A Year in Review, 2011

A Year in Review, 2011

At the end of last year I thought it would be fun to write up a top 5 list (a la High Fidelity) of the artists and albums that I discovered that year.  I had a fun time writing it and people seemed to like reading it, so I’m going to do it again this year.  Again, since there’s SO MUCH good music coming out each year, I limit myself to the artists that I’ve discovered this past year and their albums that were also released this year.

I swear I don’t get paid by them, but if you haven’t already, I highly suggest you get on Spotify so you can listen to these jams too, and ring in the new year with some rad tunes.  In fact, I’ll make it easy on you.  Spotify Playlist: http://spoti.fi/tzxbrU

5. Gungor – Ghosts Upon the Earth

I feel obligated to cite a disclaimer that Gungor is definitely a Christian band.  But, as I said when I introduced them to a friend, they don’t suck.  It’s pretty rare these days to find a Christian band that is musically and lyrically creative.  Most fall into a sad, marketable little mold of writing songs that appeal to people’s emotions but somehow also can be re-purposed into creepy romantic love songs.  You know what I’m talking about.  Anyways, commentary on contemporary Christian music aside, Gungor is none of those things.  They do feature a harmonium at times, so they automatically get points in my book.  I also have to say that I like this album a lot more than their previous.  Even if you don’t dig Christian music, I think you can appreciate this album for its musicianship and inspiring-without-being-saccharine lyrics.

Key Tracks:  Let There Be, The Fall, You are the Beauty

Favorite Lyric: “Breath and sex and sight/ All things made for good in love divine” (You Are the Beauty) ..I mean, c’mon what Christian artist sings about that stuff??

Fun Fact:  The group gets their name from the last name of their leader, Michael Gungor, but this particular album features both Michael and his wife Lisa.  I’ve read also that the album samples audio from the first heartbeats that they ever heard of their child.  If I ever sit down and try to find it, I’ll let you know what track it’s on.  Also @Kevin Woodward introduced me to them via Spotify.  Thanks Kev!

4.  The Naked and Famous – Passive Me, Aggressive You

I was lucky enough to catch this NZ five-some when they opened for Freelance Whales before they blew up. (They played two nights at the Independent this month.  Two!!  And I had to miss both because I was in MD.  Boohoo.)  Awesome opening bands—they do exist!  I’ll admit they’re a bit of a departure of my typical (as of late) indie-folk-acoustic-banjo tunes, but they’re worth the exception!  So much fun to jam out to or even work out to (yea! They’re on my running mix!  What?) but not just nonsensical ear candy.  They sing about disappointments in life, losing one’s youth and beauty, and, of course, break ups, all on top of infectiously catchy synth and piano heavy beats.  I think what cinches it for me musically is the driving percussive nature of each track, building and building the song up gradually and then—BAM!! Hitting you with a turbo-charged hook or instrumental section.  Yea!

Key Tracks: No Way, Young Blood, Girls Like You

Favorite Lyric: “When the night descends, I sleep in/ All the things you’ve done come to haunt me/ All that we can do is smile/ It will be like this for a while” (No Way) ..also, the keys on this track get me every time.

Fun Fact: Ok this isn’t so much about the band, but I played their album during class one day and one of my students totally took to them.  Young Blood is on the trailer for the movie Prom, so he may have heard them there first.  But for about a week whenever that class came in, he’d yell “Ay Ms. Chew put on that Famous Naked song or whatever!”

3. Noah and the Whale – Last Night On Earth

This album is a latecomer to the list.  While I’d heard of NATW before, I hadn’t given them a good listen until their Tiny Desk Concert on NPR (http://youtu.be/efiBs11W1Ps) and even then didn’t really pay much attention until they came to play at the Great American last month.  I literally bought the tickets on Saturday, boned up on their albums on Spotify, and saw them on Monday.  And I’m really, really glad I did.  While I can’t say that this particular album is my favorite of theirs, it is really solid.  Their live band features a violin and a slide guitar, so I can’t complain.  Keep your ears open for some skillful story-telling and a little bit of self-deprecating.  And if you get a chance, go look up a picture/video of the band and check out Charlie and Tom’s sweet bouffants.

Key Tracks: Life is Life, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., The Line

Favorite Lyric: “Well I’ve always had a wild imagination and a see-through heart/ Which I know can be a wild combination/ Like a flame forms from a spark” (Me Before We Met)

Fun Fact: Lead singer Charlie Fink’s brother Doug was their original drummer until he left to pursue a career as a doctor.  Laura Marling was also part of the band, singing back-up on their first album.  There is no one named Noah in the band.  Nor is there a whale.

