Wintersongs, Pt. II

If there is one band that will forever be tied to living in North County San Diego, it’s Fleet Foxes. Even though they're from Seattle, their debut album Fleet Foxes was released in 2008, the year of our relocation. With warm and wistful Beach Boys-like harmonies, White Winter Hymnal is a remarkably beautiful and short, succinct song that sounds like little else that was in heavy rotation on the airwaves during that time.

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal

I was following the pack all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads
From falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall
And turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime

Favorite Records of 2008

Yes, I titled this post "favorite records". See, I worked in a great suburban Chicago new & used record store back in the late 80s-early 90s, and old habits die hard. I still will sometimes face the CDs at a record store or put mis-filed titles where they belong. Oh, and my music collection is shelved alphabetically by artist, then chronologically. I'm all too familiar with OCD.

I'm also all too familiar with continuing to pump money into the music biz - mostly via independent music stores. In Madison Strictly Discs was my shop. Conveniently located just off the SW bike path, I'd often hit the shop on Tuesdays on my ride home. Plus their buy 12, get one free promo had me hooked. Selection was good as were their prices. Here I've been shopping at Lou's Records in Encinitas. No iTunes purchases for me - I like to have the physical item so that I can read the liner notes and enjoy the (small) artwork. Plus, I have a hard copy in case of computer meltdown.

On with the list.

2008 favorites:
1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago. I'm listening to this as I type. I'm not certain of the exact reason, but simply put, no other record affected me as much as this quiet, introspective piece by La Crosse native Justin Vernon. It just feels like an aged classic. Like many great albums (Beck's Sea Change, Dylan's Blood on The Tracks, Chris Isaak's Forever Blue), this one was written after a relationship dissolved. Maybe that's why it had an impact on me as 2008 saw major changes in my own personal life. Recorded mostly solo in a remote cabin in Wisconsin's north woods over the course of several months, Vernon's beautiful vocals are hushed and sometimes crack falsetto. Introspective vocals that sound of quiet isolation. All that over a simple background of acoustic instrumentation.

Standout tracks - Flume, Skinny Love, Re: Stacks


2. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creations Dark. D.B.T. came back in a big way for me after the letdown of their previous album (2006's A Blessing and a Curse). While D.B.T. may never reach the heights of their near-perfect Southern Rock Opera of 2001, Brighter Than Creatsion's Dark is every bit as ambitious and eclectic, with 19 songs and clocking in at over 70 minutes. In typical DBT fashion, three songwriters provided the foundation for the album. But new to Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley mix was bassist Shonna Tucker, who steps forward with three great songs. While I had been a big fan of now-departed member (and ex-wife to Tucker) Jason Isbell's contributions, DBT is still putting forth a great collection of Southern-fried and rural-tinged American rock. I can't believe this album came out almost a year ago - it's still in heavy rotation on my iPod.

Standout tracks - Two Daugthers and a Beautiful Wife, The Righteous Path, A Ghost to Most


3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive. Continuing where they left off with after 2006's stellar Boys and Girls in America and delivering more great Uber-literate storytelling with both punk and classic-rock infused riffs. Great songwriting with a Springsteen-esque delivery.

Standout tracks - Constructive Summer, Slapped Actress


4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes. Folky, acoustic, hymnal, lush and sun-drentched. Beach Boys and C,S & N vocal harmonies, an instant classic that manages to sound both traditional and new at the same time.

Standout tracks - White Winter Hymnal, Blue Ridge Mountains


5. Flight Of The Conchords - Flight of the Conchords. A good novelty record? Yes! Far from a novelty act, Flight of the Conchords is the self-proclaimed ""4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" and put out a great record. With deadpan humor and fantastic attention to detail, the duo nicks artists like Pet Shop Boys, Marvin Gaye, dancehall, French pop and the many faces of Bowie. Unlike most comedy albums, this one is smart and catchy enough to stand up to repeated listens.

