Albums
5.
Why? - Eskimo Snow
The bromantic sing-alongs that occurred as a result of 2008's 'Alopecia' might be the closest Yoni Wolf's brutally honest and self-analytical poetry will ever get to having a place in a crowd. However, you can guarantee every single word he's penned since his lo-fi forays into rap has been memorised, blogged about and scrawled onto countless post-it notes to coat bedroom walls. Lines like
"Even though I haven't seen you in years, yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere" demand to be taken personally.
Whilst previous releases might have owed more to Pavement than they did to MF DOOM, it's undeniable that there was a rapper at the helm. The movement away from abstract hip hop and towards what the band themselves call "
song-songs" on this record shouldn't mislead you into thinking it's any easier to listen to though. If anything, the subject matter here makes this Why?'s toughest record yet.
Those who have spent long nights trying to pick apart Why?'s cryptic lyrics in an attempt to get closer to Wolf can rejoice, as this record is the aural equivalent of his feelings on a platter. The middle section of 'Into the Shadows of My Embrace', which flows like Dylan on 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll', acts as a better synopsis for Eskimo Snow than any words could. The sunny organs, playful bassline and glockenspiel arpeggios drop out, allowing for the song to build up to new heights with the help of some snare rolls, climaxing as Wolf yells,
"And I know saying all this in public should make me feel funny / But you gotta yell something out you'd never tell nobody."
It's clear that whilst the messages might be more obvious, no poetic license has been sacrificed. Wolf addresses his impending loneliness by contemplating the fate of his
"unused seed" on 'Against Me' and his lack of worth by sensationalising his death on 'Berkeley by Hearseback',
"Lay me down in a hearseback / It's where my new best look is at." If you're looking for new ways to define your every fear- look no further. Whilst this record may be bleak, it doesn't serve to amplify self-pity, but rather as a place to seek solace.
4.
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
It's funny that I couldn't even get through this when I first tried to listen. I think it was boxing day last year- I remember I was lying on the floor in a sleeping bag, listening to this on my iPod and thinking that it was really dull. I'm so glad I revisited it because it is about as far from dull as is possible. This is one of the most simultaneously experimental/unique and joyous collections of music I have ever heard.
3.
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
I don't know how these guys suddenly got so polished. How are the arrangements on this even possible!? They use female voices like no one else does (for now, at least, but that won't last long) and this album will always be so special.
2.
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
It's hard to believe that the joyous screams of opener 'And the Hazy Sea...' kick off an album without a single chorus, but then first impressions with Cymbals Eat Guitars are never a great idea. It's true that the band wear their influences on their sleeves- initially sounding like a rejuvenated incarnation of Pavement, they gradually reveal a mesh of influences ranging from Wilco to Built to Spill and from Sleater-Kinney to New Jersey power pop outfit The Wrens. Yet there's an underlying complexity to their music which isn't immediately apparent when you first find yourself humming along to the buoyant, Malkmus-esque intro to 'Wind Phoenix'. The band construct verses so familiar and engaging that they could easily rely on simple pop structures, but they'd rather rip their ideas apart by changing the tempo or the mood, by throwing in an organ solo or letting the bass guitar take the lead.
The lyrics jump out from all angles- each line seems to bear so much resonance yet when arranged around the song structures, the meaning becomes far more difficult to decipher. It's this approach to songwriting that makes lines like "Without use of a pole, she swings / Her thighs clamped 'round infinity" really strike a chord when you're able to pick them out. Add to this the fact that the instrumental crescendos rarely match up with the emotional meanderings of the lyrics and you have a collection of songs that will continue to surprise and beg repeated listens. On paper, even the most ecstatic parts of the album come across like the bleakest prose on roadtripping across America- it's only when you're in the middle of screaming along to a song like 'Indiana', “As my grip on you tightened, your skin got slicker,” that you realise just how much anguish is present on this album.
In a world where sublety is so often replaced with obtrusive and insubstantial sentiment, you'll welcome the feeling of adolescent nostalgia that washes over you with every hum of guitar feedback and with every murmur of the warm, crackling Wurlitzer. This is far from the best we'll see of Cymbals Eat Guitars, but their energy makes this album so much more than just an homage to the bands they seem so eager to pay tribute to.
1.
St. Vincent - Actor
It's no secret that 'Actor' was inspired by films. I won't go into detail, seeing as every interview seems to do that for me, but it evolved from a writing exercise in which Clark would score her favourite movies on mute. She then took these ornate arrangements, added guitar, and turned them into songs. All of this was done on her computer; silently, privately.