2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

I’ll admit that I was woefully late to join the Bon Iver bandwagon.  Again they were a band that I’d heard plenty about through indie blogs, articles, and probably friends, but it took me until this year to finally check them out.  Thankfully, I can still pride myself on the fact that I discovered them before this album dropped.  Y’know, so I’m still somewhat on the vanguard.  I do have a hard time deciding whether I like this album or For Emma... more. 

Nevertheless, it is a stellar album.  There’s not much to say that probably hasn’t already been said elsewhere.  “Beth/Rest” did take a while to warm up to, but now I even crave listening to it sometimes.  Something about that non-ironic Kenny G-esque sax and his Casio keyboard set to “Electric Piano 1” just gets me.  But if that’s not your bag, there does exist a magical acoustic version of the track which is stripped down bare to just piano and Justin Vernon’s surprisingly deep falsetto-free vocals (http://n.pr/qcFF27). 

Key Tracks: Holocene, Beth/Rest, Wash.

Favorite Lyric:  “open ears and open eyes/ wake up to your starboard bride/ who goes in and then stays inside/ oh the demons come, they can subside” (Calgary)

Fun Fact: Justin Vernon is quoted as saying that if they were to win a Grammy he would go up on stage and say “Everyone should go home, this is ridiculous. You should not be doing this. We should not be gathering in a big room and looking at each other and pretending this is important."  A few months later, the album and “Holocene” were nominated for four Grammys.  He is not, however, nominated for Album of the Year, so hopefully we can avoid another “Who is Arcade Fire?” debacle. (http://whoisarcadefire.tumblr.com/)

1. Typhoon – A New Kind of House

And here we are, Ms. Chew’s #1 album/artist discovery of 2011.  Techinically, it’s an EP.  What started with La Blogotheque’s Take Away Show set high in a giant tree somewhere in Austin, TX (http://vimeo.com/26568916), became an obsession where I’m pretty sure I shared this band with everyone I know who has ears.  And then went to go see them pack their 15-some members onto the tiny stage at Bottom of the Hill.  Typhoon combines everything I love in music these days—millions of instruments, multi-part vocal harmonies, and grippingly honest lyrics that grapple with life, death, faith, and love.  I want to write more about them but I just threw the album on and I can’t stop listening to it.  Kids, listen to this album.  You will not be disappointed.  And if you don’t have Spotify, get on Bandcamp (http://bit.ly/dUYx0l) and thank me later.

Key Tracks: Kitchen Tile, The Honest Truth, Summer Home

Favorite Lyric: “My old house, my childhood’s tomb/ it is a failing light but it will come back soon/ A candle burns in your old room/ before it goes out, I swear I will find you” (Summer Home)

Fun Fact: I got to meet the lead singer before their BotH set.  He’s surprisingly short.  Maybe 5’5”?  The exchange went something like this..

Me: "You probably get this all the time, but I'm really excited you guys are here."

Kyle: "I'm excited to be here too!"

Me: "Can I get a picture with you?"

Kyle: "Sure.. is that a Droid? I have an iPhone, myself."

And then it took like 4 tries to get a decent pic b/c my cameraman/the bassist from Youth kept getting bumped.  Proof:

Honorable Mention:

The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You

The brothers Avett played Hardly Strictly last year but it took me a hot minute to actually seek out their albums.  I think I started to listen to this album in the 11^th hour—literally on December 31, 2010, when I was writing last year’s Year in Review.  So they didn’t make the cut for last year and also couldn’t be in the running for this year because technically I found them and that album came out last year.  Regardless, an epic-folky-wonderful-banjo-ey album that I can’t imagine my life without.  Yea, it’s that good.

Release the Sunbird – Come Back to Us

This is a collaboration project from three local indie bands.  Featuring the vocals of my favorite Mission-dwelling Rogue Wave frontman Zach Rogue, I found them when I saw “Hey Zach Rogue is playing a show at the Swedish American!” and promptly bought four tickets, not even knowing what material he would play.  Thankfully, NPR came to the rescue and featured them on First Listen so I could study up before the show.  So solid, I listened to this album almost non-stop during my week in SoCal over the summer, so throwing it on brings back memories of warm sunny days on the beach and mild summer nights driving with the sunroof open and windows down in San Diego.  Yum.

Matrimony – The Storm & the Eye

This album came out last year, but I can’t believe I didn’t mention them then.  So I’m making up for it now.  Matrimony has to be one of my favorite indie finds that I am the most proud of.  I actually found them by clicking through the “indie” tagged albums on Bandcamp.  I liked the look of the album cover and gave them a listen.  I think I’ve become their biggest SF fan to date.  They’re in North Carolina and haven’t quite made it out to SF just yet, but when they do I’m so there.  I actually pitched in for their Kickstarter to get a bus to tour the east coast, and when I emailed them about tabs or chords to “Flee or Fight”, the lead singer personally responded with chords and lyrics and an offer to send me a video if it wasn’t clear enough.  Their Bandcamp page actually features a free download of their new single that’s not on Spotify, so I highly recommend grabbing it.  (http://matrimonyband.bandcamp.com/) So brilliant and catchy and ughhh.. this is why I don’t trust myself to write music.  There’s too much better stuff out there.

