The Best Albums of the Year

This year has been an incredible one for music. I don’t know if it was the full year of blogging about it, but I have learned and heard so much during the past year, making it incredibly difficult at times to really narrow down what was the best of the good. Looking back over the year, there were some clear choices, some not so clear, and a couple that surprised me. Already, 2009 is shaping up to look like a good year already.


Runners up: Always the Bridesmaid: Decemberists, Human: Civil Twilight, A Hundred Million Suns: Snow Patrol, Let It Go: Jon Regen, View from the Root: Adam Ezra Group, A Good Day: Priscilla Ahn.

10 - The Fairline Parkway, Memory of Open Spaces / The Weepies, Hideaway

Memory of Open Spaces is a light affair, and carries a quiet grace from its opening song, Westward Bound, that is sustained throughout the album with a soft and balanced sound. I like it because it's soft, reflective and interesting throughout with a great sound and good lyrics.

Tied with this album is Hideaway by the Weepies. Like the Fairline Parkway, this album is soft, rythmic and interesting. The sound is evenly balanced between the two vocalists with a sweet and relaxing sound to it.

9 - Bombadil, A Buzz, A Buzz

From the first bars of Bombadil's debut album A Buzz A Buzz, you'll know that there's something very different about their sound. Trip Out West starts out soft but strong, before launching into a series of incredibly diverse, lyrically unique and tight songs. There's a wide range of sounds here, and seeing these guys life is an experience in and of itself, as they move around the stage, often switching instruments.

8 - Oren Lavie, The Opposite Side of the Sea

Oren Lavie's first CD Opposite Side of the Sea is a labor of love, and has been getting a wider audience from the use of several songs in a commercial. While overall, this album is on the softer side, there's a rich variety of themes throughout the album, helped along by his rich voice and lyrics.

7 - Tina Dico, Count To Ten / Sia, Some People Have Real Problems

Ironically, these two singers have a common link: the Electronic/Pop outfits Zero 7, whom both have collaborated with for several songs over their three albums.

Tina Dico's album Count To Ten is the good sort of pop music. She starts off with an incredible voice and beat and sustains it throughout the course of the album with a number of absolutely fantastic songs that continue to impress me numerous listens later.

Sia's latest album, Some People Have Real Problems is easily her finest album to date, with an electro-popish sound with an urgent, yet at the same time relaxed feel to it. The tracks slow down and speed up but each one is just fantastic.

6 - Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

This album got lot of nay Sayers when released - a lot of this "The band has turned their backs on their fans/roots/style" crap. Bullshit. This album is easily their strongest, with the same strong lyrical style that we've come to expect from these guys, with a richer and far more refined sound throughout. This new album is emotional, intense and rich with sound.

5 - Goodtimes Goodtimes, Glue

Technically, this came out in 2008, but I really got their album in January, so this makes the list. Goodtimes Goodtimes blew me away when I first heard their first track, Kids, with it's bright and optimistic beat that still gets me moving fifty listens later. The rest of the album is just as good too. Each song here sounds fantastic, with some excellent guitar work and lyrics. Every time I pop this into my car's CD player, I sing along, and feel good afterwards.

4 - Coldplay, Viva La Vida/Prospekt's March

I'm counting both of these albums together, along with Lhuna, as one package. Coldplay, after the commercially friendly A Rush of Blood To the Head and disappointing X&Y, proved to be an extremely fresh breath from these guys, proving that they still have the talent to not only produce a good record, but to produce one that drastically refines, changes and exceeds expectations. Viva La Vida is a tight and cohesive affair, with some of their best works to date. Prospekt's March is likewise as good, with several tracks that didn't make it on the album, but carry much of the same feel or talent along with it. Already, there's talk of a follow-up - let's hope that it's a good one.

3 - Amos Lee, Last Days at the Lodge

Amos Lee has come a very, very long way since his first, self titled debut. His second album exceeded that one, and Last Days at the Lodge likewise exceeded that one. Where Supply and Demand really changed around his sound, Last Days brings Lee back to some of his root sounds, revisits some familiar ground and breaks anew, infusing a distinct blend of soul, R&B and folk-rock into the eleven fantastic tracks. The album is intimate and emotional at times, while blatant and fresh at others.

2 - Ray LaMontagne, Gossip in the Grain

Like Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne has improved upon his sound over his past two albums, really redefining his sound each time. Gossip in the Grain has done much of the same, giving us a new look at this singer as he's refined and honed his skills. His voice isn't as raspy as it was in Trouble, and the backing band here absolutely blows each song away. This album is emotional, touching, personal, romantic and somber all at the same time. It is easily his strongest and best work to date.

