Theme Thursday - Work

So these past few weeks have been kind of hellish for me work-wise. Thus, don't have much time today so I'm just doing a quick Theme Thursday - work! It's pretty much all I can think about right now, sorry guys. I know it's not all that creative, but we haven't done it yet and these are three pretty good songs.

Working Man's Blues [mp3] - The Devil Makes Three (iTunes)

This Devil's Workday [mp3] - Modest Mouse (iTunes)

Actor Out of Work [mp3] - St. Vincent (iTunes)

Best Albums of 2009

As you might be able to tell by our lack of posting, we were hard at work over the holidays putting together our end of the year lists. Today is the first of three lists - our Best Albums of 2009 list. So in no particular order, we present them to you:
 

The Antlers - Hospice
This intensely beautiful, heart-wrenching album is full of more tragedy than we would hope any one person would experience in a lifetime, much less a person of front man and writer Pete Silberman's young age. Hospice launched The Antlers to indie fame this year, and deservedly so. The haunting melodies strike us deeply in our cores and stay with us long after we've listened to them. Not that it's ever that long between listens, since the album has pretty much been on repeat on our playlists since it first came out in March.
Sylvia [mp3] - (iTunes)

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

This anticipated album encompassed ingenious songcraft, never-ending unwinding textural and melodic flourishes, languid beatuy and sweeping rhythmic cavorts that cut to the center of any listener's ear. With painstaking attention to detail, Veckatimest soared above any fears of overproduction and swooped right into the land of absolute prowess.

Passion Pit - Manners
In a year stockpiled with celebrity deaths, who anticipated that Stanley Kubrick would be resurrected to orchestrate the best indie-pop album of 2009? Every moment of Manners contains a purposely placed hook - Kids singing! Catchy synth lines! A horn section! - but the album would amount to nothing more than a dizzying Go Team! disciple if not for the pitch-perfect layering of Michael Angelakos' heartfelt falsetto. Without it, Manners - and Passion Pit by proxy - would be an indistinguishable novelty act instead of a polished pop catharsis.
The Reeling [mp3] - (iTunes)

Matt Jones - The Black Path

We wrote about this album back in 2008, but it didn't technically come out until 2009, so we're going to write about it again because it's that good. Simply put, Matt Jones is a one-of-a-kind genius and this orchestral folk album is full of gorgeous, rich instrumentation and complex, deeply expressive lyrics. Matt Jones' music and unique voice are truly mesmerizing.

Waltzing With Lady Dawn [mp3] - (iTunes)

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
While they've been on the music scene for a while, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was the album that really put French band Phoenix on the map. With catchy hits like "Lisztomania" and "1901," they rocketed through the indie masses alongside the album's vivid revivalist melodies and danceable indie-pop beats. A small smear of brit-pop shoegaze added for fun and the love for the film Breakfast Club that was reignited made this album a clear standout in 2009.

Metric - Fantasies

Emily Haines always manages to create songs that are simultaneously melancholy or nostalgic and yet are awesome dance songs. You can rock out, yet feel an incredible emotional pull, and the songs are so catchy that they'll stay in your head for hours. Fantasies is no exception to this rule, and "Help I'm Alive" has not-so-slowly risen to be one of our most-played songs this year.

St. Vincent - Actor
St. Vincent's sophomore album, inspired, she says, by Prince, can take a little warming up to at first. Her songs are complex and many of them can't truly be appreciated on the first listen. But the more you listen to it, the more masterful layers you discover and the more you appreciate this virtuoso. Rocking guitar harmonics burst forth from fluttering wind instruments and St. Vincent integrates these two contrasting sounds flawlessly, even within the same song.

White Rabbits - It's Frightening

This percussion-driven band became a sensation this year with their aptly named, explosive "Percussion Gun." But these are no one hit wonders - their album was full of other good, very catchy, rumbling, crashing, banging, tapping songs. And while it might be easy for a band with such a focus on percussion to get in a rut where all their music sounds the same, they've managed to utilize a nice variety of sounds and genres, while still maintaining a cohesiveness over the entire album.

Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Florence's powerful, rich voice and epically dramatic music make her debut album Lungs a force to reckon with, alternating between dark and stormy, with drums booming and her imposing vocals, and then flowery and romantic with plucky harps. But no matter what the style, the album never loses the dramatic flare that hooks you within the first few bars.

Discovery - LP

The brainchild of Vampire Weekend keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles, this debut album, which was recorded over the course of three and a half years, makes for an unique and pleasantly intriguing experience. Inventive beats, playful rhythms and slick rushes of harmonious vocals dapple throughout this album, producing indie electro-pop at its finest.

Fanfarlo - Reservoir
Reservoir is a package full of odds and ends that takes a while to unpack. The British sextet has created a well-crafted propulsive album that will make you laugh, cry, dance, sway or stand still in total revelry all within the same album. Their music has a warmth to it that is downright lovely. The exquisite instrumentation and lead singer Simon's distinct, cozy voice is enough to warrant more than a couple rounds of continuous listens.

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

It's perplexing that an album translating to "Please Killer Whale" would lead Brooklyn's experimental class into the pop realm this year (along with Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear). Differentiating this effort from its Yale-crested musical-composition predecessors are the hooks. That's right: hooks. "Stillness is the Move" is an outright jam - not just by Dirty Projectors' standards, but by Left Eye Lopez (R.I.P.) standards. It might have been the track of 2009 that best defined the shift (for those aforementioned bands) from strictly creating songs principled in deconstructionist methodology towards a welcomed practice of lavishing in mind-bending indie hymnals, i.e., running the musical gamut - in styles, genres, tempos, key/time signatures - during every featured track on the album.

The XX - XX
This debut album blew everyone away, with many describing it as downright perfect or fantastically innovative. Pitchfork called it "so fully formed and thoughtful that it feels like three or four lesser, noisier records should have preceded it." Indeed, it was a perfectly executed product from the London band of 20-somethings, with quiet instrumentation full of purpose and lyrics riddled with poignancy.

Elizabeth and the Catapult - Taller Children

Elizabeth & the Catapult's sassy debut album that juxtaposes the freedoms of youth and the responsibilities of growing up is a delightful listen from beginning to end - with bubbly, bouncy child-like songs such as "Race You" to the serious Leonard Cohen cover of "Everybody Knows," it's a well-rounded album and a very solid debut indeed.

Momma's Boy [mp3] - (iTunes)

Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Comprised of star players like M. Ward (She & Him), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Monsters of Folk ventures into lands of varied and weathered styles, delivering quality and seamless song-work amongst the loose sea of rock-folk acoustic guitars and lush harmonies. Conor Oberst pens GFP writer Diana's favorite lyric of the year in "Temazcal," summing up a relationship that was never meant to be in less than 10 words: "love we made at gunpoint wasn't love at all."

St. Vincent 2010 Tour Dates

Here are the upcoming tour dates for one of our favorite songstresses, St. Vincent:

1/29 New York, NY - Lincoln Center’s Allen Room (American Songbook Series)
2/3 Victoria, BC -  Element
2/4 Vancouver, BC - Venue
2/5 Seattle, WA -  Neumos
2/6 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge (2 shows, 6pm + 10pm)
2/8 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
2/9 Los Angeles, CA -  El Rey Theater
2/10 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Taverm
2/11 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
2/13 Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater
2/15 Lawrence, - KS Bottleneck
2/16 Iowa City, IA - The Industry
2/17 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
2/18 Chicago, IL - Metro
2/19 Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at The Crofoot
2/20 Columbus, OH - Outland on Liberty
2/21 Pittsburgh, PA -  Diesel Club
2/23 Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
2/24 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
2/25 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church – Sanctuary

St. Vincent @ Webster Hall

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of seeing the immensely talented St. Vincent play at Webster Hall. Opening for her was Pattern is Movement, whom I had never heard before. They were... bizarre... but I always mean that in a good way. When the two lumberjack-looking men came onstage, I definitely did not expect the floating experimental music or dancing falsetto that came from them. They are really something else, so much so that I can't even really think of bands to compare them to. The vocals are kind of operatic and the music is dramatic, heavy, light, poppy, dark, and avant-garde all at the same time. It's what I imagine the soundtrack would be if Stan Brakhage were still alive and directed a modern rock opera, but happier. Can you tell I'm really having trouble describing it? They seemed to have a pretty decent fan-base at the show and they were pretty much the perfect openers for St. Vincent - very talented, weird and unique. I'm very glad to have found them to add to my music collection. The only downside of being right in front of the stage was that I was literally being assaulted by the bass drum, which got distracting. Since I had so much trouble describing it, though, take a listen for yourself (plus I found this great Beyonce cover).

