BEST ALBUMS OF 2013

Hey!  I have a blog! I'm doing the same thing I do every year.  I'm making a list of my favorite music, and realizing I'm maybe not qualified to make my list of favorite music, because I haven't listened to everything I want to listen to this year.  Except this year, I just don't feel like I'm going to be able to cram like I ordinarily do.  Or maybe I just don't feel like it.  At any rate, here's the blog:

BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City. 

I liked this album the first time I listened to it.  I like it now that it's the end of the year.  I want to listen to it right now, instead of this Moonface album that I am trying to get through (I actually really like this Moonface album).  MNotC is good for a lot of reasons, but my favorite parts are all the little moments.  Like where all the music drops out in  "Finger Back" and there's that little spoken word part about the girl at the falafel shop.  And the part in Hannah Hannah hunt - well pretty much the whole Hannah Hunt song is this way - but the part at the end where he just kind of screams out the refrain of the song again for good measure.  It's a careful nerdy album from a band that I always kind of only halfway liked because I thought they were too cool for that kind of thing.

ALBUM THAT WAS TOO LONG FOR ME TO EVALUATE PROPERLY:

Arcade Fire - Reflektor

There are too many songs here.  And I think they knew it when they made it.  This seems like it should have been a 10 song album, with "Reflektor" and "Joan of Arc" anchoring both sides.  The extra songs aren't bad; they're just indiscernible.

ALBUM THAT HELPED ME EFFECTIVELY CLOSE THE BOOK ON A PARTICULAR ARTIST:

Bill Callahan - Dream River

Of all the things I don't understand about indie rock, Bill Callahan may be the most frustrating.  I used to enjoy Smog records.  Then he switched to mopey mumble music.  I have tried and tried.  I'm saying goodbye now.

ALBUM THAT MADE ME REOPEN MY BOOK ON A PARTICULAR ARTIST

Cold War Kids - Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

This is mostly on the strength of the first track.  I put this album on, figuring I'd listen to it once or twice and put it away, but "Miracle Mile" is a really good song.  Not breaking any ground, but it's good.  The drawback here is that my favorite line in that song was "Little cold lie, where does it lead to?"  I really liked that phrasing.  However I just looked it up and it's actually "Miracle Mile, what does it lead to?"  So not only have I misinterpreted my favorite part of the song, but I somehow failed to recognize the name of the song within the song's lyrics.  Which probably makes me look a little dumb.

ALBUMS THAT SOUNDED JUST LIKE OTHER BANDS:

Virgins - Strike Gently - Sounded like Elvis Costello at one point - although listening to this again, I have no idea how I got that idea.  Hmmm.

Savages - Silence Yourself - Sounds like Geddy Lee, if Geddy Lee sang New Order songs

White Denim - Corsica Lemonade - Sounds like Black Keys

Brass Bed - The Secret Will Keep You - Sounds like summerteerth-era Wilco

I Monster - People Soup - Sounds like The Pipettes

ALBUM THAT GREW ON ME THE MOST: 

Camera Obscura - Desire Lines

I went from thinking this was a boner of an album, to putting it in my top ten - I think, I haven't made my top ten yet.  The songs came on kind of slow, but once I could take in the lyrics, I came around to what was going on here.  I like the way that her songs hit on that "I like you, but I'd rather stay home and watch reruns" motif.

SOLID EFFORT ALBUMS FOR BANDS WHO DIDN'T TRY ANYTHING NEW IN 2013:

The National - Trouble Will Find Me

I love The National.  One of my favorite things about The National is that I can put their last three albums on shuffle, and the songs all go together effortlessly.  But there's also a progression if you listen close.  Growing old, to having kids, to losing your sense of worth.  Happy stuff.  I bet this was my second favorite album of the year, but there's nothing new going on.

Cults - Static 

I like it when bands don't try new things.  You have to be careful about that.  You don't want to end up like Belle and Sebastian. The Cults just made a record just like their last one, without the hit single.  Unless you count "Keep Your Head Up", which maybe you should.  I don't know.  It's certainly no "Go Outside". Good for you Cults.  I'm okay with that.


Dr. Dog - B-Room

I haven't actually listened to this.  I'm just assuming.

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals

I like how Sleigh Bells just keeps making the same album, but louder.  Keep doing that Sleigh Bells.  The title track of this album was stuck in my head for like two weeks after it came out.

Yo La Tengo - Fade

What a perfect Yo La Tengo album.  Their best since "I'm Not Afraid of You, and I Will Beat Your Ass." This seems to pick up right where something like "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One" left off.  Great music to have on while you are doing something else.  Like making cookies.  Or doing a crossword puzzle. Which is what they do best in my opinion.

