Favorite Albums of 2009 (so far)

July 1, 2009

Whether it’s from phenomenal debut albums or continued greatness from reliable favorites, one thing is for certain, 2009 has already been a very exciting year for music. This is my annual mid-year recap of what I believe to be the best albums of 2009 so far. As I’ve done from this site’s inception, I’m including 12 and a half entries, exactly half the amount I’ll be counting down in my annual year-end list. The twelve albums and one EP (that’s the half) are listed in chronological order and include my favorite albums released in the first six months of ‘09.

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast (January 20, Fat Possum)
Ever since 2005’s magnificent Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird has been one of my favorite artists. I don’t think it’s possible for him to make an album I dislike, but it did take me a bit longer to warm up to this one. While the album doesn’t have the immediacy in some of his other work, it makes up for with his immensely talented songwriting and musicmanship, that engages the listener on a deep level. Multiple listens unveil the layers to organically beautiful songs like “Anonanimal” and “Tenuousness”.

MP3 Anonanimal

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (January 20, Domino)
I’ve been a borderline AC fan for a while and loved Panda Bear, but it was this album that really won me over to the band. The album has almost been overshadowed by it’s enormous hype and expecations, but the band lives up to it with a string of truly classic songs. The sonic exploration and melodic qualities on the album are wonderful but it’s the emotional resonance of songs like “My Girls” and “Brothersport” that has moved me the most.

MP3 My Girls

Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP (January 20, Jagjaguwar)
Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver earns the coveted “half” spot on this list for his Blood Bank EP, partly because I feel guilty that I was late to the party on his debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago and also because the four songs on here are so achingly lovely. The title track is like a revelation. Each time the instruments fade and Justin hits that beautiful falsetto, something magical happens.

MP3 Blood Bank

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains (January 20, self-released)
This was the first debut to truly blow me away this year and I’m still captivated by Cymbals Eat Guitar’s explosive sound. It’s a hugely ambitous and broad-reaching album full of epic, sweeping guitar and cathartic, angst-ridden vocals. It’s no surprise that the band has quickly gained an audience, an album this powerful and spell-binding is hard to ignore.

MP3 Wind Phoenix

Asobi Seksu - Hush (February 17, Polyvinyl)
Asobi Seksu’s third album incorporates a slight shift of the band’s sound, still living in a shoegaze world but now incorporating more pop sensibility. It is of my opinion that this refined sound suits the band very well, resulting in mesmerizing, lush tunes. Yuki’s vocals are at their transcendant best and matched with the gorgeous dream pop, makes Hush a breathtaking listening experience.

MP3 In The Sky
MP3 Me & Mary

Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health (March 24, Gigantic)
It would be hard to find a more unabashedly jubilant and in-your-face catchy album this year than Harlem Shake’s debut. The spirited melodies and harmonies on Technicolor Health give the album an undeniable charm as the band uses an array of brisk instrumentation to thrust the infectious tunes forward. It’s extremely refreshing to hear an indie rock album that exudes so much joy and hopefulness.

MP3 Strictly Game
MP3 Sunlight

Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care (April 7, Domino)
Begone Dull Care, the third from Canadian duo Junior Boys, is an exceptional produced and performed album, and one that’s constantly revealing more of itself to love. I was first attracted to the synth-heavy dance singles like “Hazel”, “Work”, and “Bits & Pieces” but it’s the masterfully structured, romantically-inclined ballads like “Dull To Pause”, “Sneak A Picture”, and “The Animator” that have kept me coming back. The combination of understated beauty with sunny electro-pop has made it one of my most listened albums of the year.

MP3 Hazel
MP3 Dull To Pause

Fanfarlo - Reservoir (May 25, self-released)
Ever since I heard the demos from Fanfarlo’s debut album, Reservoir, I’ve been captivated by their lovingly crafted, ever-endearing orchestral indie pop. The band excels at writing beautiful arrangements with lush, spirited instrumentation and triumphant melodies.

MP3 I’m A Pilot
MP3 Luna

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (May 26, Warp)
Grizzly Bear has quickly risen from unknowns to indie rock royalty and while I thought with Yellow House, the buzz outweighed the quality, I applaud those that saw the band’s potential. Veckatimest, with it’s mesmerizing choral harmonies and sweeping instrumentation, is an outstanding work of art. It’s not only a vivid, dynamic, and strikingly expressive album but also wonderfully accessible. Even for the most ardent critic, it would be impossible to deny the otherworldy beauty of songs like “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others”.