A Year in Review

Ah, New Year’s Eve. A time when people reflect on the year that’s past and look forward for what’s to come. Instead of imparting wisdom from life lessons learned this year, I’m choosing to review this year the only way I know how.. through the music.

Here are my top five artist/album discoveries of the past year. I guess we can all remember this year as the year Ms. Chew went indie. All albums were released in 2010 and I strongly recommend you check them out if you haven’t already.

5. The Morning Benders – Big Echo

Wikipedia categorizes the Morning Benders as “baroque pop”. As much as I’m not entirely sure what that means, it’s also extremely accurate. Just one listen to the track “Excuses” and you’ll think they’re a band out of another time and place. But really, they’re now, and they’re from Berkeley. As is the case with a lot of indie bands these days, you’ve probably heard of them without even knowing it. (“Excuses” can be heard on a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial, of all things!) Their ethereal, fleeting songs are just as fitting for a rainy day indoors as for a sunny drive by the coast. It’s hard to feel bad listening to a band like the Morning Benders. And the fact that their lead singer is an Asian American guy named Chris Chu doesn’t hurt either.

Key Tracks: Excuses, Wet Cement, Promises

Favorite Lyric: “I put no one else above us, we’ll still be best friends when it all turns to dust” (Excuses)

Fun Fact: The Morning Benders got a bunch of friends together in the Bay Area to play a maxed out orchestral version of “Excuses” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jgmgE-QDzA). Among those friends was drummer Jason Slota, of CityChurch 23rd St band fame! Which I only found out by recognizing him on the video and asking him the next Sunday.

4. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

Jeremy introduced me to this band through their music video of “The Cave”. The band rides around India on scooters. It was love at first sight, even before they broke out the banjo in the breakdown before the second verse. But beyond the banjo (and the mandolin, whee!), what draws me to Marcus Mumford and his “sons” is, at the risk of sounded like a tree-hugging hippy-dippy, the healing power of their lyrics. There’s hope dripping off every word. In a year that’s seen more than its fair share of emo, I think it’s fair to say that Mumford & Sons saved me a little. So while I would roll my eyes with disdain at their Grammy nominations (because if *everyone* listens to them then I can no longer love them, obvy) I’m pulling for them. And not just because it would mean upending Justin Bieber.

Key Tracks: The Cave, Timshel, Awake My Soul

Favorite Lyrics: “In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” (Awake My Soul)

Fun Fact: Although he exudes the presence of a much older man, Marcus Mumford is only turning 24 in January. An avid reader, he references Shakespeare and Steinbeck in his lyrics, and runs a book club as part of their online fan forum.

3. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt

I discovered The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson) on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRTleMY_mc, you’ll thank me later) In the clip, someone asks why he was drawn to performing and he said because you can’t scream at people in real life. I saw that he was coming to town to play the Fillmore so I went out on a limb and bought tickets to see him, even though I only knew about 3 of his songs going in. His show was him playing solo on the guitar and singing. Even though it was just him up there, I have never seen or heard the Fillmore so silent in awe admiring the huge sound that came from the humble Swede. I wanted to cry because I will never be as good at the guitar as he is, no matter how hard I work. I swear he has 10 fingers on one hand. I’ll admit he has one of those voices that you either love or hate. Somewhat Dylan-esque, you could say. His lyrics are cryptic; it’s hard to tell if he’s writing a fairy tale or hyperbole-ing tales from his own life, or both. No, he doesn’t play the banjo (as far as I can tell) but he was still one of my favorite finds of the year.

Key Tracks: Love is All, Kids on the Run, Thousand Ways

Favorite Lyric: “I bend my arrows now in circles and I shoot around the hill. If I don’t get you in the morning, by the evening I sure will.” (Thousand Ways)

Fun Fact: At the Fillmore concert, in response to a girl who kept yelling her address to him, “It wouldn’t be that great if I were to show up at your house. This is really the only thing I’m good at.”

2. Freelance Whales – Weathervanes

Alright technically this album was self-released before 2010, but it was re-released on a record label in 2010, so it makes the list. In a big way. My coworker Steven introduced them to me thinking I’d be into them. And boy was I. From the first listen I was hooked. It’s no secret that this band is part of the reason I bought a banjo. Four, sometimes five,-part harmonies and ridiculously luxurious instrumentation (really? Did you even know what a harmonium was?), not to mention the fact that they switch instruments among themselves continuously throughout their live sets, what’s not to love? I had the privilege of seeing them twice this year and I was not disappointed. Even though they only had about 1.2 albums worth of music to draw from (pretty sure they played every song they knew), they held their fans hearts in their hands and yearning for more when they were done. Their lyrics are sometimes inspired by dreams, sometimes inspired by life, and always perfectly woven in to their layers of instrumental harmonies.