1 - Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver's For Emma Forever Ago is my favorite album of the year, and I knew it from the moment I heard the first track, Flume. Recorded in a cabin in the woods during a troubling time for Justin Vernon, what we get is an album that is a mix of raw emotions that is honest, thrilling and simply beautiful to listen to. Each time that I listen to this album, I get chills throughout at the intensity and reflection presented here in the songwriting. Bon Iver has done with this album something that I thought was impossible - show me that there are still huge surprises waiting out there in the music world, and even after listening to it literally hundreds of times, it still shakes and invokes the same emotion and thrill that is present in the notes.

Remember

I hate what this day has done to the US - I'm disturbed by the attitude of my country and my classmates, and I wonder what life would have been like if things were different.
The world has plunged into madness. I hope that it will someday be righted.

Freedom - Amos Lee
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
There Were Roses - Cara Dillon
16 Military Wives - The Decemberists
Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Eric Clapton
Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

Support - Support - Support

Best of July

This past month has been a fantastic one for new music. I've come across some fantastic new artists, as well as some older ones who're back for more. Here's what I liked:

Broken - Tift Mirritt
I heard this track on the radio (Point FM 104.7), and fell for Mirritt's voice and lyrics. Her rhythm and sound mesh perfectly with one another with a great country-folk-rock feel.

Tu Es Ma Came - Carla Bruni
Another radio discovery, this time via NPR, Carla Bruni is probably also the most important person that I've reviewed thus far - she's the first lady (or the equivalent) of France - she's married to Nicolas Sarkozy, and has just released her second album, Comme Si De Rein N'etait, which has a great acoustic feel.

Freeze Ray - Neil Patrick Harris
The first song off of Joss Whedon's brilliant internet geek musical, Freeze Ray is a fun little romance that bubbles with optimism and shyness.

Flame - Bell X1
Bell X1 is an interesting Irish group that has a lot in common with Snow Patrol. Flame is a really fun introduction to them.

Jacqueline - James Hunter
James Hunter is back with his fantastic 50s/60s retro sound with this track, Jacqueline.

Back in Black (AC/DC) > Indecision - Carbon Leaf
Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands of all time, and they've been working on new material. This is one of their latest songs, and a good cover to boot.

Crossroads (Robert Johnson) - John Mayer
I came across this track via Archive.org from one of Mayer's latest concerts, which really fits with his blues style. It's a fantastic cover of Robert Johnson's song, with a good dose of Eric Clapton's version thrown in for good measure.

Arms of a Thief - Iron & Wine
Serpent Charmer - Iron & Wine
Iron and Wine's latest single, Love Song for a Buzzard, which has these two songs as B-Sides, are perfect additions to one of my favorite albums from last year, The Shepherd's Dog. These two songs are two additions to an already perfect album.

Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids
The Cold War Kids are back with their second album, Loyalty to Loyalty. This track captures their sound once again nicely, with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Many Lessons - Bantu Feat Ayuba
Mighty Intelligence - Dread Skeezo feat Dream Maximum
These two songs are from an album who's review is forthcoming - African/Islamic hiphop/rap, which is utterly fantastic. These two songs are two of the best tracks of a stellar album.


Slipping Away - Cory Woodward
I'm not entirely sure how I came across Cory Woodward, but I'm really enjoying his laid back and interesting sound with this song, Slipping Away. I particularly like the guitarwork here - it's simple and elegant and flows nicely.


Evil is Alive and Well - Jakob Dylan
Something Good This Way Comes - Jakob Dylan
Bob Dylan's son Jakob has become a musician in his own right, first with the band The Wallflowers, whom I fondly remember from my high school years with hits such as One Headlight and 6th Ave Heartbeak. These two songs are reminiscent of some of the elder Dylan's music, but different. Both of these are fantastic. My review for this is also forthcoming.

Measure of a Man - We'll Write
We'll Write is one of my favorite 'Geek Bands'. This one's about the end of humanity by robotic enslavement. It doesn't get better than that.

On My Way - Kara Grainger & Amos Lee
Amos Lee has had a good year this year, with the release of his latest album. I came across this girl, Kara Grainger, and was surprised to find that the two collaborated on this song. She's got a fantastic new album out now, with a nice country-folk feel to it, and this song is a good representation of that.

Put On Your Sunday Clothes - Michael Crawford
This track was from the Wall-E soundtrack, one of my favorite movies of the year. It's old school, quaint and perfect for the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend it.

Hype - Buy - Support

Album Review: Amos Lee

Amos Lee's back with his third album, Last Days at the Lodge, which seems to firmly cement his existence as a fantastic musician with Blue Note Records. As his last album, Supply and Demand changed things up from his folk/acoustic self titled start, this one once again changes a bit, with a different sound. I like change, and this year seems to be the year for it, with the big bands, such as Death Cab for Cutie, Coldplay and a couple others releasing albums with a very different sound.