MP3 Two Weeks

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (May 26, V2)
With Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the French band have made perhaps the most euphoric and universal albums of the year. This is what all pop albums should aspire to, a collection of brilliantly engaging songs with gloriously crisp production and never any shortage of hooks. The album is incredibly concise and consistent, there’s literally not one dull moment in the under 40 minute running time. With their endless playability, tracks like “Lisztomania”, “1901″, and “Girlfriend” sound both nostalgic and timeless. It’s a breakthrough album for a band who’s long deserved it.

MP3 Lisztomania
MP3 1901

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor (June 2, Bloody Chamber)
Leave it to Patrick Wolf to make an album that incorporates everything from traditional Celtic folk to industrial club music to spoken passages from Tilda Swinton. Wolf’s baroque compositions are crammed with ideas and youthful ambition, as on the thrilling single “Hard Times”. It can be chaotic at times, but it’s also the best showcase of Wolf’s prodigy-like talent and his grandiose theatricality.

MP3 Hard Times

Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer (June 23, Jagjaguwar)
I’ve said it before and I will probably say it again many times, Spencer Krug is a genius. It’s freakishly amazing how incredibly talented and prolific a songwriter he is and Dragonslayer may be the man’s finest work yet. The album features a more fully realized Sunset Rubdown, completing the transition from a one-man show to a highly skilled band, capable translating Krug’s mystical rock epics with thundering drums and masterful guitar solos. Krug matches his musical prowess with some of his most wildly inventive lyrics and puts it all together to make electrifying songs like “Idiot Heart” and “You Go On Ahead” that begged to be listened again and again.

MP3 Idiot Heart
MP3 You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)

Wilco - Wilco (The Album) (June 30, Nonesuch)
The overwhelming appeal of Wilco may best be summed up in the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek opener “Wilco (The Song)”. As the song says if you “dabble in depression” and “times are getting tough”, you can put on headphones and “Wilco will love you, baby”. This album showcases a mature and thoughtful band who are comfortable with making easy-going, but still absolutely excellent music. On songs like “Deeper Down” and “One Wing” the band fully embrace their melodic, chamber pop qualities and show that after seven albums they can still stand up with the Fleet Foxes of the world (and even teach them a thing or two like on the whirlwind of raging, unhinged guitar during “Bull Black Nova”).

MP3 Wilco (The Song)

Just Missed:
M. Ward - Hold Time
Passion Pit - Manners
God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl

Honorable Mentions:
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
The Pains of Being Pure Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon
Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear

Leave your favorite albums so far this year in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Posted by Taylor in Lists 20 is talking loco »

Interview with Simon of Fanfarlo

June 29, 2009

Fanfarlo’s lead vocalist / frontman, Simon Balthazar, took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for me.  The band is generously offering their debut album (plus some bonus tracks), Reservoir, for $1 on their website. The album will only be available online till July 4th, so grab it while you can. The album is one of my favorites of the year, and required listening. Download a couple of Fanfarlo’s gorgeous songs below and click here to read my full interview with Simon.

MP3 Luna
MP3 The Walls Are Coming Down

How did the idea come about to release your album online for $1 dollar? How has the feedback been so far?

It’s a bit of an experiment really. Since we’re not dependent on a traditional label we can sort of do whatever we want, no label would be stupid enough to sell their records for $1. But after all, if we were signed to a major label, this is how much we’d actually get. The feedback has been great - we had 10,000 people download the album in the first week.

What is your reaction to the huge online response there has been to your album? I noticed that elbo.ws ranked “Luna” and “I’m A Pilot” both in the top 10 tracks posted this week by music blogs.

We’re happy that people are picking up on it of course. I just can’t wait to get the new songs we’re working on out there.

I heard Fanfarlo was originally conceived while Simon was taking shelter in a forest from a snowstorm in Sweden. Care to elaborate on that?

