When Moksha Lea asked me to come up with a playlist for a radio show, I jumped at the chance. We decided to do a show called Just Goofin' with humorous songs and commentary. Sort of an homage to Dr. Demento. The show aired on 2/18/2013 on KOWS 107.3 FM in Occidental, CA.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Best Albums of 2012
The talk of 2012 was Frank Ocean's "coming out" and his associated R&B opus Orange; while old-timey folk and Americana continue to be in the forefront of music listener consciousness (read Mumford and Sons and Avett Brothers). It was a band from Iceland (Of Monsters and Men) that continued the boy/girl duo theme that has become all the rage in the past decade (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, The Civil Wars). But it was mostly old school stalwarts that led the charge and produced the most satisfying albums of 2012 in my book.
10: Dr. John: Locked Down - Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Dr. John's album combines his signature New Orleans swamp-thang with Aurbach's guitar gronk to make an album both timeless and firmly rooted in the sound of today.
9: Craig Finn: Clear Heart Full Eyes - Craig Finn of The Hold Steady goes solo and gets introspective with a set of songs that tell haunting stories of travels and travails.
8: Of Monsters and Men: My Head is an Animal - Icelandic folk-rock that continues the welcome trend of beautiful, soul-touching male/female harmonies.
7: The Walkmen: Heaven - What happens when a previously heartbroken naysayer and cynic falls in love? Heaven...
6: Cat Power: Sun - Chan Marshall comes back strong with an album that shows her going in a much different direction than her last set of original songs (The Greatest in 2006). Adding electronics and producing it herself, it is an adventurous and ambitious return to relevance.
5: Bob Dylan: Tempest - The old curmudgeon's voice may be shot but the guy can still write songs like a boss. Sounding like it came straight out of the 1920's, the sound is old-fashioned, but the genius of his lyrics are timely and cutting.
4: Heartless Bastards: Arrow - Recorded almost entirely live in the studio, this album shows what a true kick-ass garage band can do left to their own devices. A nicely consistent and satisfying set of tunes.
3: Jimmy Cliff: Rebirth - All over the reggae map, Jimmy Cliff takes us on a historical journey through Jamaican music. It's all here; Rock Steady, Ska, Soul, Roots, and even a nod to punky reggae from the U.K.
2: Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel is Wiser... - Ok, she's a nutter. But that's what makes her so awesome. Her first album since 2005's Extraordinary Machine, this is a potpourri of wacky wonderfulness.
1: Jack White: Blunderbuss - The king of the riff does it again, but this time without Meg and with an assortment of musicians (all-male or all-female apparently depending on his mood) that keep the party rocking. This stuff never gets old.
Honorable Mention:
The Shins: Port of Morrow
Mumford and Sons: Babel
Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos
Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream
The Coup: Sorry to Bother You
Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls
Avett Brothers: The Carpenter
Chris Smither: Hundred Dollar Valentine
10: Dr. John: Locked Down - Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Dr. John's album combines his signature New Orleans swamp-thang with Aurbach's guitar gronk to make an album both timeless and firmly rooted in the sound of today.
9: Craig Finn: Clear Heart Full Eyes - Craig Finn of The Hold Steady goes solo and gets introspective with a set of songs that tell haunting stories of travels and travails.
8: Of Monsters and Men: My Head is an Animal - Icelandic folk-rock that continues the welcome trend of beautiful, soul-touching male/female harmonies.
7: The Walkmen: Heaven - What happens when a previously heartbroken naysayer and cynic falls in love? Heaven...
6: Cat Power: Sun - Chan Marshall comes back strong with an album that shows her going in a much different direction than her last set of original songs (The Greatest in 2006). Adding electronics and producing it herself, it is an adventurous and ambitious return to relevance.
5: Bob Dylan: Tempest - The old curmudgeon's voice may be shot but the guy can still write songs like a boss. Sounding like it came straight out of the 1920's, the sound is old-fashioned, but the genius of his lyrics are timely and cutting.
4: Heartless Bastards: Arrow - Recorded almost entirely live in the studio, this album shows what a true kick-ass garage band can do left to their own devices. A nicely consistent and satisfying set of tunes.
