Yes yes yes! This quartet from Copenhagen bang out 12 quick tunes a la Wire’s Pink Flag or early Joy Division. The hooks and melodies are there, but they are secondary to frantic guitar playing and full throttle drumming. An impressive debut from this young group, I’m stoked to see what’s next.
Just one guy, a saxophone and a whole bunch of microphones. Stetson is able to fill up a whole lot of sonic room just with his saxophone (Laurie Anderson and Shara Worden lend some vocals) and without any overdubs. The multiple microphones capture percussive noises, ambient sounds, Stetson’s breathing and other miscellany providing additional textures. Making an albums worth of engaging solo saxophone pieces is a tough feat, but Colin Stetson certainly has on “Judges.”
This is some time travel music. Put on some headphones and hop on your bike (please bike responsibly), press play on this album and your normal 25 minute commute will now take about 10. This trio play bombastic instrumental music that doesn’t let up. One minute it is wandering and hazy then the drummer (total beast) steps on the gas and it is five blissful minutes of dive bombing guitars and helicopter bass playing. This is the music I wanted Acid Mothers Temple to play before I had heard Psychic Paramount.
Local jazz trio Starlicker is made up of superstars Rob Mazurek on cornet, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and John Herndon playing drums. Everyone in the band is involved in about 10 other groups which makes it a wonder that this album got recorded in the first place. Adasiewicz is a remarkable talent providing an array of colors and tones while Mazurek steps in and out of the picture, leading when it is called for and holding off to let the other two shine.
PJ Harvey albums are exciting because each one is different from the last, so you are not quite sure what you are going to get. All the more impressive is the fact that she has continued to put out great music with each album and “Let England Shake” sits among her best work. The album which focuses on the conflicts of her homeland and the images she conjures are often grisly. The music compliments the lyrical content and prevents this from being a grim album, resulting in what can best be described as Harvey’s take on folk music.
I tuned into Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka’s music last year for his fantastic “Foreign Landscapes” for which he paired his prepared piano with a 12 piece woodwind ensemble. On “Salon des Amateurs” Bertelmann chose a different route, pairing his piano playing with several percussionists (members of Mum and Calexico), strings, and electronic noises. Post-classical never sounded so catchy. Sounds bubble along and the music comes up just short of full on dance tunes.
Making his debut at the ripe young age of 62 Charles Bradley has recorded a monster of an album. Backed by one of the best contemporary studio bands, the Menahan Street Band, “No Time for Dreaming” delivers 12 sharp funk/soul tracks. Akin to James Brown, Lee Fields, or the local group JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, this is prime material for your soul dance party nights.
There is so much baggage and hype with Radiohead that I just leave them alone. I was drawn in after hearing a couple of tracks on “King of Limbs” and had to question my previous stance on the band. They recorded a concise album that moves even further away from the guitar albums of the 90s/early 2000s and into the realm of brooding electronic sounds and studio constructed music.
This is one of those albums that is not an earth shattering great record, but it is really solid and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Shawn Lee, for this album takes a slew of instruments found commonly in the music of other cultures around the world and used them to record a globe trotting funk album. You are treated to sneaky grooves, Korean scatting, exotic sounds, and much more.
This gets my great weird album of the year award. Arrington de Dionyoso fronted the late blooming Beefheart inspired band Old Time Relijun before he started his Malaikat Dan Singa group, which further mines the territory of his old band. He sings in Indonesian over some heavy post-punk weirdness. The album title translates to dragon’s voice which gives you a clue to Dionyoso’s singing style. He also plays the bass saxophone which he wields with abandon. This record is in a league of its own, give it a shot.Patrick Seymour's Best of 2009
Throughout the month of December we’ll be posting lists of the best music of the year as determined by the volunteers that make CHIRP what it is. Today’s is from CHIRP Volunteer, Patrick Seymour.
- Mi Ami – Watersports (Quarterstick) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
After a couple excellent EPs these ex-Black Eyes members put out their full length debut. It is a strange mix of forward thinking punk, Afro beat, free jazz and dub. While that makes it seem like they are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, it actually works well blending everything together creating a very unique sounding album, strong debut. - Paper Mice – Paint It Pink (Cassette Deck) Amazon / iTunes
Another strong debut from this Chicago trio. Combine the manic energy of Deerhoof with the bark and conciseness of Minutemen, throw in some news of the weird inspired lyrics and you have the recipe for success. These boys got some musical chops to boot. The packaging is worth noting, beautifully screened LP jackets. - Abner Jay – True Story of Abner Jay (Mississippi) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Mississippi Records out of Portland have had a hell of a year, well couple actually. They put out a record what seems like every other week and they are all worth hearing. This one is a favorite. Abner Jay plays some great blues songs on electric banjo, accompanied by drums and harmonica. The songs can be heart breaking and funny, often in the same song. - Dog Faced Hermans – Hum of Life (Mississippi) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
OK so it is a reissue, but they are probably my favorite band and this album is a killer. These Scottish punks mix folk, jazz, and Eastern European influences all fronted by an amazing female vocalist who played the trumpet too. They don’t make them like this anymore. The guitarist went on to play with the Ex. - Dead Weather – Horehound (Third Man) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Jack White may be the musician of the decade. He’s had a great run with the White Stripes, the Racontoures, his own recording label and studio; the man doesn’t slow down. His latest project is a fierce dark blues band fronted by certified bad ass Allison Mosshart of the Kills. Check out their video for Treat me like your Mother. - Pterodactyl – Worldwild (Jagjaguwar) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
They toned down a bit of the spazz from their first album, but the energy is not lost. With Worldwide they soak up a bit of influence from contemporaries like Liars and Animal Collective, making their music a bit more blissed out, but it is not completely out of step with their previous work. Their fuzzed screeching guitars and falsetto vocal harmonies are still the selling point of this band. - Zs – Music of Modern White (Social Registry) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Another winner from modernist, chamber, punk, cerebral whatever band that continues to push the boundaries. The album is made up of two songs divided into three suites featuring saxophone skronk, hand clapping, some ambient passages, and some mad guitar playing. If you like experimental music, they are really worth checking out. Even if you weren’t sold on this description, they are one of the more interesting and challenging bands making music today. - Broadcast and the Focus Group – Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
An odd release from Broadcast, it’s made up of short songs and sound collages that blend into one another taking up each side of the album. There hasn’t been an album in a while that was able to conjure up such a strange atmosphere as this one, part nostalgia of some fantasy world, part Witch Cult (as the title suggests) the perfect fall album. - Thee Oh Sees – Help (In The Red) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Thee Oh Sees have been a busy band. A couple of albums this year, a half dozen singles, and they have all been consistently good. This is a fine album all the way around. They are a garage band writing pop songs with a hint of psych thrown in and some great male and female vocals. They rip through a dozen songs and by the time you are done you are ready to start the album over again. - A Hawk and a Hacksaw – Deliveranse (Leaf) Amazon / Insound / iTunes
Gotta give some love to Jeremy Barnes, this band started as a solo post Neutral Milk Hotel project and has, with the addition of the other mainstay violinist Heather Trost, turned into his full time gig. After a couple of albums the two immersed themselves in Eastern European folk music by moving to Romania and have recorded several times there. With each time their western influence has slowly eroded focusing more on traditional Balkan folk music.
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