Key Tracks: Generator ^ 2nd Floor, Ghosting, Kilojoules

Favorite Lyric: “I’ve arranged for your phobias to be performed by a string quartet.” (Kilojoules)

Fun Fact: Chuck Criss grew up in SF. I met his parents. Who are very proud of him and his brother Darren, who plays Blaine on Glee.

1. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz

I had a hard time choosing 1st place between Sufjan and FLW. Suffy won by a hair.. maybe just because I want to make it up to him for never checking his music out until this year. Yes, I was shamefully late on the Sufjan bandwagon, but now that I know better I can’t imagine my life without this delightful weirdo. And you gotta love the guy for releasing almost all his albums on bandcamp so you can stream before you buy. Some might say that Age of Adz is a slight departure from Sufjan’s typically folk-poppy, banjo-laden tunes. But really I see it as a progression into his musical exploration, and it’s no secret that I love bands that can constantly re-invent themselves and aren’t afraid of trying a new sound.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t completely sold on this album until I saw him perform it live. Maybe I was hypnotized by the neon accessories, black-light responsive visor or (what looked like) crushed-velvet silver pants, but it works. If you only have time to check out one song from the album, listen to “Impossible Soul”. Ok I’ll admit that’s kind of cheating because it’s a 25 minute long song.. but it’s well worth it. How can I describe Sufjan? He’s a mash up of everything fantastic and wonderful and weird that’s out there in music today. I played his music in my class one day and a student asked me, “Ms. Chew, what kind of music is this?” and really all I could say was, “Well, you can’t really put Sufjan Stevens in a box..” And maybe that’s why I love him so much. Because he’s what I aspire to.. to just do my thing and not be put in a box. Oh, and showing the banjo some love doesn’t hurt either.

Key Tracks: Too Much, I Want to Be Well, Impossible Soul

Favorite Lyric: “When I die, when I die I’ll rot. But when I live, when I live I’ll give it all I’ve got.” (Age of Adz)

Fun Fact: Stream almost all his albums for free at http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com. You’re welcome.

Honorable Mention:

The Format – Dog Problems

Didn’t make the list because the album was not released in 2010 and the band is no longer around. But I did discover them circa 2009/2010 and they’re easily one of my favorites. It’s a shame the two-member band split into their solo projects and neither tickles my fancy one bit on their own.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Didn’t make the list because I didn’t discover Arcade Fire this year. But it’s solid gold. Might take a hot minute to grow on you, but give it a chance. You won’t regret it.

The Submarines – Declare a New State

While I neither discovered the band nor was the album released this year, it still makes the list for sentimental reasons. The Submarines are a husband and wife team, but this particular album was written separately at a time where they were broken up. Real life and love beats in every lyric.

Let's Dance to Joy Division

Let's dance to joy division
and celebrate the irony.

I've come to the conclusion that only three of my friends (what's up Brian, Stef, Luke!) actually still use Xanga.  I've hit kind of a rut (well, probably more like a canyon) and for some reason I haven't been able to journal about it like I normally do.  So I thought maybe I'd word-vomit on Xanga and see where we end up.  So, here we go.

Everything is going wrong,
but we're so happy.

Someone should write a manual on how to date a friend and then manage to stay friends (actual friends.  Not just ok-being-in-the-same-state friends).  I mean.  In my head, in my head it makes perfect sense.  Of course I would want to date a friend.  In the end, I want to marry my best friend.  Or be best friends with the man I marry.  I guess they're the same thing, the only difference is the order.  So dating a friend makes perfect sense.  You already know you get along so well and then there's this added bonus of having someone to say goodnight to or send your mid-day epiphanies and ramblings to.  The trouble comes when it doesn't work out and you have to do the impossible.  You have to go backwards.

Let's dance to joy division
and raise our glass to the ceiling.

I suppose it wouldn't be such a tough thing to endeavor if you both agree that going back to being friends is the right course of action.  A mutual decision, like "Hey, we tried this.  But it's not working, let's move on."  The hard part is if it isn't mutual.  If you still care so much for someone that of course you want to be friends, it's the only way to keep this person in your life.  If you dig someone so much that you stick around just to be near them, even though it means you go home and cry yourself to sleep because "just friends" just isn't enough.  If you wonder what would happen if once, just once, you throw common sense to the wind and grab his hand like you used to be able to.

'Cos this could all go so wrong,
but we're so happy.

In the end, I guess it just sucks until it doesn't.  Like I said, someone should write a manual for this sort of thing.

Yeah we're so happy.

Iris (Acoustic)

Viva la vida

Currently Listening We Were Here By Joshua Radin see related