3: Jimmy Cliff: Rebirth - All over the reggae map, Jimmy Cliff takes us on a historical journey through Jamaican music. It's all here; Rock Steady, Ska, Soul, Roots, and even a nod to punky reggae from the U.K.
2: Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel is Wiser... - Ok, she's a nutter. But that's what makes her so awesome. Her first album since 2005's Extraordinary Machine, this is a potpourri of wacky wonderfulness.
1: Jack White: Blunderbuss - The king of the riff does it again, but this time without Meg and with an assortment of musicians (all-male or all-female apparently depending on his mood) that keep the party rocking. This stuff never gets old.
Honorable Mention:
The Shins: Port of Morrow
Mumford and Sons: Babel
Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos
Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream
The Coup: Sorry to Bother You
Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls
Avett Brothers: The Carpenter
Chris Smither: Hundred Dollar Valentine
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wilco Tango Foxtrot
Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, CA) has released a limited production beer called Wilco Tango Foxtrot. Gee, could this be a reference to our favorite band? Lagunitas has been known to produce beers with rock & roll themes (see below).
I am going to go out and get me some WTF beer today!
Cheers.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Best Albums of 2009
10: Phoenix: Lisztomania - They've been around 15 years, but I've just discovered this French band. This album has received high accolades for the pop, indie-rock sound that has become so prevalent these days (for better or worse). Bottom line is that this is simply a fun album to listen to.
9: Andrew Bird: Noble Beast - I saw Bird perform awhile back at the Hollywood Bowl and was amazed with how he would record violin or guitar lines during a song then loop it and layer it to use as accompaniment. Impressive.
8: Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion - This album was the critics darling of 2009. Undoubtedly one of the most important bands of the naughts with their idiosyncratic rhythms and harmonies, they sound like nothing else that has ever existed. But when you are this out there, the music is not very approachable and takes some discipline to get into. The payoff is there for the patient listener.
7: Loney, Dear: Dear John - Loney, Dear is essentially Swedish singer-songwriter Emil Svanängen. Sounding like he recorded it in his living room, he works with programmed drum beats and synth orchestration. The result is a modern, toe-tapping sound.
6: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz! - Karen O and gang push forward with their genre-bending sound that blends punk with dance and electronic elements.
5: Wilco: Wilco (the Album) - The latest album from my favorite band combines elements of every Wilco period. From the alt-country of A.M. to the bombastic pop of Being There and Summerteeth to the envelope pushing experimentalism of Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot to the kraut-rock jams of Ghost is Born and the hushed beauty of Sky, Blue, Sky. The drawback of this is that the album lacks cohesiveness. It is still good fun and has strong tracks such as "Wilco (the song)", "Bull Black Nova" and "You and I" (with guest vocalist Leslie Feist).
4: Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest - Yellow House was one of my best of picks in 2006 and three years later I am still entranced with their sound. Combining approachable melodies with experimental blips, bleeps and unusual production, they have developed a unique, interesting and satisfying sound.
3: Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca - They take the frat-boy Afro pop of Vampire Weekend and combine it with the experimentalism of Animal Collective to come up with an accessible, yet utterly unique, collection of songs and musical ideas. These guys are firmly in the center of the new wave of genre-defying bands that are grabbing the critics attention these days.
2: The Decemberists: Hazards of Love - Props to Colin Meloy for going after the ridiculously ambitious goal of creating a concept album that tells the enigmatic story of a woman's relationship with a mystical creature fusing elements of chamber music, folk and heavy metal and succeeding. At first glance it seems to surely be a joke, not to be taken seriously. But Meloy's poetic word smithing, along with the use of musical elements to reinforce the dramatic elements, serve the song and story perfectly. Colin and gang pulled off an amazing accomplishment with Hazards of Love.
1: Various Artists: Dark Was the Night - How can you go wrong with a double album that includes tracks by Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, David Byrne, My Morning Jacket and more great bands and for a good cause to boot. A consistent and satisfying collection of songs from start to finish.
9: Andrew Bird: Noble Beast - I saw Bird perform awhile back at the Hollywood Bowl and was amazed with how he would record violin or guitar lines during a song then loop it and layer it to use as accompaniment. Impressive.
