It Was a Very Good Year

Nobody keeps up with music anymore. A few critical sources: blogs, newspaper critics, magazines, e-music and I-tunes, see it all. They set the agenda. We rely on them to give us the body of work to pick and choose from. I used to go to the record store and ask Jim Adams (now an electronic music genius) what was new and he would play a little. We would buy or not and talk about music right there. We saw rock grow into punk, roots, progressive and the mainstreaming of what would become electronica.

Now, I can hear thirty- second clips, my-space, free, legal download sites, and record company streams. But with so much music, the picking and choosing is different. I “hang out” in so many different musical genres: indie pop, Brit-rock, electronica, indie folk, etc., that I, or really anyone, can’t know music anymore.

We bow down to the indie gods who try to tell us what we should like, fear music that sells too much (oh, those Death Cabs after Plans), and in some ways see less instead of more new music. I head one of the songs on the list at Big Lots on the PA and had second thoughts for a minute, but I came back.

This best of is not even close to really that. It is what I like and listen to, not what should be listened and certainly not what should be called good. I missed a lot of good music, don’t have time for more and don’t like what some others think is good. In addition, pity those acts that released early in the year for best of lists. Downloading as much music as I do (I buy 100 songs a month from emusic for .25 each and from several other pay services) music often stays on the computer and ipod for only a month or so. I tried to make sure that I looked at the whole year for this by sorting for date on my downloads (which include physical albums downloaded also). I already have a CD with a 2009 date.

So, here it is, my favorites, albums I still listen to, and probably will continue to listen to next year. They are not the best or the most important, only my favorites. The list is populated with a lot of folkie, indie stuff, a little rocky stuff and some electronicy? albums. It will not look like the lists of those who try to tell us what’s good. While they are numbered carefully, these are mostly interchangeable but for the top two. Some of the more recent albums might last longer or fade away quickly. They are all good. And all of the ‘also almost made the list’ list could have made the top twenty if I were in a different mood. It was a very good year.

I keep adding albums/ I MUST stop and get on with the list.

25. The Menahan Street Band, Make the Road by Walking. Great old-school funk

24. Paul Weller, 22 Dreams. Jam and Style Council’s Weller’s trip through the genres.

23. Morgan Heritage, Mission in Progress Great R&B reggae from the sons and daughters of reggae singer Denroy Morgan

22. The Notwist, The Devil, You + Me. German electronic indie-popsters, the Notwist combine melodic harmonies with some electronic crunch

21. Glasvegas, Glasvegas. Glasgow plus Las Vegas equals a rocking Scot quartet, with bluesy, rocky, shoegazey sound.

20. The Ravonettes, Lust, Lust Lust. The Danes are psychedelic, shoegazy and catchy.

19. Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight. The Scotch trio produces dramatic, crunching rock, not frightened at all.

18. . My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges, Jim James flat out rocks

17. The Sea and Cake, Car Alarm. The latest from the lo-fi, group continues their run of spot-on, easy to listen to post-rock.

16. The Weepies, Hideaway. Their girl/guy vocals., strings, economical songwriting and tight production makes wonderful listening. Mainstream, yes, but good., tight indie-folk pop.

15. M. Doughty. Golden Delicious. The former front man of the hip, avant-garde group Soul Coughing produced another well-crafted album, poetic, repetitive and focused. I’m still waiting for even better.

14. The Postmarks, By the Numbers. The band fronted by a woman named Tim, these are great covers of songs with numbers in the title.

13. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive. Still populated by strange characters involved in strange situations, doing strange things, Stay Positive is a great rock album.

12. Lambchop, OH (ohio). Kurt Wagner does it again with blues, folk, indie, Americana, and avant-garde at the same time. This is great songwriting and exceptional production.

11. Sonny Lanndreth, From the Reach. What else can I say, but one of the best guitar players alive and he’s from Louisiana. Sonny rocks and Blue Tarp Blues, featuring Mark Knopfler, is one of the best in the Katrina genre.

10. Mercury Rev, Snowflake Midnight. From left field, Mercury Rev does avant-garde experimental, post-rock like nobody’s business. I have been waiting for this for a long time.

9. Rodney Crowell, Sex and Gasoline. A blog called this Bob Dylan’s best album in twenty years. Though it’s certainly derivative, it’s not copying, but rather smart, witty, provocative singer-songwriter alt-country.

8. Thievery Corporation, Radio Retaliation. Garza and Hilton are back. Trip-hoppy with the same varied, international vocals, this time there is more bite.

7. The Streets, Everything is Borrowed. Mike Sinner’s fourth scathing commentary on British life and culture is tighter and sweeter without losing its edge.

6. Bart Davenport, Palaces. Davenport does sweet, dreamy west-coast pop as well as anyone.

5. Brett Dennan, Hope for the Hopeless. Called pretty, mainstream, and John Mayer-like, this album is more than that. Well-crafted, simple songs of love and not-love, Dennan makes political sound sweet. Features Femi Kuti on one track.

4. Army Navy, Army Navy. I love Teenage Fanclub. They are desert island music to me. Army Navy’s comparison to the Fannies works and they do it with much respect. The California meets Brit-pop rocks.

3. Ra Ra Riot, the Rhumb Line. The Ras do indie rock with tasteful strings and clever story- telling lyrics. Sweet, upbeat and what’s not to like about an on-target cover of Kate Bush’s Suspended in Gaffa The strings work.

2. Pictures and Sound, Pictures and Sound. Singer-songwriter Luke Reynolds formerly of the alt-country band Blue Merle really hit this one. Critics compare to John Mayer and Coldplay, but this is much more. It includes a great duet with Willy Nelson on Every War.

1. David Byrne and Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Byrne did most of this album in Louisville in October in one of the best shows I have ever seen.. They integrate elements of introspection, and growing old gracefully (they aren’t kids) with Talking Heads rock and Eno intellectualism. I will be listening to this for a long time.

Some new groups with potentially important releases, Hospital Ships, Little Joy, Marching Band and School of Seven.

Also almost making the list, The Aluminum Group, American Music Club, Cut Copy, Bon Iver, Dave Douglas, Friendly Fires, Liam Finn, Matthew Sweet, TV on the Radio, Conor Oberst, Okkervil River, Portishead, The Silver Jews,, Republic Tigers, Santogold, Sloan, Walkmen, Grouper, Goldfrapp, +/-, Pas/Cal, Oxford Collapse, Uglysuit and The War on Drugs

Great alt-country: Chatham County Line, Crooked Still

Welcome Back: The Blow Monkeys (after 16 years), The Verve, The Bodeans, Juliana Hatfield, Paul Weller, The Iguanas, Jackopiercece, Poi Dog Pondering

And some good Brit-pop: Bell X1, Clinic, British Sea Power, Elbow Stereophonics, Spiritualized, South , Snow Patrol.

This list certainly does not look like the agenda setters. At least, I hope it doesn’t.

That’s a bunch of wonderful albums I’ m sure I missed some good music and even some good music I listened to. Catch me. I admit. Forgive the music junkie for his mistakes…jimbeaux