ALBUMS I DIDN'T GET TO LISTEN TO PROPERLY:

Yuck - Glow & Behold - the fact that they lost their lead singer made me not want to listen.
Widowspeak - The Swamps - Got it too late
Volcano Choir - Repave - I thought I would like this.  I did not like it.
Summer Aviation - Elevator - Got it too late
Surfer Blood - Pythons - I just couldn't bring myself to the idea that this band had more than one album in them.
Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond - kept forgetting that I had it.
Mount Moriah - Miracle Temple - just saw this for the first time today.  No idea what it is.
Moonface - Julia with Blue Jeans - You just have to kind of set aside some time to listen to Moonface, and I haven't set that time aside yet.
Mikal Cronin - MCII - never grabbed my attention
Lucius - Wildewoman - got it too late
Local Natives - Hummingbird - See: Surfer Blood
Jackson Scott - Melbourne - got it too late
Houndtooth - The Hills Below the City - I like Houndtooth for the name of a band.  But I think I listened to this once.
Front Bottoms - Talon of the Hawk - Listened to it once, and probably won't listen to it again.  It's cute.
Fidlar - Fidlar - I'm probably not going to listen to this.  Why do I have this?
Eleanor Friedburger - Personal Record - I like her albums, but I got this with a bunch of other stuff.

ALBUMS LOVED BY OTHERS AND NOT LOVED BY ME:

Bill Callahan - Dream River - (See Above)

Daft Punk  - Random Access Memories 

The way I could tell if songs from this album were coming up on my ipod was whenever I would hear a song and walk over to see what the hell it was - and then skip it.  Daft Punk is not for me.  I know that.

Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe

I own this, but I've yet to see or read anything about it that makes me want to put it on.  Tried listening to it once, and front-to-back is certainly not the correct entry point for me.  I need a back door or something.

Haim - Days Are Gone

Days Are Gone - Chuck said something about the Vampire Weekend being an average album that is elevated by a crappy year in music.  I think feel that way about Haim, except I think the world wants there to be an indie rock act that has more mass appeal than something like Best Coast.  So they like the fact that Haim kind of fills that role. I think Haim is lousy.  Sorry Haim.

Kanye West - Yeezus 

I actually like this album, but it's too raunchy for me.  Which may mean I'm getting too old.  Or lame.  Or all of the above.  But I think I've always been prudish about that kind of stuff.

Neko Case - The Worse Things Get....

Again, not that I don't like it, but those people saying this is her finest album are out of their minds.  Fox Confessor is the best Neko Case album, and that is final.  This album is a little on the boring side at times, and the a capella moments just don't seem as inspired as they are supposed to be.

Rhye - Woman

I just don't like this kind of music.

ALBUM THAT I AM EMBARRASSED TO LIKE:

Yellow Red Sparks - Yellow Red Sparks 

This is lame-o Of Monsters and Men style music.  But I like it.  And there's nothing I can do about it.

ALBUMS THAT I LIKED BECAUSE SOMETIMES I LIKE TO ACT LIKE I'M 21:

Joanna Gruesome - Weird Sister & The World is  Beautiful Place, and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Whenever, If Ever

These are two lo-fi albums that won me over on enthusiasm and curse words.  I liked them both about the same.  I haven't looked this up, but it seems like each of these bands have like 10 people in them.  So I like to imagine that they are a big group of friends who like to make music together.  Like a more talented version of my friends from college.

  

ALBUMS FROM BANDS THAT I USED TO LIKE:

Flaming Lips - The Terror / Peace Sword EP

Peace Sword provided some hope that the Flaming Lips will eventually emerge from their newest acid rock phase.  That's good.  I'm so sick of the acid rock stuff. I wish I would have known about the acid rock phase in advance, so that I could have those minutes and hours back.

Iron & Wine - Ghost on Ghost 

I haven't really liked this band since he decided to fill out his sound.  So there's no surprise here.  I barely listened to it.  He did do a nice "Fairytale of New York" cover this year though. It's not on this album.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito / Strokes - Comedown Machine

I am still prepared to like these bands, but not until they get some new ideas. Yeah Yeah Yeahs seem the less lost of the two, both of them seem like they are going through the motions until some inspiration surfaces. I don't think The Strokes will ever find it again.  They seem to have one gear that they can make really good music in, and they refuse to use that gear anymore.

ALBUM THAT WAS ONLY GOOD FOR HALF THE TIME IT WAS ON:

MGMT - MGMT

The first 4-5 songs of this were actually pretty great!  Then they go off the rails.  MGMT seem like they are going out of their way to not make a solid album. Like they would view that as a form of selling out, now that they are on a major label.  I can't help them with that.  All I can say is that songs like "Alien Days" show that they could easily make another  Oracle Spectacular anytime they wanted - if they wanted.

ALBUMS THAT I LIKED PRETTY GOOD:

Phosphorescent - Muchacho

For those of you who are actually reading this whole thing, you will note that Brent sometimes needs a different entry to an album than the front door.  Such was the case with this album and its slow, chanty opener. Ugh.  But once I started skipping that one, I found a really terrific album about hurt and loss and what fills in when your heard breaks.  My favorite song of the year is Song for Zula.

Jason Isbell - Southeastern

I think this is the guy from the Drive By Truckers.  I'm not sure.  But I liked most of the songs on this album. Alt-country winners!  Good, not great!

Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium

This is one of my favorite bands, and a concept album about growing up in the early 80's seemed like something I would like more than I did.  But it was still pretty good.  The production seemed to be referencing the pop of the early 80's, and I don't care how well you do that, Brent Koster is not going to love it.  And I really loved their last album, so this didn't quite measure up.

Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic

I think I just realized for the first time what the name of this album was, and I'm rethinking everything about it.  I just really liked the effortless way this album sounds.  It seems like they have a million good ideas, and they don't really care about getting them right.

CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe

Electronic pop.  Really good hooks.  Haven't really taken in the lyrics, but "The Mother We Share" is one of the few songs I think I could play for just about anyone, and they'd like it.

The Blow - The Blow 

This could maybe fit into the "Bands who didn't try anything new" category, but it's been so long since their last album, and the personnel seems to have changed so there you go .  I've always liked the way The Blow never quite made catchy poppy songs.  And they kept that going on this album.  Good work.  They always have such herky jerky beats.

Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt 

I listened to this nonstop when it first came out, then I decided it was good, and moved on.  Haven't listened to it in months, but from what I remember, she's made an album that Brent likes.  Dense, weird lyrics.  Straightforward production. Sad songs.

Best Coast - Fade Away EP

I just seem to get more out of Best Coast than I used to.  There's not much going on here.  But whatever it is, it seems like it's better than it was about three years ago.  I think seeing them live this year helped me appreciate their whole thing.

LIST:
1) Vampire Weekend
2) The National
3) Camera Obscura
4) Phosphorescent
5) Yellow Red Sparks
6) Foxygen
7) Waxahatchee
8) The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am Not Afraid to Die
9) Cults
10) MGMT 

30 Best Songs of 2012

Let me start by saying that I had aspirations of ranking 25 songs, with no repeated artists.  And then doing a list of 50 with repeated artists.  But Kent was going to do this with me, and he's in the hospital getting his sinuses and blood pressure worked on.  So my compromise is a Top 30 with repeated artists. 

I know, I know.  

No one cares. 

Here's the mix:





And here's my brief rundown of the Top 10!

1) Andrew Bird - Something Biblical - This is my favorite of 2012 for two reasons.  Number one, we heard it live, and it was a highlight of the year.  Two, it's about a drought, and as a household that struggled to get through a very dry summer, it struck a chord.  Not in a "we need rain to make a living way," but in a "The Lord Giveth, and the Lord Taketh Away" way.

2) Beth Jeans Houghton - This song has been on my best-of list all year.  It has two distinct sections on in one three minute song.  I love it when songs do that.

3) Stay Useless - Cloud Nothings - 1990's revivial.  The Nirvana kind.

4) Dear Believer - Edward Sharp and the Magnetic.... - I could have picked like four songs by this band that I liked all the same.  I picked this one. Interesting side note, in the last couple of weeks, I've tried to find this album on anyone's list of best albums - including individual DJ's on indie rock stations.  I believe I am the only person the rank them at all - let along #1.

5) End of the Line - Sleigh Bells - This band is underrated because they make simple catchy music.  History will be kind to them

6) Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) - Regina Spektor - Cutest song of the year.  If you are ok with the affectations.

7) Hood - Perfume Genius - I put this on a mix for Chelsey at the beginning of the year.  Now she loves it.  And I'm the hero.

8) The House that Heaven Built - Japandroids - Liked this song the first time I put the album on.  Finally Chuck and Brent have a song to rock out to.  Ended two sentences with a preposition there.

9) Radiator Sister - The Mynabirds - If I would make any changes from my album rankings, I would put The Mynabirds higher.  This is a good album.

10) Off To the Races - Lana Del Ray's album is full of songs just like this.  And I love almost all of them.

Brent Ranks 65 Albums and then 8 More.

BRENT’S LIST OF 2012 ALBUMS

1)      Edward Sharpe & the Magentic Zeros – Here – No one wanted to dislike this album more than me. And I ended up loving it. Its hippy dippy sound won me over somehow.  I think maybe to humble me in 2014. Next year I’m goiong to have to tell everyone that my favorite album from last year was Edwad Sharpe and then get made fun of or rejected.

2)      Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself/Hands of Glory – I’m putting these together and subtracting points for editing.  Two really good albums that could have potentially been a single great one.  Saw him in concert this year, and he was better than I’d ever seen him – though that may have been due to the fact that it was sit-down event.

3)      Celebration Rock – Japandroids – I like this album as much as Cloud Nothings, but Japandroids were on my radar longer, so I’ll give them the slight nod. Chuck likes them a lot. I like Chuck.

4)      Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory – I can’t wait to hear what kind of crappy album this band is going to make next, but this one is excellent. Sounds like early grunge.  Pre-Pearl Jam grunge.

5)      Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror – Sleigh Bells should teach a class to all young bands on how to take what you do well on your first album, and then do it again on your second album.  It must be hard to do, because bands like XX and How to Dress Well couldn’t manage it this year.

6)      What We Saw From the Cheap Seats – Regina Spektor – Regina Spektor is never going to make the next Pet Sounds.  But she’s a gifted musician and she writes catchy little songs that usually move me in some way.  I like her. 