This is one of Amos’s lies. (However it’s true that I grew up pretty much in the forest, in Sweden. And I was once snowed in after a snowstorm, but let’s save that story for another time.) The truth is that Fanfarlo is the result of a derailed book circle.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Taylor in Interview 2 is talking loco »

We’ll Stick Together Forever

June 25, 2009

You guys have heard Japandroids by now, right? I’m not so great at keeping up with all the musics flooding the intercool*. I prefer to digest my music until I have a firm grasp on it, instead of consuming it an moving on to the next thing. That’s not to say the latter approach is all bad, but it’s not for me. I’ve always thought there was something to old maxim of quality over quantity. With that being said, Post-Nothing is one of those albums I’ve spent a lot of time with over the past few months, and I recommend you do the same (if you haven’t already).

Post-Nothing is the sound of the nostalgia for a time before jobs, debt, or responsibilities in general. “Young Hearts Spark Fire” perfectly sums up the album with the lines: “We used to dream/Now we worry about dying.” The album captures that feeling of a time when many people’s chief concerns were being young and stupid with no regard for consequences. The only thing “Wet Hair” is worried about is getting to France to french kiss some French girls. The simplicity of the album is what makes it great; the songs are built around a basic structure with a few repeated lyrics, but it never feels lacking. It’s the sound of two friends making one hell of a racket and having a blast while they’re at it. When you’ve got it down, why go and mess things up by getting all complicated? Sometimes a few bars can communicate more than an entire album.

Japandroids strike a beautiful balance among the current wave of lo-fi bands that have been popping up the past few months. The production is noisy and the band is loud enough to make a statement, but the songs are so good that it doesn’t matter. The spot of irony is that if the record probably would sound fine if it wasn’t so loud, but then it would lose the sense of urgency that is one of its most appealing features. They don’t have time to check if the guitars are too fuzzy or if the vocals are mixed too low. It’s as if Japandroids absolutely must get the songs out as quickly as possible or risk losing them altogether. Beneath everything though, Post-Nothing is full of songs that burrow down into the folds of your gray matter and propagate until they take over and you can’t help yourself from breaking out into a wide grin and shouting along. And maybe getting into some trouble, too.

Oh yeah, and the guys just signed to Polyvinyl, who are going to re-release Post-Nothing on CD later this year. All you iPod and turntable types can score it right now, though.

MP3 Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
MP3 Japandroids - Wet Hair

*Can we all start calling it this, please?

Posted by Matt in Album Review 3 is talking loco »

Sunny Day Real Estate Reunion Mix

June 24, 2009

I can not begin to express how excited I am for the Sunny Day Real Estate reunion tour, the first time all four original bandmembers will play together since 1995.  Their debut album Diary helped shape my entire musical outlook and is still one of my all-time favorite albums.  I was just getting into the band as they were disbanding, I was never able to see them even in their second incarnation without Nate Mendel (who had joined Foo Fighters). Since their breakup the bandmembers haven’t exactly kept quiet, frontman Jeremy Enigk has had a successful solo career, Mendel continued to play bass with Foo Fighters, and three of the members released a project under the title The Fire Theft.  Nothing though has yet compared to the music the band made under the SDRE moniker.  I tried not to get my hopes up when initial talks of their reunion came up earlier this year but I really couldn’t help it and started texting friends to make initial plans to go see the band and discussing possible setlists.

Well, as you may have heard, yesterday the reunion tour was confirmed. I’ll get my chance to see the band that I had previously removed from my “bands to see before I die” and added to my “bands I never saw” list, which is an awesome thing. Jeremy Enigk and co. will be playing in Chicago at The Metro on September 24, which is where I will be among an ocean of presumably diehard fans.  I recognize not everyone is familiar with the band’s brilliance, but their influence is more appparent now than ever.  So to celebrate the news and hopefully bring a few more into the Sunny Day Real Estate fold here’s a mix of seven of my favorite SDRE songs.

MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - Seven
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - Red Elephant
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - Song About An Angel
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - Guitar and Video Games
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - In Circles
MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide

Sub Pop Records will be re-releasing the band’s first two albums, Diary and LP2, on vinyl in September. Go to the band’s website for the full tour dates.

Posted by Taylor in Mix, News 4 is talking loco »

NewVillager

June 23, 2009

Absolute innovation is generally the outcome of East meeting West. Ben Bromley and Ross Simonini form the bi-coastal-one-worded duo NewVillager (CA+NY).  However common it is for our generation of musicians to produce one hit wonders, I can only expect great things from these two. Ben and Ross both are heavily inspired by a textual consciousness; avid readers, in a sense, shape-shifting these complex perspectives into music we breathe to.

