine themselves in a dark disco somewhere, surrounded by masked party-goers a-la Eyes Wide Shut. Whatever you dream up listening to this pop album, it's sure to be a memorable voyage, and I'm still happy to be listening to this album almost an entire year after its release.
And there you have it. I've said it earlier and I'll say it again, 2010 was a fantastic year for music, and we'll be lucky if 2011 follows suit. If I don't post again before the end of the year, then I wish everybody happy holidays, and a great New Year.