7)      I Like to Keep Myself in Pain – Kelly Hogan – I have loved Kelly Hogan for a long time. She is the touring backup singer for Neko Case, and she’s always been charming in that role.  She had some stuff out in the 90’s that wasn’t all that great, but this one is good.  Charming rockabilly/country/torchsong stuff.  Highly recommended.

8)      First Aid Kit –The Lion’s Roar - Out Jens Lekmaned Jens Lekman this year. Prescious little melodies and lyrics over and over again.

9)      The Only Place – Best Coast – God, these songs are so simplistic.  But I truly enjoyed them all year long.  I don’t know why.  Like a modern day version of 50’s pop.

10)   Sharon Van Etton – Tramp – Nice collection of tragic little songs.  When I listend to it at the end of the year, I was surprised that I didn’t like it better.

11)   Moonface – Heartbreaking Bravery – Anthemy songs that pound away at you.  Repetitive, but dense and enjoyable – which is a hard thing to do.

12)   Heartless Bastards – Arrow – I think this band is led by a woman, but I’m not sure. It reminds me of pop pusic from the 80’s. I don’t know why.  Like the Joan Jett variety. Tough girls hanging out in satin jackets.

13)   Perfume Genius – Put Your Back in 2 It – Slow sad songs.  Reminds me of Sufjan Stevens’ Michigan album, combined with a little Elliot Smith, or Antony and the Johnsons.

14)   Wild Nothing Nocturne – New wave music from the 80’s done well.  I don’t even like that brand of music, but I respect it when it’s done well.  Like Junior Boys.

15)   Waste Up, Kneez Down – Christeene – Skuzzy drag queen pop by my friend Paul.  Solid production.  Clever lyrics.  I liked it.  Probably not for everyone 

16)   Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t - Jens Lekman – I love Jens Lekman. This album wasn’t his best, but it was a pretty weak year. Some good songs. Not enough humor.

17)   Lana Del Ray – Born to Die – What I like about this album is that there are so many things about it that offend my sensibitlity, yet I keep going back to it.  I though that Video Games was one of the best songs I had heard in a long time.  But the rest of this thing is kind of a mess. Yet I contitnue to listen.

18)   Mountain Goats –Trascendental Youth – Every so often Mountain Goats make a good album.  This was one of those times.  Great lyrics.  Strong melodies.

19)   Justin Townes Earle – Nothings Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me – I like this guy, dammit.  All his albums sound the same, but I’m buying it.

20)   M Ward – A Wasteland Companion – M Ward makes albums that I like. This wasn’t the best one he ever made, but it was still better than most of the crap that got carted out this year.

21)   Allo Darlin – Europe – They’ve taken over the Camera Obscura mantle of Belle & Sebastian soundalike. I gues that’s just going to keep getting passed off. The lead singer is Australian though. So that’s an issue. 

22)   Chairlift – Something – Uplifting inide dance music. Not really edgy. But spirited and sincere.

23)   Liars – WIXIW – Liars seem to be trying really hard.  They make me want to like them, despite the fact that I’m not given to what they do.  This is my favorite album of theirs.

24)   Tennis – Young & Old – This album was better than their last one – which is saying something.  Since their last one was a breakthrough album.  It’s catchier, and I connected with it more consistently emotionally. I found the last one to be someone shallow. 

25)   Dr. Dog – Be the Void – I like Dr. Dog better than anyone I know.  But this was my least favorite of theirs.  Sounds like they could have used some helpful editing.  No more songs about futuristic characters called “Warrior Man.”  Okay, Dr Dog?

26)   Passion Pit – Gossamer – I like what this band does.  They aren’t that great, but they hit all the notes they’re suppsed to hit. Which is more than I can say about a lot of other bands that have met with some succcess.  

27)   Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny - Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose – Hit and miss effort, but the highs were some of my favorite highs of 2012

28)   Royal Baths – Better Luck Next Life – It’s the same creepy sound over and over again. They get it right once, and then they waste about 40 minutes trying to do it again.  

29)   Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits – This is the guy from Handsome Furs and the Guy from Spoon. I like both of those bands. This project wasn’t their best work. If each of them do B work on their own. They got together and did C+ work. Boo.

30)   Damien Jurado – Maraqopa – I wish I had listened to this more.  He seemed like he was trying to stetch out his sound on it.  Like there are some head-bobbing moments on here.  I don’t know.  I should probably include this on the albums I didn’t have enough time to judge list.

31)   Menomena – Moms – Good stuff here.  Menomena needs to quit with the dumb word-play on their song names, but I think they’ve picked up where Folk Implosion left off. Which isn’t a bad place to start.

32)   Stars – The North – Undervalued band makes an album that hits on all the things they do well.  Sad songs and dance tracks.  Hooray.

33)   Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…. – Super dense. Nothing to sink ones teeth into, but a big hunk of creative energy.  Basically her and a piano. Kind of makes me uncomfortable to listen to it.

34)   Laura Gibson – La Grande – Laura Gibson won me over in concert a while back. It doesn’t come across in her albums, but she has a really eery steel guitar sound that mixes well with her equally creepy voice.