Last Days at the Lodge introduces some new sounds to Lee's repertoire. Listen is energetic. Won't Let Me Go sounds very R&B to me, with which he does wonders. Truth has a great country/folk feel to it, and Street Corner Preacher feels funky. Lee doesn't abandon his roots, however. Baby, I Want You feels a lot like Arms of a Woman, a little more refined, while What's Been Going On pulls the feel from Supply and Demand. There's new territory here as well - Jails and Bombs, Kid, and Listen have a sort of new sound that blends everything together nicely.

With the various styles that Lee has here, Last Days at the Lodge is charting somewhat unfamiliar territory - it's almost like he's trying to figure out which way to do, and with this varied and rich album, there's feelers out everywhere. This is the biggest strength of the album - we see an artist who is experimenting with his sound, who shows that he still has the same fantastic songwriting skills that we saw from him when he began, but also that he's creating a new and ever richer sound as time goes on.

Quite simply, this is one of the best albums of the year.

Ease Back - Amos Lee

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The Best of May

This past month has been really, really rich with music. There's been a lot of really good songs that've come through this way, and I'm really excited for what the rest of the summer will bring. Bring on the noise:

Ease Back - Amos Lee
Listen - Amos Lee
Amos Lee is one of my favorite musicians, and judging from the tracks that I've heard from his upcoming 3rd album (Due out June 24th), I'm betting that this one will be his best yet.

Life in Technicolor - Coldplay
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Coldplay's changing things up a little with a bit of a newer sound, and like Lee, I'm thinking that this will be one of their better albums. I can't wait to hear the rest of it.

Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie
Grapevine Fires - Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie's latest album also changed things up quite a bit, and on the whole, it's stronger, edgier and it sounds fantastic.

Robots - Flight of the Conchords
I love these guys, they're absolutely hilarious. Robots is just a geeky song to begin with, and they just make me want to burst out laughing.

Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
This is a nice, cute duet from these two.

Killing for Love (Beatfanatic Remix) - José González
I love Gonzalez's work, and while I'm not a huge fan of remixes, this is a really good one that I've been listening to a lot.

Magnetismo (Magnatism) - Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg's off to a good start with his first EP, and I think this is the strongest song on the album.

Meet Me By The River - Matthew Ryan
This song is raspy, emotional and really, really good. I suspect that Ryan's album will make it to the end of the year as one of the best.

Dream - Priscilla Ahn
I saw Ahn last year with Cary Brothers, and I really liked her sound, it's sweet and calm. I picked up her EP, and have been waiting eagerly for more news about her next album, due to be released this June. I can't wait.

The World, The People Together - The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are back, and they've got energy. This reminds me a lot of Bohemian Like You, which is a fantastic song.

Orbiting - The Weepies
I really dug these guys 2nd album, and this is one of the best songs on there. Very sweet, easy on the ears.

Hype - Buy

New Amos Lee!

Wow, where did this come from? A while ago, I was looking around for information on Amos Lee, to see if he was back on tour or working on a new album, and nada. Nothing anywhere. Then, this morning, I came across a single, Listen, on iTunes and another song, and discovered that not only is he back on tour, but Lee's 3rd album will be released on June 24th (Day before my birthday!)!. I'm excited, and promptly downloaded Listen.
The album, titled Last Days at the Lodge, seems to already break from his typical sound from his self title debut and Supply and Demand. It's a little faster, more intense, electric. I like it, and I am already counting down the days until this release.
Here's the track list:

1- "Listen"
2- "Won't Let Me Go"
3- "Baby I Want You"
4- "Truth"
5- "What's Been Going On"
6- "Street Corner Preacher"
7- "It Started To Rain"
8- "Kid"
9- "Jails & Bombs"
10- "Ease Back"
11- "Better Days"


Ease Back - Amos Lee

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The Ultimate, Final Primary Battle (Unless Hillary and Obama tie)

To adapt from last night's Daily Show - today's what could be the last major contest in voting for
who to vote for. Hm... If you're in Ohio, Texas, my fair state of Vermont and Rhode Island, get out and vote!

Here's a couple songs for the day:

Obama - Extra Golden
Woman King - Iron & Wine
Freedom - Sara Wheeler
Freedom - Amos Lee

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House : Carry You Away Soundtrack

I'm a huge fan of the TV show House, MD. It's got good stories, even better characters and a fantastic taste in music for it. Last fall, FOX released a soundtrack of some of the songs that made it onto the show. It's a very fun soundtrack, with some really good, and some rare songs onto it.
Beyond that album, there's a bunch of other songs that have made it onto the show that didn't make it onto that soundtrack (and a couple that did, but are still really good.)
The main point in looking at this cross section of music from the show is it's tone and how that relates to the show itself, particularly when it comes to the character of house. All of the below songs are fairly moody ones - mostly dealing with loss or are otherwise not really 'up' songs. Overall, they form a really good feel for the show and House himself, who is a fairly depressed character all things considered. The comedy in the show aside, there's usually a couple of moments where we really see House as himself - alone and depressed. These songs fit perfectly.

Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams
Beautiful - Elvis Costello
Colors - Amos Lee
Good Man - Josh Ritter
Grey Room - Damien Rice
Hope for the Hopeless - A Fine Frenzy
Human - Civil Twilight
In The Deep - Bird York
Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch
See The World - Gomez
Some Devil - Dave Matthews
Walter Reed - Michael Penn

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V-Day

So it's Valentine's Day.

When it's good:

Destiny - Zero 7
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
Dreaming - Sara Wheeler
Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
This Is Us - Mark Knofler and Emmylou Harris
Love Love Love - Tristan Prettyman
Songbird - Willie Nelson
I'm A Believer - The Monkees
Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

When it's not:
Out To Sea - Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well - Mike Doughty
Apologies - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Let It Die - Foo Fighters
Ashes and Wine - A Fine Frenzy
When The Pain Dies Down - Chris Stills
Learn To Fly - Carbon Leaf
Turpentine - Brandi Carlile

Hype - Buy

Weekend Mix

Nothing really planned today, so here's a random list of things to listen to for this weekend:

I Know the Reason - Carbon Leaf, Echo Echo
Is There A Ghost - Band of Horses, Cease to Begin
Manifest Destiny - Guster, Ganging Up On the Sun
Mean Mad Margaret - Spoon, Get Nice!
Ooh La La - Goldfrapp, His and Hers
Raindrops - Regina Spektor, Soviet Kitsch
Seen It All Before - Amos Lee, Amos Lee
Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan Cover) - Jeff Tweedy, I'm Not There Soundtrack
Speed Dial No. 2 - Zero 7, When It Falls
We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
You Don't Like Me Anyway - Joe Purdy, Sessions from Motor Ave.

Have a good weekend!

Hype - Buy

Norah Jones With....

Norah Jones is one of my favorite singers out there, and I've found that she's popped up in some interesting places musically, working with other artists and bands. Here's a couple of places where I've found her collaborating:

Virginia Moon - Foo Fighters


One of the lighter tracks from the Foo Fighters album In Your Honor, Norah Jones is featured prominantly with lead singer David Gohl in the track Virginia Moon, which plays well with Jone's songs, with a slight Jazz feel. It's an interesting duet that plays to both singer's strengths.


Tenessee Stud - The Little Willies (iTunes Link)


Before Norah Jones released her first album, Come Away With Me, she was part of another band, one that grew out of mutual interests from the other members of the band, the Little Willies. Based out of New York City, they emulated some of the country greats, such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Jones strays from a Jazz/Blues track to a more bluegrass and country one, which is an interesting mix.


Colors - Amos Lee


One of the best songs off of Amos Lee's self-titled debut album, Colors is one of two songs that features Norah Jones, the other being Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight, playing Piano for both songs. Amos Lee actually owes his success to Jones, who had heard his EP and promptly asked him to join her on tour. It's not terribly surprising, as their music sounds very similar, with the same bluesy and Jazz feel.

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Evolution of ... Amos Lee

I first got hooked on Amos Lee with his first single, Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight, on 104.7 The Point. The minute I heard it, I was driving to school, and did a bit of a mad search in my car for a piece of paper and pencil to write down the artist.
Lee was a school teacher in Philadelphia, and was able to get an EP together, Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight, which was enough to impress singer Norah Jones, who was in the area at the time. She invited him along on her tour, which has gotten Lee started. Right off the bat, his laid back blues-y style is really something, coupled with his lyrics.

In 2005, he went on to release his first, self titled album, which included Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight, which remains one of the best songs that he's got out. He continued with other excellent ones, keeping the blues and folk sound.
In 2006, Lee released a second album, Supply and Demand. Already, he's been getting some media and drama attention, as several of his songs were used in major TV programs. Shout Out Loud was released in the pilot for one program, Six Degrees, while a song from his prior album, Colors, was used in House, MD. Supply and Demand takes him more to a folk / acoustic guitar sound, while leaving behind some of the blues (not all of them), while even getting a little into politics. It was right after this second album that I was able to see him live, which was a fantastic show, although he seemed to be a bit tired from the tour.

There's a good article on Lee here, at the New York Times (Registration Required)

Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight - Amos Lee

Colors - Amos Lee
Night Train - Amos Lee

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