Crackin' the twenty. After this I only liked fifteen more albums from last year (but I liked them incrementally better). This portion of the list contains a lot of mellow, except for the Casket Lottery who louden it all up. There are also a few albums that signal triumphant returns for old friends who fell off the grid for a while. Musical prodigal sons are the best kinds of prodigal sons.
20) Bowerbirds - The Clearing
I may soon burn out on indie folk rock, but Bowerbirds broaches the genre so directly that they avoid sounding like everybody else even if there isn't anything radically different about their music. That's the power of good songwriting. The Clearing has that woodsy feel to it and the lyrics are full of nature imagery. This is an album for sunsets on the trail, introspective and safely wandering (and wondering).
19) Beachwood Sparks - The Tarnished Gold
Years ago my wife tried to tell me how awesome Beachwood Sparks was. She said they're a band I would really like, but I ignored her because I'm a fool. Then they dropped off the map and never crossed my mind again. Until now. In June the band released their first full-length album, The Tarnished Gold, in eleven years. I decided to give it a spin because, hey, weren't these the guys my wife tried to tell me about a long time ago? I will never doubt my woman again. Mellowfied west-coast alt-country goodness right here. You can hear the influences, from Gram Parsons to Jackson Browne to Uncle Tupelo, and it melds together warmly and wonderfully.
18) The Casket Lottery - Real Fear
The most pleasant surprise of the past year was the release of a new Casket Lottery album. The band broke up (or went on hiatus or whatever) back in 2006, its members wandering off to concentrate on other projects. But, unbeknownst to myself, they got back together in 2011 and set to work recording a fiery set of songs fit for an uprising. Real Fear is The Casket Lottery taking a mature step forward, focusing on uniting melody and atmosphere. What we get is something a little more sonic but no less devastating.
17) Beth Orton - Sugaring Season
You know who else we haven't seen in a while? Beth Orton, who hadn't released anything since '06. There were good reasons for this, but it is great to have her back. In fact this could be my new favorite Orton album. Sugaring Season is sultry, serious without being depressing, quiet but not hushed. Croony, but too rich for lounge. One song is a William Blake poem. Another was co-written with a member of the Chemical Brothers. And somehow it is all distinctly Beth Orton, and it all cohesively fits the album.
16) Stars - The North
The North is so ear-friendly, so easy to get along with. This album is comparable to middle-era Death Cab (you know, before Ben Gibbard became a little too bothersome), though Stars focuses more on gentle catchy hooks and sounding nice. There are synthesizers and hints of 80s, but these things give the music a fuller sonic feel as opposed to directing the music into fashionably retro directions. Of all the bands who employ turn-taking male and female vocalists, Stars is the only one where I find the dude and girl equally listenable. Great album from a great band. Also, Canada.
No comments:
Post a Comment