35)   Fanfarlo – Rooms Filled with Light – I tried to get into this album, but we never got past the early fascination phase.  I thought it was good, but it never grabbed me.

36)   Strange Land – Yellow Ostrich – Their songs are catchy and difficult at the same time.  But also kind of grating because of how they are delivered. 

37)   Theresa Anderson – Street Parade – She writes nice songs and dresses them up with quirky production.  To varying degrees of success.

38)   Grizzly Bear – Shields – This band is so overrated.  They aren’t bad.  But their on par with a whole host of so-so bands that don’t seem to be as well-loved as they are. This album was some of their best work – which is to say it was ok.

39)   Lambchop – Mr M – I like Lambchop, but you need to spend a lot of time with it, and as you can see, I don’t really have that kind of time. 

40)   Cat Power – Sun – Starts off great!  Then there are about 10 straight songs about being yourself, or following your heart.  Chan Marshall writing 15-year-old level poetry.  Very disappointing

41)   Shins – Port of Morrow – This isn’t The Shins – I don’t care what anyone says.  Which is not to say it’s not ok.  It’s just not the Shins.  And it’s kind of boring.

42)   Dr. John – Locked Down – The guy from Black Keys produced this.  But at the end of the day it’s another Dr. John album.  Not that bad.  Just played out.

43)   Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls – I don’t like this band that much.  And the fact that others really like them makes me like them less.  Plus, Chelsey doesn’t like the way the lead singer didn’t doll herself up for their video. 

44)   The Walkmen – Heaven – The frustrating thing about The Walkmen – well, there’s two things. 1) They seem like they should play the type of music I like. 2) They made “The Rat” which is one of my faorite alltime songs several years ago. Yet they continue to make boring music that I can’t listen to more than once or twice.  I think I’m giving up on them.

45)   Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Many people are saying that this album is the best of the year.  Which means that they think an album with numerous non-musical interludes is the album of the year. Which means I don’t agree.

46)   The XX – Belong – Oh, XX.  You completely lucked into your first album, didn’t you? All the ingredients of the first one, with none of the charm. Boring.

47)   Tilly & the Wall – Heavy Mood – Tilly & the Wall used to be a knock down, drag our assault on all things lame.  Now they are old, and they don’t know what to sing about, or how to sing about it.  It’s sad.  I don’t like it.

48)   Conduits – Conduits –Local shoegazer band. Sometimes I can get into this. Most times I can’t. 

49)   Beach House – Bloom – I have every Beach House album. I don’t know why. They play these meditative melodies that don’t have any hooks in them. I like hooks.  No more Beach House for Brent.

50)   Dan Deacon – Electronic music and I don’t get on all that well.  This was ok electronic music. Some of it I liked.  But only in that passing “this isn’t that bad” sort of way.

51)   Yeasayer – Fragrant World – Yeasayer isn’t for me. Which doesn’t mean that this album is no good. It’s just that it didn’t do anything to make me like them any more than I did before.    

52)   III – Crystal Castles – This band lost all of the magic of their first album, and don’t seem at all interested in getting it back.

53)   Kids These Days – Traphouse Rock – A bunch of Chicago youngsters who thought they could change the world with their little songs.  They were wrong.

54)   The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends – Don’t waste your time on this pile of mess unless you really like The Flaming Lips.  Ugh.

55)   The Big Pink – Future This – There’s no “Dominoes” on this album. Which is to say that there wasn’t much reason to listen to it.

56)   Imperial Teen – Feel the Sound – All I remember from this album is thinking “That doesn’t sound like a band called Imperial Teen.”  

57)   Jack White – Blunderbuss – Jack White is lost. This album is a waste of time.

58)   Benjamin Gibbard – Former Lives - Benjamin Gibbard is lost. This album is a waste of time.

59)   Islands – Asleep and Forgetting – I’ll be honest. I didn’t listen to this that much. I don’t really like Unicorns and Islands. I don’t know why I downloaded it.

60)   How To Dress Well – Total Loss - Yes.  It was a total loss.  Boring version of their last boring album.

61)   Animal Collective – Centipede Hz – I can’t listen to this fucking album.  Jesus.

62)   Yann Tierson – I don’t know why I downloaded this.  I had no intention of listening to it.  I have an older album of his and it’s largely background music. 

63)   Freelance Whales – Diluvia – Unsufferable for at least five reasons.  None of which I will go into here.

64)   Kiriyama Family – Kiriyama Family – Oh man. I didn’t like this.

65)   Maps & Atlases – worst of 2012.  Made me run to my computer to advance it when this album came on.

 

ALBUMS THAT I CANNOT RATE BECAUSE I GOT THEM TOO LATE IN THE GAME

1.       The Avett Brothers – It’s not looking good.

2.       Corin Tucker Band – Corin Tucker made a lame album last time around.  This one has more promise.

3.       Horse Feathers – I can’t tell if I haven’t been able to listen to this enough, or if they have failed to make an impression.  Time will tell.

4.       Lower Dens – no idea

5.       Mac Demarco – this guy makes me uncomfortable with his loosy goosy songs.  I’m inclined not to like him because he seems overly confident.

