I have a favorite album from 2011...

I've already stated I hate year end lists... But that doesn't mean I can't have a favorite album...

After much (moderate) deliberation, I came to an undeniable conclusion. But first, I should clarify. This is not the best album of 2011, nor should it be interpreted as such. As was implied in the last post, I believe Bon Iver had the best year of all artists. Both him and his album respectively succeeded beyond expectations this year and will be remembered for doing so. However, since I've, to an extent, already discussed that, here is an album that best exemplified what a dying genre can accomplish...

Explosions in the Sky are, by far, the best post rock band (based, of course, on your definition). Post rock itself, has become stagnant, yet Explosions in the Sky has found their perfect niche. It's been over a decade since they've released their first album and the whole growing process has been more of refinement than change. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care has shown that they are still reaching their pinnacle...

The album itself resembles a trek. Leaving behind "Last Known Surroundings" until asking "Let Me Back In," the album exudes a feeling of a score, but fuller. Whereas a soundtrack may provide complimentary melodies to scenes with explicit visuals, the album is rich enough to emulate the imagery and emotions that can only be expressed via a physical presence. Each and every song adds to a progression while maintaining a monumental progression within itself. Of course, the catharsis of a distorted breakdown is still in every song, but just because it is predictable and borderline formulaic doesn't mean it doesn't succeed. Like with most good things, an upheaval of a consistent, succeeding component would be a major risk, and an unnecessary one at that...

"Postcard from 1952" was my first "favorite" or "highlight" of the album, but it changes with each listen. "Human Qualities" is the perfect follow up to the epitome of an opening with "Last Known Surroundings." The album succeeds in many ways, but it's greatest success was somewhat surprising...

Explosions in the Sky is still one of the most incredible bands to experience. Intricate songs that speak volumes without words or vocals, they outdo themselves once again. This may not be the BEST album of theirs, but here's what it is: an ambiguously structured set of melodies to project a story. What you make of that story is up to you. Just because there are sordid endings and SOME definite emotions, you provide the backstory and the characters. Think of this album as your project. Do not undermine this album or do it a disservice by not giving it what it deserves. Simplistic and hedonistic albums may be the perfect background soundtrack to travel, but this one requires you to think and create to make it incredible, as did past EitS albums. If you do not want to put work in, it may not be the essential album for you, but it still is an incredible collection of songs...

But, hey, I never said this was the best album; this is my favorite and may mean nothing to you.

A month left in 2011; the last month preceding 2012

I hate year end lists, I really do. I hate the idea of having to gather up every album released over a 365 day period and having to cross compare them only to give them an order. It bothers me that people think that list is synonymous with what the year will be remembered for. People idolize those who idolize and now routine music blogs have increased traffic spikes as they hastily put together some subjective compilation of albums that spark controversy and debate. Instead, here is a compilation of what I will remember the year for. This is not a best of, nor is this simply limited to artists and albums. Be it five years, or ten or whatever, this is what I will remember the year for...

Concerts and an increasing appreciation for live shows:

I have little to say about the bands I've had the privilege to see this year that hasn't been said; admittedly, I find it awkward to write about concerts as I find my over excited nature can be misconstrued as mere boasting. But I can say this: live shows have never been as exciting to me as they are now. This could be the fact that I have a new found appreciation for musicians and their mediums, but it's more than likely the fact that I now have someone I can share the experiences with. The two times I saw the Decemberists, I was able to have my excitement compound with that of another fanatic in my cousin. These were the third and fourth times we got to see them together and their showmanship is easily the most genuine, involving and entertaining I've seen; appreciation of stage and a sharp wit has made Meloy and company an interactive and memorable experience. I also got to see the Black Keys with one of my best friends through high school during the last summer before we parted and a day after my birthday (one of my favorite birthday gifts I've given myself to date). But it's been the inclusion of someone who is more appreciative of stage conduct and performance than myself that has rejuvenated my bewilderment of those highly anticipated nights, and I am endlessly thankful of what she's done for me in that sense. However, she isn't the lone reason I long for concerts more than ever. I've come to realize which each group of musicians can bring to a show. For some, a low key but compassionate presentation gives you the feeling of a local band or best friends on stage, yet yield an experience incomparable to others in sound; for others, bringing out antics or big time sets with lights and whatnot is more effective. As a result, each show can bring about a whole new aspect of performance that the last one could not. No matter how many shows you've gone to, another can introduce something you've never seen before. Or perhaps that live rendition of songs you've come to love brings about a whole new appreciation or memorable experience that becomes synonymous with it...