I mean, really? Where shall I start? From the hand-claps and empty-room-percussion to the catchy, synthesized vocals that make me forget I don’t know how to dance. They’re fresh, youthful, and so in the “now.” “Rich Doors” exemplifies their ability to bend from the experimental plane and define space in an empty room. “Ghenghis On” on the other hand elaborates on a cognitive warp without straying away from the dance floor. NewVillager is undoubtedly an act to follow this year. Although there is no word on the date of their album debut, I feel it is only wise for artists with such an addictive sound to release their work a-song-at-a-time. I mean, really, it’s just better that way.

MP3 NewVillager - Rich Doors
MP3 NewVillager - Ghenghis On

Posted by Cheryse in Artist Spotlight Talk To Me »

Passion Pit / Harlem Shakes - Live @ Empty Bottle

June 22, 2009

After spending the day in uptown Chicago, we arrived at the sold-out Empty Bottle for Passion Pit and Harlem Shakes. The hipsters were out in full force to see the bands, which have been two of the most heavily buzzed new artists of the year on the back of two fantastic debut albums. I’m of big fan of both Manners and Technicolor Health, and was anxious to see if their live shows lived up to the hype.

MP3 Cale Parks - One at a Time

After a short and sweet performance from electronica multi-instrumentalist Cale Parks (Aloha frontman gone solo artist), Harlem Shakes took the stage. Technicolor Health is one of the most jubilant and upbeat albums of the year, and the band did a great job of translating the enthusiasm of the songs to a live setting. It was apparent that the band were great instrumentalists as well as pop-songwriters from their set. The group utilized a mixture of  guitar, keyboards, saxophone and flutes during their set and at times they would all be on percussion.

The band seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage, smiling at each other and trying out a number of rock star moves (Todd Goldstein, the guitarist, was particularly fun to watch). Each song came off wonderfully but “Strictly Game”, “Sunlight”, and “Natural Man” were my faves and judging by the crowd bouncing and singing a-long, the band’s infectious pop tunes are finding an increasing number of fans.

MP3 Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
MP3 Harlem Shakes - Sunlight

Passion Pit have proved with their debut album Manners to be one of the most exciting new bands in the indie scene, from what I saw of their set at Empty Bottle last weekend though, their live show could use some work. The first problem I noticed was their stage set-up. Lead singer Michael Angelakos had his keyboard set up in the middle of the stage facing the wall, essentially alienating half of the crowd. (the half I was standing in). If you’re just there to jump around and get down then I guess that’s fine but some people, myself included, actually like to watch the singer while they perform. The sound wasn’t great either. Too bass-heavy for my liking and Michael’s vocals weren’t nearly as strong as they are on record.

If you were only judging by crowd participation though, the band killed. The place was bumpin’ off the hook. If you’re looking for a pure club-style dance party, you aren’t going to be disappointed with their show. My opinion is probably also tainted by the fact that I was only able to catch half their set and had to miss my favorite of their songs including “Moth’s Wings” and “Sleepyhead”.  All in all, the show is a fun time I just hope that as Passion Pit continue to fine-tune their live show, they’ll work on some of their sound and performance issues.

MP3 Passion Pit - Moths’ Wings
MP3 Passion Pit - Little Secrets

View some more of my pictures after the jump (all the pictures + setlist are here)…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Taylor in Live 6 is talking loco »

OK, so… let’s just cover the basics.

June 19, 2009

I told Taylor I’d forfeit a good night’s rest to keep his entries current.

Well, here I am, at 1:00 in the morning. I’m not the most willing when it comes to introspective writing. I’ve attempted three times already to do this intro piece in a third-person format. No luck. I couldn’t get my pronouns right, and well, the whole idea was just corny. I deleted about a page-worth of stuff. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but unlike my other blogs, people are actually going to read this.

OK, so… let’s just cover the basics.