Bird [mp3] - (iTunes)
Crazy In Love (Beyonce cover) [mp3]

St. Vincent was, of course, amazing as usual. She really is a virtuoso, playing complicated guitar parts and singing complex vocal lines with ease. Plus she's simultaneously gorgeous, adorable and a little goofy. She played mostly new stuff, and I will say that I'm sad she didn't play my two favorites ("Jesus Saves" and "Paris is Burning"). She did do a couple of old classics though, particularly for the encore. And she played all my favorites off her new album. She may have played almost the entire album, actually. The highlights for me are the darker numbers where she rocked out a bit, such as "Actor out of Work" and "Marrow." For those of you who haven't heard her new album, Actor (which came out May 5th), definitely check it out. At first I didn't love it as much as her last album, but it's definitely growing on me more and more. Now that I think about it, that's probably how her first album was too. I guess I'm just not quite genius enough to appreciate the album to its full extent without multiple listens. This album is supposed to be inspired by Prince, but I only hear that in a few songs really. Most of the album seems more whimsical and less dark than her last one. I think another thing is that I always love St. Vincent's music even more once I've seen her perform it live, because seeing her talent in person is so thrilling, so I am sure I will be obsessed with Actor within the next few days.

Actor Out Of Work [mp3] - (iTunes)

And in case I don't sound obsessed enough, here's tons of pictures as more proof.

Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

Last night I had the privilege to see a nice intimate (and free) performance at SoundFix in which Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls performed to promote her new solo album, "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" It was crowded and hot and we were sitting on the floor (so we could actually see, which was a nice change from when I saw Regina Spektor there), but I enjoyed every minute of it. That is, until the freaking cops showed up to shut us down (at 9pm on a Friday) because the evil neighbors are apparently trying to shut Sound Fix down.

Amanda was talkative and hilarious, regaling us in between songs with stories of her family, making the video for Leeds United, Margaret Cho, making the record with Ben Folds, and other miscellaneous things. While she didn't get to perform many songs (thanks neighbors), it was a really great "getting to know Amanda" experience. And of course her performance was great. She switched from her keyboard to the piano because her keyboard didn't sound good through the SoundFix sound system and she was banging on the piano with such fervor that she broke a hammer. After the show, she signed autographs, talked to people and took pictures. It was really great how much time she spent with each person (though those of us toward the back of the line didn't really think so at first... haha). I have to admit I got a little starstruck, like a schoolgirl with a crush.

As for the album, I have to say I actually have a really hard time listening to it. It's so dark, dramatic and emotional - it really affects me every time I listen to it. Every song is just so beautiful but almost every one makes me really emotional. I teared up a few times at Amanda's performances. Not surprisingly, my favorite song is the slightly less heart-wrenching track on the album, - the ironically playful Oasis (still about serious shit though but to an upbeat Beach Boys like tune). My other favorites: the dramatic but fast-paced Astronaut: A Short History Of Nearly Nothing, and the haunting, quiet song about the Columbine shootings, Strength Through Music that literally brought tears to my eyes when I saw Amanda perform it in Boston. I also have to say I was pleasantly surprised to the vocals of Annie Clark (St. Vincent) on What's The Use Of Wond'rin? though in retrospect I think I remember hearing that she was going to be on the album. And of course I missed Brian Viglione's presence at the show and on the album, but they are both such talented individuals that their separate endeavors are just as good as when they're together.

Leeds United [mp3]
Purchase "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" on iTunes

P.S. I have to say to those who live in Williamsburg - call your community board and tell them how great SoundFix is and how it's an asset to the neighborhood so that they (one of the rapidly dwindling numbers of independent record stores left in the country) won't get shut down. They need your support right now.