Bands I love finding success/widening fan bases:

Everyone knows Bon Iver, now. One of music's best kept secrets has been on more front covers following this release than he has preceding. Typically, I feel a sense of loss when a band I have affection for goes on to become well known. I remember (not so fondly) the plethora of people mispronouncing Sigur Ros (SEE-ger ROSS) and exclaiming their excitement towards the gibberish and bright sounds of Gobbledigook (admittedly, when I brought up my unbound appreciation of Ara Batur, possibly the most beautiful song written, most would not know of it... that bothered me more than the mispronunciation). There was as sense of loss that accompanied with it that I forced myself to ignore. I mean, who am I to selfishly hoard bands and keep them from renown and success? But what stung me was not so much the fact that other people listened to them, it was that people were missing so much of what they were doing. I tried to equate their appreciation of the band with mine, and it simply didn't work out. I felt like they were focusing on such a small part of their portrait whereas the portrait as a whole was more beautiful than any small part; it was also how it was being appreciated at such a superficial level that bothered me. This year, however, Bon Iver was brought into a legion of fans who loved him for all the right reasons. I listen to For Emma and his new self titled and I can attempt to pick apart each song or the album and still miss something that each of these new fans have heard. The superficiality of his sound is not what captured the fans, it was his audacity to try something new. It was his compassion and emotive lyrics and, most of all, the way anyone could relate to them that captured these new listeners. Justin Vernon wrote a record that was, in itself, himself. People have tried that before and some have succeeded, but no one has done it better than Vernon. Not only was the subject matter dear to his heart, but the sound personified himself. As a result, nothing else sounded like him nor accomplished what he did. I imagine this is what having a child succeed is like: you appreciate them when no one else knows of them, but when they start to succeed, you have nothing but pride. I will never forget when I saw Bon Iver and how in a room of almost three thousand people, no one was touched in the exact same way. When people ask who I listen to and I mention Bon Iver, they may roll their eyes and possibly make a remark under their breath about how everyone else does, but I don't listen to him the same way as anyone else. No one does. That is one of the reasons I'm more than happy to share him. That is why it would be a disservice for me to be selfish.

Older genres live long; newer genres (should) die hard:

Helplessness Blues is one of my top albums of 2011. The sound Fleet Foxes found and used hasn't really not been done before, but they added a twist and flair that made it undoubtedly their own. Folk music has always been that way. For decades, it has somehow stayed alive and stood for something new for each rebirth or iteration. There is an undeniable influence by the likes of Van Morrison on the album, and it works. In fact, it works incredibly well. Helplessness Blues is easily one of the most enjoyable and memorable albums of the year and shows why folk will not die. It may progress, in a sense, to a slightly non recognizable state, but it will still, at heart, be what it is. Then there is dubstep. I hate dubstep. I hate the crowd that praises dubstep and builds it up to be something it's not. I can't stand all these fanatics who feel like it's the future of music. Now, when James Blake's full length debut came out, I jumped on the bandwagon (something I'm not very proud of). I wrote a lengthy piece praising what he did with the current state of music and his innovative use of voice and effects. Though I thought his debut was easily one of the best albums of the year when it came out, I've now become bitter towards the legions of people who are now (ironically) saying what I did to a greater extent. When people claim he is one of the greatest and most innovative artists, I cringe despite having said that myself. Is he talented? Of course. Do I still love the album? Yes, but just not as much as I used to. His sound is irrefutably his own, but I have an admitted flaw: when people praise music, I become more critical of it. When people try to convince me something is better than it is, I hate it. This is what has happened with James Blake. Now that so many people like it, I've come to scrutinize every flaw about it. The flow of the album is at times non existent and there are times when it feels like an embellished or elongated EP. Why? Each song can stand alone, but together, they just don't do each other a service. I think about every album I adored this year and it's because it did something beyond a collective of songs. But with James Blake, he is exactly what he is and nothing more. He is a producer with an affinity for music and singing who would probably do better partnered with another musician. I respect him, don't get me wrong. He could certainly be one of the defining voices of our generation. But he disappointed me with his Bon Iver "collaboration" and the way that everyone praises him has created a certain disdain towards him. But his recent criticism of mainstream, North American dubstep has created a new found respect for him (it should be noted that he wasn't saying he was better, but what influenced him is better). But two EP's have been moderate at best and I don't know how to assess his legacy this year. I'll concede that what James Blake is doing is good and can bring about some new innovations in music, but dubstep itself should die. It has had its time and that time should pass. We have enough dubstep for now and I think that music should take larger strides towards... different innovations. I will always remember 2011 as the year dubstep grew to an unbearable state.

Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness /// Are you there past lovers? It's me, angsty music

I can't wait for Hello Sadness. No, really. I've listened to it and all of that business, but I really can't wait for it. I can't wait for that moment where I press play and one album length later, I feel oddly relieved. I can't wait for when I start to remember words; I can't wait for that first emotional breakdown I share with it; I can't wait until I shed a tear to it or fall asleep next to it and wake up next to it void of regret...

Los Campesinos! does that to me. They are a band that specializes in pathos; they are the soundtrack to your break up and the background music to every lust fueled romance. But most importantly, they are emotive. Every single word inspires sympathy or relatively, and every single word bears that bittersweet resemblance. The problem is, I'm still trying to find that in Hello Sadness...

Even on past albums, when songs were off beat or purposely humorous ("I think we need more post coital and less post rock"), they could always be taken seriously or at face value. But that unique quality seems lost in Hello Sadness's "character." The band has described it has the most sincere album of theirs to date, but the eloquence at time fails them as less verbose and intricate choruses and verses bring the album to an idiosyncratic halt. "Songs About Your Girlfriend" is already an infantile name for a song, but singing of making "her purr like a cat" just seems so childish it can't help but capture the listener for the wrong reason. And what of "You are an angel, that's why you pray/And I am an ass, and that's why I bray"? The flow of the album is immediately broken up by these troublesome lyrics. But that isn't the only fault with Hello Sadness...

By trying to make a sincere album doused in depressive lyrics and undertones, Los Campesinos! sort of said farewell to half their sound and stumbled onto much ado. Songs vary in quality and emotive songs, though they outweigh the faltering ones, don't seem to match up against past centerpieces. "To Tundra" is a terrific highlight, but one must really dwell on the album before creating that relation to it. Hold On, Youngster was uppity, but in an effective manner and often juxtaposed the subject matter. Shorter, catchy songs paired with well positioned and composed transitory pieces made for a memorable album and Romance is Boring did much of the same, but with more depressing content. There is no "You! Me! Dancing!" on this album nor is there a "Sea is a Good Place to Look to the Future." The single "By Your Hand" is a terrific melody and tweeish singalong; "To Tundra" is that perfect emotional breakdown song. But where other albums succeeded in pairing its memorable tunes with those well placed pieces, this album feels full of B-sides. I want to call it directionless, but it seems just the opposite at times just the direction is antithetical to what I wanted and expected...

This doesn't mean Hello Sadness is a flat out bad album, it's simply comparatively not up to expectations. The album, instead, falls into this unwanted purgatory where it borders on being a stand out, but falls on the side of forgettable. Ten years from now, I can see myself playing Romance is Boring and remembering how I felt it paralleled my break up. I can play We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed and remember that first time I heard "Oh we kid ourselves there's future in the fucking/But there is no fucking future," then smirked only to have that line recur over and over. Instead, Los Campesinos! has gone with a slightly different tone and a more serious subject matter, but sometimes it felt like they should have stuck to their old sound. I commend them for making this album, I really do. In an industry that condemns breaking a norm, they wrote what they wanted to write; to be completely honest, I can't see this album losing them any devout fans. It's just in a year of memorable releases, where will it stand? Where will it stand within their own material? Regardless, Hello Sadness is an album that deserves to be experienced a couple of times. In the mean time, I'm going to wait for that connecting experience to occur so I can hopefully appreciate this album the way it deserves to be appreciated.

American Mary, or, the National and Autumn, or, the Excitement of Seeing a Band Twice

Last year was a big year of concerts for me. I was able to see Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens... These were all bands that I had anticipated seeing and to have them in such a narrow time period made for a very fulfilling couple of months. This year hasn't been much different and I am an incredibly lucky person to be living where I am, to be so close to these venues, and to have a certain person to see them with. But now it's nearly November. Dreary, drab winds have taken a home in alleyways and busy streets bluster with men among gusts. Winter is nearing and the grey, monotonous days have begun to roll in. But as the sun retreats behind clouds and we gather up coats and shelters, this is the perfect time to break out the depressing sounds of the indie (an appropriate term for the band that began as part of the DIY culture) kings, the National...