8: Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion - This album was the critics darling of 2009. Undoubtedly one of the most important bands of the naughts with their idiosyncratic rhythms and harmonies, they sound like nothing else that has ever existed. But when you are this out there, the music is not very approachable and takes some discipline to get into. The payoff is there for the patient listener.
7: Loney, Dear: Dear John - Loney, Dear is essentially Swedish singer-songwriter Emil Svanängen. Sounding like he recorded it in his living room, he works with programmed drum beats and synth orchestration. The result is a modern, toe-tapping sound.
6: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz! - Karen O and gang push forward with their genre-bending sound that blends punk with dance and electronic elements.
5: Wilco: Wilco (the Album) - The latest album from my favorite band combines elements of every Wilco period. From the alt-country of A.M. to the bombastic pop of Being There and Summerteeth to the envelope pushing experimentalism of Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot to the kraut-rock jams of Ghost is Born and the hushed beauty of Sky, Blue, Sky. The drawback of this is that the album lacks cohesiveness. It is still good fun and has strong tracks such as "Wilco (the song)", "Bull Black Nova" and "You and I" (with guest vocalist Leslie Feist).
4: Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest - Yellow House was one of my best of picks in 2006 and three years later I am still entranced with their sound. Combining approachable melodies with experimental blips, bleeps and unusual production, they have developed a unique, interesting and satisfying sound.
3: Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca - They take the frat-boy Afro pop of Vampire Weekend and combine it with the experimentalism of Animal Collective to come up with an accessible, yet utterly unique, collection of songs and musical ideas. These guys are firmly in the center of the new wave of genre-defying bands that are grabbing the critics attention these days.
2: The Decemberists: Hazards of Love - Props to Colin Meloy for going after the ridiculously ambitious goal of creating a concept album that tells the enigmatic story of a woman's relationship with a mystical creature fusing elements of chamber music, folk and heavy metal and succeeding. At first glance it seems to surely be a joke, not to be taken seriously. But Meloy's poetic word smithing, along with the use of musical elements to reinforce the dramatic elements, serve the song and story perfectly. Colin and gang pulled off an amazing accomplishment with Hazards of Love.
1: Various Artists: Dark Was the Night - How can you go wrong with a double album that includes tracks by Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, David Byrne, My Morning Jacket and more great bands and for a good cause to boot. A consistent and satisfying collection of songs from start to finish.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Arrr, Me Mateys!
I just revisited the two-disc set Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys, a compilation that came out in 2006, and am in full can't stop listening mode. This is fantastic stuff. Although there are some big names on the album (Sting, Bono, Lucinda Williams), it is the lesser-knowns that are most memorable for me. Baby Gramps for instance, who has a unique style on the guitar, and a rough and ready voice quite appropriate for pirate songs. He even goes into some throat-singing which gives his a voice an otherwordly sound. Also, Three Pruned Men's take on "Bully in the Alley" is a rousing number that instantly gets stuck in your head and will inspire spur of the moment sing-alongs for weeks after listening. My kids and I have learned all the lyrics and I will testify that the song will improve any long car ride. Give it a try.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dirty Projectors on NPR
Further on the free music tip. NPR is streaming the new album from Dirty Projectors titled Bitte Orca. This is some good stuff. Their sound is innovative and compelling and while experimental, employs a wide array of musical styles. On the surface the sound is similar to other experimental rock bands that are in vogue these days such as Animal Collective and Fleet Foxes, with their emphasis on lush vocal harmonies over quirky unusual backing. But their influences run deep. There is definitely a debt owed to Sonic Youth and the vocal style of band leader Dave Longstreth at times evokes Jeff Buckley. There is also the (very fruitful) relationship with David Byrne on Dark Was the Night and Byrne may have had some influence. Possibly the catchy "Stillness is the Move", with its Disco-y vocal over a musical backing that sounds straight out of Sub-Saharan Africa. But they've taken all of these diverse elements and melded them into a cohesive whole that as a result explores completely new territory. One of the best albums this year.
Eels: Hombre Lobo
Freaky electro-rocker Eels just released his new album Hombre Lobo on June 2 and is streaming it for free on MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/eels
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