My name is Cheryse, I was born and raised in a town called Hilo (Hawaii), think Rural Albert Advantage, minus Alberta Advantage. I had no choice but to rake the internet for music and buy AA batteries like most buy cigarettes. My favorite pastime consisted of file-sharing on dial-up and hogging the headphones at Borders. I downloaded my very first MP3 in an AOL chat room. It was a completely automated love-affair that has evolved into absolute respect for bands, artists, and musicians. Now, living in the heart of Seattle (Washington), I don’t take my hearing ability for granted. I am very band-loyal, but a good show is a good show and I find myself at a lot of them–almost always by accident which is starting to lessen the importance of making plans. The “blogosphere” and shuffle button has proven false the idea of needing to be in the mood to hear anything. Although my father’s nostalgia has nurtured my partiality to folk and attention to lyric, I’m big on percussive instruments and am real sucker for pop-sensibility. I’ve got a spot for Electro as well and it’s never surprising to see the two come together in a remix.

I wouldn’t know where to categorize myself if it ever came down to it, maybe somewhere in between Jim Croce’s “Gunga Din” and Helio Sequence’s “Broken Afternoon.” This sort of reference of sameness is probably the most apparent in my writing, connecting the past and the present, with some silly grip on the future. I can’t see it very clearly, but… it sounds good.

***

(Ed Note: Everyone give a warm welcome to Cheryse, who like Barack Obama was born and raised in the Aloha State and then moved to the mainland only to take a prestigous position. Obama = President. Cheryse = musicforants.com blog writer. Pretty much the same thing, right?

Anyway, Cheryse’s gonna be great and won’t do anything crazy like swat flies. She’s just getting started on Twitter and needs some more followers, click here to make it happen.)

Posted by Cheryse in Other 6 is talking loco »

Zounds Sounds

June 18, 2009

I spent a summer in Australia a few years back and had a great time (if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you may remember). Now my sister* is in Aussieland for her summer.  I admit that was a blatant shout-out and really has nothing to do with the rest of the post, except for the fact that Dappled Cities (who I featured here back when they were known as “Dappled Cities Fly”) are also from the land down under and they have a new album called Zounds coming out this year.

The first single from the album is called “The Price” and the song is utter brilliance. It’s head-boppin’ pop music on a grand scale. The track has crunchy guitars, vast keyboards, huge drum fills, and vocals that glide over the sonic landscape. It truly comes alive on headphones and reveals even more layers (like the touches of electronica frolicking in the background). If you’re into intelligent pop music with a full-bodied sound look no further (and check out for Zounds later this summer on Dangerbird Records)

MP3 Dappled Cities - The Price

Here’s one of my faves from their last album, Granddance:

MP3 Dappled Cities - Fire Fire Fire

***

In related news, Dangerbird Records is celebrating having a #1 Rock single with Silversun Pickups - “Panic Switch”.  (The last song from an independent label to do this was The Offspring - Come Out And Play which was 11 years ago.) I posted the video premiere for “Panic Switch” at my mtvU gig. Sweet!

*Hey Katherine!

Posted by Taylor in Track Review 1 is talking loco »

Can we be best friends now?

June 17, 2009

Taylor asked me to write a little something introducing myself, which I think might be the most awkward thing you can ask someone to write. It’s a little like staring at a wall and saying, “Hi, my name is Matt. I’m going to be writing about music.” Except, I guess people write on the wall every now and then. And anyone can come to the wall at any time and hear me. OK, I guess the wall metaphor breaks down pretty quickly.

If you must know, and in case this is the first paragraph you’re reading, my name is Matt. People call me Matt (which I like), Matthew (which I like more), and Matty G (which I haven’t been called in a while, but is how many people know me.) I’m in my mid-20s, graduated from college, and currently work at a bookstore that pays slightly more than minimum wage. (Don’t major in journalism kids. Or, if you do, at least have a super-human drive to find a job.) I’m from East Peoria, Illinois, I enjoy being left alone, and I like chicken and waffles. I wrote for Tiny Mix Tapes for a few years (where I was known as Matty G) and then for Illinois State University’s Daily Vidette.

As far as the kind of music I dig, I listen to whatever strikes me as good. Which I guess means I listen to whatever I want. I enjoy a challenge; I like listening to difficult records that it takes me a while to wrap my head around. I live for those moments where I can crack open an album and devour it’s gooey insides until my belly is full and I have a food baby named Marcus. If it’s good, I like it. And I’m well aware that the term “good” is completely subjective.

I think that pretty much covers it. Can we be best friends now?

(Ed Note: I’m really excited to have Matt on board here. This guy is a bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached, which is to say he has some mad skills. Also, click here to check out Matt’s updates on Twitter.)

Posted by Matt in Other 8 is talking loco »