It got me thinking about what makes a film great. There are so many directors, periods and styles that I can rely on to produce enjoyable movies. The memorable ones, however, are the ones with characters I can really fall in love with. Whether they're brilliant or ignorant, wonderful or obnoxious, they have to be characters I want to revisit again and again. Characters that reveal something new every time, that never fail to entertain, no matter how many times you expose yourself to them.
With 'Actor', each song is a new character. Every track is as equally ambitious as it is self-deprecating, a collection of arrangements so unique, yet held together by their tendency to fold back in on themselves. Whenever it feels like the strings and clarinets are causing the clouds to part and the sun to shine through, a thunderstorm hits in the form of a guitar tone so fuzzy it'd make Lee Ranaldo cringe.
As if the juxtaposition of this elegant, almost clichéd beauty and terrifying dirt weren't enough to mirror life itself, Clark, through her lyrics, narrates the uncertain stories of losers winning and winners losing; honest stories that rarely resolve. On 'The Neighbors', she returns to a popular theme of religion, singing, 'Sister, say a prayer for us / One we learned from nuns and such / I won't believe, not a word you speak / Just make it sweet to hear.' And whilst these lyrics mirror my own views on religion, they also seem to explain why the wordless coos heard on 'The Party' are as heart-wrenching and relatable as the first lines of the same song, 'Honey, the party / You went away quickly / But, oh, that's the trouble / With ticking and talking."
It becomes a case of opening up your ears to the melodies, your mind to the arrangements, and your heart to the lovable yet imperfect characters contained within this absolute gem of a record. And if, with this insight, you still can't appreciate this record, know that Clark would rather alienate you than have you think it was mediocre- "You can't apologize your way into people's hearts. You have to go full force."
Tracks
From the above artists:
'The Party', 'Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)', 'Stillness Is the Move', 'My Girls', 'Into the Shadows of My Embrace'
The others:
Raekwon - New Wu
Holy crap, this song is so dope. Method Man completely kills it. Best rap chorus of the year.
Best Coast - When I'm With You
It's one of those songs where I really don't know why I love it so much but it just hits me right there. So simple but so nicely recorded and the moment where her voice breaks on this one word at the beginning is so beautiful (I forget which one but give it a listen and you'll hear...)
St. Vincent and The National - Sleep All Summer
The lyrics to this song are devastating and Annie and Matt's voices pretty much just exist to sing duets together.
Brother Ali - Palm the Joker
I put this on at ATP and pretty much everyone in the room asked who it was and for me to send it to them. Case closed.
Cursive - What Have I Done?
One of the best album closers of the year. So sad.
Andrew Bird - Anonanimal
Puts the rest of the album to shame. Just such a perfectly constructed song.
Antony and the Johnsons - Epilepsy Is Dancing
Cut me in quadrants. Leave me in the corner.
There are so many more but that's more than enough to remember how awesome this year was.
Live Acts
Antony and the Johnsons
Cymbals Eat Guitars
De La Soul
Devo
Dirty Projectors
Marnie Stern
St. Vincent
Wilco
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This was most definitely the most enjoyable year I have spent on this planet so far. Highlights included interviewing some of my absolute favourite people (St. Vincent, Cymbals Eat Guitars), finally seeing some of my favourite bands (The Fiery Furnaces, PJ Harvey, Atmosphere, Bob Dylan), being featured on Carrie Brownstein's Monitor Mix (this is still so crazy to me) and man, just countless good times. I saw about 50% more shows and about seven times more festival sets than last year. I did start adding up all the money I'd spent on tickets but by the time it got to June, it just started getting worrying... so I stopped. I had planned on
rating 150 albums from this year (and by 'rating' I mean listening enough to form an opinion on) but I failed. At the time of writing, I'm on 118, which isn't all that bad I guess. This year, for sure.
I feel a little cold for putting this above some of the horrifically premature deaths that occurred in music this year, but my personal low point was when Silver Jews called it quits. We've got the Pavement reunion to look forward to this year though to try and restore the balance (!!!)
Hopefully by the time I write 2010's equivalent journal entry, I will still be happy but also employed. That'd be awesome. Until then, though, here are some albums I hope will end up on that list:
David Byrne - Here Lies Love
Dessa - A Badly Broken Code
Beach House - Teen Dream
Liars - Sisterworld
Quasi - American Gong
And one I know will not :(
Fyfe Dangerfield - Fly Yellow Moon
There's one artist who completely made my year, and that is
St. Vincent. Not only did Annie Clark make the best album of the year, she also treated me to 9 of the best shows I have ever been to. That may seem like overkill but there's no way I'm not taking advantage of the fact I'm living at a time when one of the best musicians ever to live is touring. We are all just so lucky.
Raekwon
