It's the end of the year and everyone is posting their top tens, best of, and all that sort of nonsense. What one thinks deserves applause, another will think you're full of crap. All I can really do is tell you what spent the most time playing on my iPod and how these songs and moments touched my life and quite possibly changed me. I won't tell you why you should listen to these artists, what makes them so "important" or "vital" in the music world, or why these artists are the ones to watch. The way I feel about these artists and moments go beyond favoritism or some fading importance to a trend that is dissipating just as quickly. These feelings mark moments in my life. Just like The Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam marked chapters in my life oh so long ago, so do the people and events that I am about to list.
So, what has been on constant rotation on my iPod this year? In no particular order, here it is:
Why? - Alopecia
This album from beginning to end tells the story of a man who is bearing his broken heart to the world. It's about a man looking death straight in the eye and daring it to give him it's worst. It's the story of a man rediscovering his love for life. A man who is pushing through the pain of losing love and realizing that losing love can be one of the greatest gifts. It's a story that has comforted me through a painful year of my own and has helped me come out the other side badly bruised and scarred, yet, still alive, not a mummy sleeping in it's cloths.
The Mae Shi - HLLLYH
A little over a year and a half ago I saw this video
I've known about The Mae Shi for quite some time. I remember seeing their name on The Smell's website when I was looking to see when 90 Day Men would be playing out here on the west coast. Their name stuck out to me. It was just a really cool name for a band. 90 Day Men have long since disbanded, but The Mae Shi, although having changed members a few times, have gone on to be one of the biggest "Smell" acts. HLLLYH is an album built on positive energy. Its songs, while some of which have a doomy undertone, make me feel good. There's something freeing about their music. It's crazy kinetic energy, in the hands of other bands, can make you angry and wound up. The Mae Shi, on the other hand, do it in a way that is uplifting and fun.
Dr. Dog - Fate
I was introduced to this band by my friend, Kyle Divine. At first it reminded me of Wilco. But then I listened to it a few more times and it proved to be more than just another Wilco knock off. The songs are reminiscent of The Band. They chug along with an "I think I can" mood which is how I feel after listening to them.
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live...
It's an odd thing to be such a huge fan of your friend's band. It's strange because a lot of times you're supportive of your friend's band because they are your friends, regardless of if they are any good or not. The album is pretty ambitious. The pairing of Dusty Rhodes with Ikey Owens of The Mars Volta and Free Moral Agents as producer was an unlikely pair. Ikey has never had any experience in producing a band such as theirs. Yet he pulled it off like he'd been producing these kinds of bands for years. Albeit there is definitely the Ikey Owens influence in the sound, you can't deny that, at its best, First You Live is beautifully crafted and emotionally complex, and at its very least it's a fun listen.
Beirut - Flying Club Cup
This CD really pulls at my heart strings and hits home, not as much as Alopecia, but it really touches me in a more non-cynical way. It's a very emotionally reflective album and the longing is definitely heartbreaking. The opening lyrics "it's been a long time, long time now/since I've seen you smile/I will gamble away my fright/I will gamble away my time" resonates on a personal level that only someone who has had a year like mine can understand.
No Paws No Lions - Shamel Park
Here is another one of those instances where the line between liking a friend's band and trying to be objective in your preferences starts to blur. What makes this a lot easier is that I was a fan of NPNL before I became their friend. NPNL is one of those bands that could have easily become another band that wrote some really great pop songs and that's all. Yet there is enough art in their music to keep it interesting and much deeper than simple pop songs.
John Thill - The Sluts
This CD has a darker tone than his last, "Midwest Vacation". On his last one John Thill jumped around from escapism to his fondness of his beloved Inland Empire to revenge to even a love song. The subject matter on "The Sluts" is much more focused and the flow of the songs seem much more congruent. It definitely has a character all its own.
Radiohead - In Rainbows
I don't care what people think about Radiohead. They will always be one of my favorite bands of all time. In Rainbows is proof that there are still bands that, even with age, can craft a beautiful album without missing a step.
Honorable mentions:
Subtle - Exiting Arm
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Islands - Arm's Way
Maritime - Heresy and the Hotel Choir
PWRFL Power - PWRFL Power
Meho Plaza - Meho Plaza
Liars - Liars
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Women - Women
Have a great 2009!!!
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