Standout tracks - Foux du Fafa, Inner City Pressure, Bowie


6. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs. Death Cab became more aggressive, mealoncholy and rawer with this release. Not just in the muscluar production, but also in the tone. Ben Gibbard's lyrics are darker as well.

Standout tracks - Cath..., I Will Possess Your Heart, Pity and Fear
7. Spiritualized - Songs in A&E. While not as good as the masterpiece of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, it is their best release since 1997. Written primarily before Jason "Spaceman" Pierce experienced a near-death case of double pneoumnia and re-written and recorded after recovering, the songs are not surprisingly about death and survival. The typically-bombastic Spiritualized production has been toned down to good effect.

Standout tracks - Death Take Your Fiddle, Baby I'm Just A Fool


8. TV On The Radio - Dear Science. Hard-to-category TVOTR released what's probably their best album to date - which is saying a lot as every record they've released so far has been fantastic. Intense and brooding.

Standout track - Halfway Home


9. Beach House - Devotion. Lonely, haunting and dreaming with fuzzed-out guitars, harpsichord and pedal steel. The duo's sound is reminiscent of the paisley underground neo-psychedlia of the 1980s - specifically Opal.

Standout tracks - Wedding Bell, You Came To Me

Best reissues

Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac. The best record Ryan Adams has ever released is now available as a double disc deluxe edition. This album has been the soundtrack to many, many road trips over the years. In fact, it's hard for me to listen to it without thinking of hitting the road. Comprised of the fantastic 1997 album along with 26 great live studio, acoustic, demo and rare tracks, this album is one of my all-time favorites.

REM - Murmur. Twenty five years old and finally getting the deluxe treatment - in the US anyway. REM's first and best album has been remastered, but does not include the bonus tracks that the early-90s UK version did. However, what makes this disc a must for me is the live show that makes up disc two. Recorded live in Toronto in July 1983, the band plays a set of songs from the just-released Murmur along with tracks that would follow on subsequent albums. Raw and pure without any studio flourishes.

Replacements - Sorry Ma..., Stink, Hootenanny, Let It Be, Tim, Pleased To Meet Me. Essential albums from my youth that finally received a much-needed overhaul. MUCH better sound and amazing bonus tracks and liner notes. More great product from the reissue specialists at Rhino Records.

New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies. New Order's second album from 1981, once they started to find their own sound and not simply drown in the gloom that darkened their debut Movement. Lead track Age of Consent has to be one of the best songs of the 1980s.

Best album of 2007 that finally "clicked" in 2008

Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch. Jason Isbell left Drive By Truckers to strike out on his own, with stellar results. A VERY solid effort.

Biggest disappointments

The Verve - Forth. Good things often happen when original creative forces get back together. Richard Ashcroft's solo work was syrupy and uninspiring. Nick McCabe's return couldn't bring the spark that made their A Northern Soul and Urban Hymns albums so essential. Maybe they need to get back to taking more drugs. Way more drugs.

Ryan Adams - Cardinology. Foolishly believing a Rolling Stone review, I picked this up the day of it's release. Hoping for a return to the sound of his great 2005 releases (Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, 29), this one falls on it's face with only a few marginal songs.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges. Blech, I barely could get through one listen. Maybe I should give it another whirl. Or maybe not.

Favorite Records of 2011

Overall I have to say that 2011 was a far better-than-average year for music releases. At least for the bands that I am drawn to.

Following up their splendid 2008 debut Fleet Foxes, the band grew both musically and lyrically. A bit deeper and more introspective, but retaining their signature folk rock sound that blends some of the best vocal harmonies last heard emanating from 1960s AM radios with warm, acoustic-based instrumentation. Their sophomore release, Helplessness Blues goes down as my favorite record of 2011.

Standout track: Grown Ocean, the album's closer:


And now the rest, in alphabetical order. As in years past, I am not limiting my choices to an arbitrary number (top 10, top 20, etc.), but rather the records that I enjoyed best and see myself returning to in the future. YouTube links are included for songs that particularly stood out.