High Violet was only released last year. This was following the immense success of Boxer. It's not frequent that a band renown for such depressing sounds and lyrical content can find such commercial and critical success, yet the National has somehow done just that. Their sound has not been matched in its seasonally synonymous nature. Brisk winds and coloured leaves falling like peeling scabs getting caught and whisked away come through in each song. Wandering blank, bleak concrete with slanted rain drops hitting your face has not been matched with a better song than England. The sound can not only be attached to surroundings and a setting, but a feeling that, in turn, is attached to a setting...

Not only do I get to see the National, I get to see them twice. This is an opportunity that I've been waiting so long for. To see a band on back to back days, I can't get over how lucky I must be. And here we are, in autumn with winters ways coming in our direction, the optimal time for such a sound. Matt Berringer's distinct baritone resonates in this dismal atmosphere and the intriguing twin duality between the Devendorfs and Dressners creates the perfect atmosphere for their minimalist compositions. The National have proven time and time again that excessive additions are exactly that: excessive. With modest doses of strings and brass, the National have created incredibly emotional grounds for their sound to be built upon. With the emotion that they have grown from, one can't help but associate the music with the gloom of autumn filling the streets, flooding around our ankles then taking us whole...

How fitting that with autumn coming to a close, the National will be completing what will probably be the last shows in support of High Violet. If you live in an area that they will be playing around, I recommend checking them out. The support acts for this tour so far have been superb and you will certainly be getting your money's worth. If you can see them twice, and your budget permits, consider the chance to see two of these shows an focus on the different acts. With the weather as it is and band's sound, don't be afraid to dwell on the sadness that has been interwoven into their sound, this is an experience you certainly cannot miss out on once, let alone twice.

Joel Brandt - The Wind & the Waves

"Simplicity is not stupidity." That quote has always been a favorite of mine. Its implications toward music, even art in general, is very bold. To the whole singer-songwriter classification, its meaning is truest. How could one condemn something for simplicity if that is precisely what defines it? However, this statement doesn't simply validate everything in being a reduced, uninspired display nor does it state minimalist intentions are instantly art. Therefore, it's hard for a singer-songwriter to find their niche be it in simplicity or elsewhere. But, as local musician Joel Brandt has proven, sometimes having access to a more advanced recording method will only refine the sound to a new level as opposed to sacrificing identity.

I've had the great pleasure of playing with Joel, seeing him perform and, heck, even just talking to him. He is possibly the nicest musician I've met so far. His modesty is exceeded only by his talent, but you'd never hear that from him. His personality is his sound and vice versa. It's important to note that. But it's also important that I'm not just going to praise him out of companionship...

For a musician to not rely or depend on a gigantic sound to mask overall talent is bold as any flaw or idiosyncrasy is on display with nothing to distract you from it. Very few have been able to pull this off well (not to say that it hasn't been pulled off). For Joel, it seems like it's simply his nature to put his identity forth in his sound (as aforementioned). The result is an impeccable representation of who he is in his music with mentions of his love, religion and artistry. Every song opens a new window into who he is...

But what is so unique about this EP is that he doesn't simply depend on one aspect of his music to carry it. The lyrics are on par with the music and the music is beautifully dainty. This is music in its rawest and simplest form, and though it isn't flawless, the flaws only separate Joel from other musicians...

As I said before, I have the privilege to say I know Joel. From this, I can state that no one else I know has become more confident and defined in their musicianship. His voice is incredibly bold without being overstated. There is no overcompensation here. His comfort in his role is evident and, because of that, it does exceptionally well at what it is meant to do. By not attempting to be anything it isn't, his EP is a promising start to Joel's studio career. With this being his first work in a studio, one can only wonder what he can accomplish on a full length. If he can keep progressing as he has, he can be one of the west coast's most promising acts on the same level as Aidan Knight, We Are the City and Said the Whale. All he needs is that full length. All he needs is that tour. All he needs is that exposure. Joel Brandt is a great song writer and an even better person, the type of person that can succeed in music with little effort. All he needs is time...