6.       The Mynabirds – This album has the most promise of any of these so far.

7.       Purity Rings – see:  Lower Dens.

8.       Titus Andronicus – I keep forgetting this album came out. 

Brent's Slightly More Than Half-Year Music Revue

Sometimes listening to music is hard.  Making time for it.  Remembering to pay attention when it's on.  Accidentally listening to the same album over and over again for several weeks.  Forgetting that you have the new Damien Jurado album because it's in the Damien Jurado folder on your computer and you didn't think to look there when it was time to add your new music to iTunes.  So June and July fly by, and suddenly you realize you haven't written shit about music all year.  Next thing you know, you're writing your half-year story in late August.  And you're a piece of shit.  And everyone knows it.

For the purpose of this list, I listed the band and a favorite single from the album.

1. I don't like anything enough to take this spot.  Which may be part of the reason this list is so late.
2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - No one was prepared to hate this album more than me.  But more than once, I found myself checking who sang a certain song on my "Need to Listen" playlist, and it would turn out to be this band. I'm just going to fess up that I like many of these songs, and prepare to be beaten by anyone with relatively good taste in music. 
3. Sleigh Bells - it's just like their first album, but with two songs that sound like my favorite song from that album.  Zero points for ingenuity.  10 point for giving Brent what he wants.  
4. First Aid Kit - What I like about this album is that people many different corners of my life all agree it's pretty good.  It's hard to put up a fight. Charming little songs, and a nice cameo from Conor Oberst near the end. 
5. Sharon Van Etten - This was the first album of 2012 that caught my attention.  It's sad and deliberate. Two things I always like in an album.  But not a high flier. I don't have a favorite song on this album.
6. Best Coast - I accidentally listened to this album a gazillion times. And it won me over.  It's really simple stuff.  Simple melodies.  Simple lyrics.  But there's something charming about them.  And they stopped with the crappy lo-fi recordings.  
7. Cloud Nothings - This band has all the charm of the early 1990's.  "Stay Useless" may still be my favorite song of the year.
8. Japandroids - Chuck dragged me to this band's show the last time they came to Omaha.  I think I would willingly go if they ever come back.  There's some really great tracks on here.  Mixed in with some not-so-good ones, but the high points are loud and make you want to pump your fist. 
9. Dr. Dog - I will always love Dr. Dog.  I know they are boring.  But they harmonize well, and they like to try new things, even if they don't go that great.  And even though I know that many of their songs sound the same, I don't care.
10. Three way tie - Kelly Hogan/Christeene/Moonface - First of all, I didn't have a number one, so I feel like a three-way tie for 10 is okay.  Now then Kelly Hogan is Neko Case's traveling backup singer.  She sings retro-y songs and looks exactly like Chelsey's friend Alea.  Chirsteene is my friend Paul, and while it's not for everyone, I really like the album.  More than I ever would have expected.  It's really well done. I always get excited when it comes on my iPod.  And lastly we have Moonface.  Moonface is the last living remnant of Wolf Parade.  All the other side projects are dead. So I think maybe I like it for that reason.  I loved Wolf Parade. Dammit.    

Music Through Our Lives

Pitchfork is doing this thing where they have certain artists list their favorite albums at different ages, starting at five and going out in five year increments. I think it sounds fun so I did it too.

5 - 1979 - John Denver - Back Home Again. I used to take naps to this when I was a kid, so I'm guessing this was probably my favorite at age five. Five is too early to have a favorite album. But this is the first album I remember.

I bought it again when I was in college, and it really is a great album. I had terrific taste in 1979.

10 - 1984 - Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA. This is the first album I remember loving and actually owning. I had liked many of Wendy's records but I actually owned this one. I also recently reacquired this one. And it also holds up. I've gone through a few different phases with Springsteen. I thought he was awesome. Then I thought he was a cheeseball. Then he was just boring for a long time. Then he recorded that Pete Seeger album and I liked him again. I can't say I've listened to much since, but I have seen a few documentaries about him, and watched his Storytellers episode on VH1. I am convinced he is a genius.

15 - 1989 - U2 - Rattle & Hum. I was in a computer class at Hefner Junior High. The exercise we were doing required me to list my favorite band. I was listening to a lot of Classic Rock at that time. The Doors, The Who, The Beatles. But I figured I better pick a band that was actually making music. At that moment I decided that U2 was my favorite band. I was obsessed with Rattle & Hum at that time, but wasn't that wild about anything else. Thankfully Auchtung Baby came out soon after and bailed me out of that. Not that I don't still love that album. But my 15 year old mind was unable to see all the overt self-righteousness that makes that album so embarrassing for me now.

20 - 1994 - These get harder as I go on. It's hard to decide between U2's Zooropa, Beastie Boys' Ill Communication, and Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. But I think I have to pick Ill Communication. I can't really listen to that album anymore though. I'm just way too embarrassed for 20 year old Brent, drinking 40's, and rapping along with it. Some people are idiots when they are 20. Also, does anyone else agree that the 1990's don't really hold up all that well as a decade? Or maybe Brent in his 20's doesn't hold up all that well as a person. But even all the hipster movies from the 1990's do not seem so hipster now. I don't know.