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The Physics of Meaning

The Physics of Meaning is a North Carolina based band, lead by Daniel Hart, who has played with the likes of St. Vincent and The Polyphonic Spree. Seems to me that group is a bit incestuous. Their second album is coming out September 16th, and from the sounds of it, Ms. Annie Clark herself will be making a guest appearance on the album (not to mention they also have a full-blown choir).

Here is a sneak peek mp3 from the upcoming album, entitled "Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight" (boy, what a mouth full). It started out a little slow for my taste, but the song grows in a wonderfully dramatic way and becomes beautiful and full. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. Daniel Hart has a really theatrical and strong voice that I'm really digging too. I could totally hear him on Broadway.

Aeroplanes and Hurricanes [mp3]

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St. Vincent @ Castle Clinton

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a concert by the sea and a beautiful day to get out of the office and go wait in line, so I headed down to Battery Park to see St. Vincent perform for free in Castle Clinton. I also got the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Kate of Julius C while waiting in line for seats, so that was cool. AND I managed to snag a really good seat. Hooray!

Annie Clark and her 6-piece band came out in all white, looking very summery. She looked very cute in her dress with over-sized sunglasses on. The show was great. There were no openers, but St. Vincent played a nice long set (just over an hour, with Annie being adorable and talking to the audience in between a few songs). It was a very laid back, calm show, but it was perfect for the day and the weather. There was a nice sea breeze blowing, and I swear at times the wind swelled with the music (which had a pretty effect on the silver strips hanging from the keyboard).

They played mostly songs off of her album from last year but they also played a few new songs, which was cool to hear. Apparently Annie has been listening to a lot of Prince lately, and so one of the songs was inspired by that. It also made me really happy when she said that she partially named her 2007 album, "Marry Me," after a line from her favorite show (which also happens to be mine), Arrested Development. They played favorites like Marry Me, Paris is Burning and they did Your Lips Are Red for the encore (she prefaced it by saying "so I want to leave you tonight with a nice little song... about murder"). She has great stage presence. It's hard to take your eyes off of her. Although her wild hair was in her face a lot, and I wished we could see more of her face sometimes. But I suppose her wild hair is part of her character.

More pictures here.

Paris is Burning [mp3] - "Marry Me" (iTunes)

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Bands That Sound The Same: St. Vincent & My Brightest Diamond

Annie Clark's haunting voice is one of the main reasons St. Vincent has become so well known today. The song "Marry Me," is one of those rare finds where you can't figure out why you can't get it out of your head, or for that matter, why all the sudden you have the urge to find a guy named John and ask him to marry you. When I first heard My Brightest Diamond, I thought it was none other than St. Vincent and Annie Clark's unique voice ringing through my ears - and then I found out it wasn't her.

It was none other than Shara Worden, a girl whose father was a National Accordian Champion and whose mother was a classical organist (oh, and one of her grandparents was a Epiphone-playing traveling evangelist). Coming from a quirky musical background alone makes me curious, but knowing that she sounds like Annie Clark puts her in a whole other spectrum. I'm utterly fascinated. Have these two women met? Do they sing backup for one another? Will they sing a duet? Are they secretly twins? I want to know.

Listen to to eerie similarities yourself.

Inside A Boy by My Brightest Diamond [mp3]
Marry Me by St. Vincent [mp3]

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Lists lists lists

This is the time of year when music bloggers compile lists - best albums, best songs, best new artists, etc of 2007. But I'm not going to compile these lists because I didn't start doing this until July. So next year I will compile more extensive lists, but this year I will just rattle off a few albums from 2007 that I really liked in no particular order.

Awesome Albums from 2007
"Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge" - The Pierces (iTunes)
"The Reminder" - Feist (iTunes)
"Balance Between" - Ippazzi (iTunes)
"Marry Me" - St. Vincent (iTunes)
"im on to you - EP" - Ian Axel (iTunes)
"Baby 81" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (iTunes)
"Kala" - MIA (iTunes)
"Don't Make Me Wait" - Locksley (iTunes)
"Random Spirit Lover" - Sunset Rubdown (iTunes)
"And End Has A Start" - Editors (iTunes)
"Get On With It - EP" - Shoot the Messenger (iTunes)

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