If I've piqued your interest at all, PLEASE check him out and support him. He deserves it. This EP is not just good for a local musician, it's a good EP by any standards (including my own very high standards). Keep in mind that the quality on the other releases may not be as good, it's still really good music. This is his Bandcamp:

http://joelbrandt.bandcamp.com/

Premature Evaluation: Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness

I waited a long time for Romance is Boring. Not as in I heard an album or two, liked it and couldn't wait for more; not in a prodigious sense where the band appealed to me unlike any other; rather, that album was the first I had heard from the Welsh band. I needed that album. It was the voice of angst in a generation overemotional beings with faux tears and anxious sorrows with rampant sadness and romances. But most of all, it spoke to lusty heartbreaks and hormonal teenage passions. Though I've never aligned myself with such a group, the distaste towards archetypal love reverberated in the sense that it made me feel grounded. The whole bashing of a generation and love itself made sense at the time like no other music did, so I clung to it...

Hello Sadness is not out yet. It hasn't even leaked, so don't bother looking right away. No, only two singles have made their way to the internet to be heard and, though this isn't any definite sign of what the album will be like, it does give us a very minimal first impression. Unfortunately, this isn't the first impression I was hoping for. Though By Your Hand is an incredibly catchy song, it, along with the titular track, lacks what made their past albums so special and unique. The lyrics are less, forthelackofabetterword, aggressive and the self-deprecating tone has been raised to a nearly hyperbolic, yet infantile, state. Now, the sincerity seems lacking and the presentation unenthusiastic. Maybe it's the constantly changing line up or maybe it's simply a change in direction, but now they just sound... generic...

Los Campeinos! are still standouts with their tweeish sound. Their voice is still unique and this album will still probably be a standout among albums going for a similar tone. For the most part, my excitement has not wavered enough to worry me, but I'm still somewhat hesitant with what has been presented. I can somewhat conclude that this won't be Romance is Boring or anything of the sort, but it will still be Los Campesinos!. In the end, that will be enough...

The Decemberists and why I will never listen to country...

I am a Decemberists fanboy. I was eager to get my hands on the King is Dead. I gladly paid the extra money to get the limited edition with the vinyl/CD/DVD package. I then gladly paid the money to go see them live. And when I had to write a review of it, I praised it for what it was. But that was the problem, what it was: a tribute to American music that shied away from what made the Decemberists so special...

Let it be noted... I hate country music. Well, I hate the country music I've heard and afterwords classified as country music. I've spent long work days with someone who listens to it and ergo heard it for about 4 or 5 hours. Now, this is the country music he listened to and it heavily juxtaposed my interests...

I know that the rap I hate is contrasted by the rap I find acceptable to listen to and, therefore, I know there is probably some less iconic or archetypal country music that I can probably enjoy. The closest I've come was with the Decemberists, but with my obsessive admiration towards them, I believe I loved the musicians as much, if not more, than the actual music. Just as I praised the King is Dead then, I would do it again; it is not uncommon for me to turn on musicians or albums as their appeal fades, yet I have never had that problem with the Decemberists. I will gladly play the Crane Wife or Picaresque on any given day and still have that immediate appreciation I had followed by the conceptual bewilderment unique only to this band. For that reason alone, I could never turn on them...

But that doesn't make the King is Dead anything it's not...

What is it? It's an intricate and eloquent ballad to nature and seasons. It's a deeply developed album that sounds of its setting. But it's also a bit of a far cry from the Hazards of Love that preceded it. I found myself infatuated with sordid undertones of January Hymn and June Hymn; songs like Rise to Me and Dear Avery were also stand out tunes on an album that, rather than draw from the British folk revival, seeped with Americana flavor and flare. It did have that country feel and vibe to it, but upon further study, it had some things all country I've heard lack...

Perhaps it's only what I've heard, but country lacks, to be quite blunt, an intelligence to it. I should word that differently... Country is simple. I shouldn't mix up simplicity with stupidity. The problem is, it's so simple and rudimentary that it could never appeal to me. The personas prefer to perform songs of fishing and beer and when it does get somewhat sentimental or heartfelt, folkish metaphors and bland, uninspired wording bludgeon me over the head. It appeals to a certain crowd, but I can't help but think the Decemberists proved that genre could offer so much more...

(On a side note, I won't even attempt to explain my disdain towards the voices, it would take too much time and space)

When I listen to bad (a subjective term) music, I find myself thinking that more could have been accomplished, that it simply lacks some innately desired quality and faltered in that sense. When I've listened to country, that feeling is thick and undeniable. There is certainly some musical talent in country, but the generic sound and lyrics simply make it a mass of ten gallon hats and leather with little to distinguish them. The identity of country is not in the musicians, but the music itself, and it is simply one I choose to never become accustomed with.