25 - 1999 - Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin. By 1999 I had a car. I remember driving around New Orleans and listening to the Tulane radio station and hearing Waitin' for a Superman for the first time. I kind of recognized the voice, but couldn't quite place it. I ended up listening to that station for like a week straight, waiting to hear it again. I found out it was the Flaming Lips (I knew who they were of course, I just hadn't listened to them since like 1994). This is one of my favorite all-time albums. And it fit perfectly with my life in 1999. It was just what I was looking for. Songs about space and fake sci-fi and love and gravity and all that. I can still listen to it whenever for as many times as you would like.

30 - 2004 - Arcade Fire - Funeral - When I first got wind of this album, I understood them to be a new project from the people behind Neutral Milk Hotel. I don't know how that happened. And then suddenly there was huge buzz about this album. Funny, because I don't even know how I was getting my music news at this point (not Pitchfork), but I knew I wanted the album before it came out, and Chuck and I actually saw them before they took off. I remember thinking about halfway through that show that if they had led the crowd into the streets and incited a riot, I would totally be on board. I listened to this again the other day. It's still one of the best albums of my lifetime. I think I've never been able to fully enjoy their two follow-ups because of how much I cherish Funeral.

35 - 2009 - Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Chelsey really liked Ash Wednesday, and I came around to it too. But this album is darn near perfect. It has a lot of what I look for in music. Lots of instruments. Ornate lyrics. A trombone featured prominently. And a single "Doomsday" that I cannot kill - despite repeated efforts. It's a beautiful creation. Nothing has touched it the almost three years since it came out. Also saw him perform many of the songs live that year, and they were even better that way. Holy shit. What a good album.







Okay! That was fun! Someone else do one. If you need help with layout, let me know.

Chuck:

5 years old - 1976

1976 was the year we moved to Logansport, IN. I don't honestly remember listening to albums that early. One of my earlier memories is dancing i.e. closing my eyes and spinning in circles with the song "blinded by the light" playing on our giant stereo.



10 years old - 1981

Okay so this would be like third grade than. Was I buying my own albums by then. Probably not. We were definitely listening to a lot of John Denver. I think by now we had found this Brother's Four album of our parents. It had a fun/racist song about Superman that we all liked.



15 years old - 1986

I remember 1986 pretty well because it was the year I moved from catholic school to public school. That year for my birthday I got Invisible Touch - Genesis and So - Peter Gabriel. So was probably my favorite album at the time. Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, etc.



20 years old - 1991

Freshman/Sophmore year in college. Probably Stone Roses - Stone Roses was my favorite. I remember when I was interviewed by the Creighton newspaper regarding what I would do if I won a million dollars I said, "Buy Winnipeg Jets tickets, and give the rest to the Stone Roses". Chuck Koster - not trying too hard or anything.



25 years old - 1996

1996 was the year I attended and flunked out of graduate school. It was also the period in time when I thought I was listening to relevant music, but really I was just buying the music that was on mtv and the albums of bands that I was already into. I suppose The Rentals kind of fits into both of those categories, but I still love this record.



30 years old - 2001

Still missing out on a lot of really good music. I don't think I was listening Neutral Milk Hotel, or Modest Mouse, or Magnetic Fields or Yo La Tengo or Belle and Sebastian at this point. I was listening to The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Moldy Peaches, which I think was my favorite of the year despite only coming out in September.



35 years old - 2006

I may have been tracking my favorite albums by 2006, but I don't remember what it was. I checked Pitchfork's best of 2006 and Night Ripper was on there, so let's go with that because God knows I played the hell out of that one.

40 years old - 2011

I think I said The Weeknd was my favorite of 2011 on this blog. I could still go with that, but just for inconsistency sake I'll switch it up and go with Cults, who have the most songs on my best songs of 2011 Pinterest board.



Re-looking at my choices, this seems like more of a best case scenario favorites list than maybe the truth or maybe I just got lucky that the years of record just happen to not be the years that I was listening to Milli Vanilli or Indigo Girls.

 

Chelsey (I made her do this last night over dinner):

5 - 1988 - Roxette - Look Sharp.













10 - 1993 - Boys II Men - Cooleyhigh Harmony










15 - 1998 - Blink 182 - Dude Ranch










20 - 2003 - Postal Service - Give Up













25 - 2008 - Cat Power - Juke Box

Leslie

Age 5 (1983): There was music in my house constantly. My dad worked in Center City and almost every Friday he would buy a new album, bring it home, and we would all listen to it incessantly on the stereo in the living room.  In fact, I was looking through the 1983 albums and he bought a ton of them that year, but the best, to me, was She's So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper. Made me the feminist I am today.

Age 10 (1988): Bon Jovi, New Jersey.  Nothing shows I'm from Philadelphia more than this, really.

Age 15 (1993): Cure For Pain and Kerosene Hat were released that year, and if I knew that then, one of those would be #1, but since I hadn't met Kent yet, we're going with Songs of Faith and Devotion by Depeche Mode.