Atlas Sound - Parallax

The side project of Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, whose Halcyon Digest was my favorite record of 2010.

 

Standout track: Te Amo


The Black Keys - El Camino 

The supremely-talented Danger Mouse returns to provide the punch to the garagey guitar-and-drums duo.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Justin Vernon follows up his stunning recorded-in-a-cabin debut (my 2008 favorite) with a more fleshed-out (and somewhat overproduced) record.

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead 

I shouldn't rehash the tired "this is the best R.E.M. record of 2011" quote, but it's true - musically at least. However, Colin Meloy's intricate and über-literate lyrics are generally far better than anything that Michael Stipe came up with.

Standout track: Down By The Water


Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots

Another solid release to add to their southern rock canon. And with triple the songwriters of most bands. All good.

Standout track: Cartoon Gold
(here's an acoustic version - I'm a sucker for the Mike Cooley songs)


The Feelies - Here Before

Amazing that a band could get back together after a twenty year hiatus and put out a record that's as good as their best work (which was first recorded over thirty years ago)

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

One of the best-recorded rock records of recent memory.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Here We Rest

While I still prefer his debut, this one has grown on me after repeated listens (just as the debut did).

Low - C'Mon

Perennial favorites Low can seemingly do no wrong in my book. Another strong slab of brooding Midwestern indie rock.

Standout tracks:
Witches (in-studio at KEXP)


Nightingale (in-studio at KEXP)



J Mascis - Several Shades of Why

The Dinosaur Jr. front man turns down the amps and delivers a warm, inviting and mostly-acoustic set.

Cass McCombs - Wit's End

Quiet and introspective indie singer/songwriter.

Radiohead -  The King Of Limbs

Supremely intricate and sometimes delicate headphone music from the band that can do no wrong.

 

tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

Essentially a lo-fi one-woman band who layers interesting instruments and textures atop African-inspired rhythms.

 

Standout track (one of many): Bizness


Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo 

Yet another lo-fi indie singer/songwriter - this stunner feels of dreamy late nights.

 

The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient

Pitchfork summed it up best: "...it's as if the Spiritualized and Springsteen albums filed alphabetically next to one another in your record collection had melted together on a hot August afternoon." Slave Ambient is also supreme driving music.

 

Wilco - The Whole Love

Finally, their first solid release since 2004's A Ghost Is Born. And I was thisclose to giving up on the band, which at one time was one of my favorites. If you only listen to two of the tracks from this record, make sure it's the lead-off The Art Of Almost and the closer One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

 

Wild Flag - Wild Flag

A superb and exuberant debut from indie rock royalty.

 

William Elliot Whitmore - Field Songs

Rustic and rough-hewn bleak Americana country folk.

 

Yuck - Yuck

Picking up the torch from some of the supreme-90s indie bands (Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk, shoegazers).

Best Return - the unexpected single of Common Burn b/w Lay Myself Down from Mazzy Star

(yet another crummy fan-made video that accompanies a great song):


Looking forward to a full album in the near future.

Favorite Reissues:

The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall & Tomorrow The Green Grass

Ride - Nowhere

R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant

Sebadoh - Bakesale

Disappointing Records with some outstanding tracks:

My Morning Jacket - "Circuital" from Circuital


Ryan Adams -  "Ashes & Fire" from Ashes & Fire

Especially this acoustic version:


And finally, a couple of late additions. Either late-in-the-year releases or those that were just purchased and that I haven't had much of a chance to fully absorb yet.

The Bats - Free All The Monsters

Bill Callahan - Apocalypse

Guided By Voices - Lets Go Eat The Factory

 

Cass McCombs - Humor Risk

The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy

 

Whew - now go *buy* music!

Song I Can't Stop Playing

Grown Ocean from Helplessness Blues, the second fantastic record by Fleet Foxes:

Helplessness Blues will most certainly make my favorite records of 2011 list...