Age 20 (1998): College. Ani. Dilate. All of her stuff, basically.

Age 25 (2003): Hail to the Thief, Radiohead. We went to their show in Washington and it was fantastic. Stephen Malkmus opened, but he cursed at people who wanted him to do The Hook.

Age 30 (2008): Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend. We re-did the Atlanta house to this album. I didn't like it at first, but now it's one of my favorites. And they put on an awesome show.

Kent

1979 - Mardi Gras in New Orleans - This is the first "album" that I can remember, surely because it came out of wherever we kept it every year for Carnival.  The cover art is very clear in my mind.  

1984 - Thriller - Thriller was the very first record I bought.  For some reason the two strongest memories I have of the album does not include the music video for Thriller, but instead the tiger cub on the inside of the album cover, and "The Girl is Mine," the duet with Paul McCartney.

1989 - Appetite for Destruction - There is no other possibility here.  This was the album that changed it all for me.  I had never heard anything like Guns N Roses.  They were so dangerous.  I was also into the Sex Pistols at this point in my life, but they were all dead or making new wave pop music.  Guns N Roses were actual teenage rebellion personified.  God bless my father for camping with me all night outside of the Maison Blanche to buy tickets to their show.

1994 - Bone Machine - I don't know why Brent Joseph and I picked up a copy of Rain Dogs from Tower Records on Decatur Street in our senior year of high school.  I think we liked the cover.  Whatever the reason, it saved me from hair metal.  Rain Dogs may have started my infatuation with Tom Waits, but Bone Machine cemented it.  It came out in 1992, I most likely got a copy in 1993, and was still going strong on it in 1994.

1999 - Pet Sounds - This was a toss up between my discovery of the Beach Boys and the Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin.  Brent already discussed The Soft Bulletin, so I'll go with Pet Sounds.  In 1999, I was a full-on music snob.  I'd always been a music collector, but the employee discount I got from working at a Borders Bookstore accelerated the growth of my cd collection.  I discovered the Beach Boys in the basement of Borders.  I worked in the basement taking corporate orders alongside another guy who did inventory.  We didn't have a lot to do, and we were allowed to listen to music, so we basically swapped music all day long.  I exposed him to Tom Waits, Morphine, Radiohead, and The Flaming Lips, he exposed me to the 1960s and 70s, particularly the later Beach Boys.  Their whole story hooked me, and I ate up every possible session outtake, bootleg, and remix of Smile I could.  I have certainly cooled off on the Beach Boys, but Pet Sounds pretty just sounds perfect to me.

2004 - The Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah - I'm not sure when Brent Joseph sent me this in the mail.  It had to be around 2003-4.  As a rule, I hate live albums (except Paul Simon's Concert in the Park), but there is no other way to capture James Booker's sound other than live.  All his studio albums fall a bit flat; overproduction and soulless studio musicians kill them.  His live recordings, on the other hand--those are documentation of genius.  To this day, I can put this album on and listen to it 8 times without tiring of it.  The way Booker can weave Mozart into Jelly Roll Morton and back again always leaves me awestruck.  And the version of St James Infirmary on this album puts all other versions to shame.  Enjoy hearing it at my funeral.

2009 - Elvis Perkins in Dearland - I spit from BK on the 1999 album, but by 2009 apparently we were in lockstep.  I considered Middle Cylcone by Neko Case, Con Law by Generationals, and XX by The XX, which were all released that year, and are all great albums.  This is the year Leslie, Brent, Chelsey, and I took a vacation to Perdido Key.  One night we went to dinner in Pensacola, and on the way there in the car, we all sang along to Doomsday.  It was awesome.

















I don't know if this is the hardest for me because I am the oldest or have kids who are the oldest or because I have the crappiest taste in music.  Maybe the 5s just weren't relevant musical years for me.  Anyway, here goes.

age 5, 1974:  Lucky for me, this is the year The Streak by Ray Stevens came out.  We owned it.  Yes we did.

age 10, 1979:  Kenny Rogers, the Gambler.  I believe we've already discussed how we'd listen to this on the way to Omaha.

age 15, 1984:  I'll go with Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics.  Lord knows I loved this album.  I always will.

age 20, 1989:  This was a big Andy Leon period in my life, and was therefore heavily influenced by Elvis Costello.  For this reason, I choose Blood & Chocolate.

age 25, 1994:  I think it was around this time that I saw REM & Natalie Merchant & Radiohead in concert together.  That was a good night, even if it was technically in 1995.  Let's do Monster by REM here.

age 30, 1999:  Around this time I enjoyed Fat Boy Slim quite a bit.  Who knew he was one of the Housemartins??  You've Come a Long Way, Baby (this, incidentally was one of clever phrases I used as door decorations for my residents when I was an RA -- I tried to snip the cigs out when I could, but it wasn't easy).

age 35, 2004:  I had a pair of 2-year-olds at this point in my life and I mostly walked around in a daze.  I listened to a lot of Dan Zanes.  Family Dance.

age 40, 2009:  I don't remember liking a lot of music in 2009, but I really liked Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.