Dusty Likes Music

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Best of 2011: Honorable Mentions

I'm working on my list of favorite albums for 2011. I'm not quite done with it. So, in the meantime, here are some that didn't quite manage to crack the top 20. Really, after looking at this list, it's a little upsetting that these weren't able to make it into my top 20. Just a good year for music, I guess.

The Black Keys - El Camino
Favorite song: "Gold on the Ceiling"

James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the Morning
Favorite song: "And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop"

The Blueflowers - In Line With the Broken-Hearted
Favorite song: "Maybe"

Keren Ann - 101
Favorite song: "You Were on Fire"

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Favorite song: "Steven McQueen"

Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Favorite song: "The Beast"

The Submarines - Love Notes/Letter Bombs
Favorite song: "Tigers"

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Favorite song: "Hard Times"

Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell Me
Favorite song: "Sometimes at Night"

William Fitzsimmons - Gold in the Shadow
Favorite song: "Psychasthenia"

The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
Favorite song: "Boeing 737"

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Favorite song: "Words I Never Said"

Childish Gambino - Camp
Favorite song: "Sunrise"

The Antlers - Burst Apart
Favorite song: "Putting the Dog to Sleep"

Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine
Favorite song: "Bad Way to Go"

Ben Sollee - Inclusions
Favorite song: "Captivity"

Buck 65 - 20 Odd Years
Favorite song: "Superstars Don't Love"

Wilco - The Whole Love
Favorite song: "One Sunday Morning"

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Tom Waits, St. Vincent

Tom Waits – Bad As Me

I have long been in love with Tom Waits, so I was really looking forward to this album. His first album of all new material since 2004’s Real Gone (and his first new music of any kind since 2006’s Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards.

And it doesn’t disappoint.

He doesn’t really break any new ground here, but he doesn’t need to. He has broken enough ground in his career. He is equally at home in dirty, shuffling blues (“Chicago”, “Bad As Me”), tender ballads (“Talking at the Same Time”, “Last Leaf”) and dark tales of post-war life (“Hell Broke Luce”). There are a couple of songs I’m not overly fond of (“Raised Right Men”, “Satisfied”), but, for the most part, this is Tom Waits at his best, taking sounds from his previous albums and melding them into something new that can be equally beautiful and terrifying.

On top of some of his regular musicians (his son Casey on the drums, Marc Ribot on guitar, Larry Taylor on bass), he is also joined on this album by some pretty big names: Keith Richards, Flea, and Les Claypool all appear on at least one track.

Favorite track: “Hell Broke Luce”

Rating: 4.5/5

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

Upon the release of her first album (Marry Me), Annie Clark (the mastermind of St. Vincent) was seen to be a quirky songwriter, somewhere in the vein of Regina Spektor, but with less piano. The second album (Actor) took her a little bit away from that, with her carefully sculpted soundscapes that brought about a marriage of chaos and beauty.

With Strange Mercy, Clark delves more into the latter description. The songs are filled with distorted guitars and huge synths, while her voice floats over it all, and sometimes dips back down to join. It’s a beautiful, organized chaos, and it’s amazing. Turn it up loud enough, and you can easily lose yourself in these songs.

Even the slower songs are extremely interesting. There are so many layers and textures to them. And her phrasing is perfect. The sublime "Champagne Year" just wouldn't sound the same in the hands of anyone else.

She has a way of twisting melodies that is just fascinating to hear. There is a Pixies documentary that came out a few years ago in which PJ Harvey tried to describe Joey Santiago’s guitar style. She said he seemed like he was bending the music in such a way that you almost had to twist your body to feel like you were hearing it correctly. It’s an odd description, but I completely understand what she is saying. And I feel the same thing about this album. This happens especially towards the end of “Cruel”. The music just keep building and her voice just keeps getting higher, and it’s almost impossible to listen to it while sitting still. And I love it.

Favorite track: “Strange Mercy”

Rating: 5/5

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Zola Jesus, The Weeknd

Zola Jesus – Conatus

Spooky, glitchy, and lush. This album feels like a combination of Kate Bush, Bjork, Bat for Lashes and Florence + The Machine. Her voice is amazing…haunting and threatening and heartbreaking (sometimes all at once). It’s 55 and rainy outside right now, and this album feels perfect.

Favorite track: "Vessel"

Rating: 4.5/5

The Weeknd – House of Balloons

I had been hearing about this guy for a while, so I thought it was about time I’d give him a shot. I like it. It’s a nice little R&B album. A little different from what I usually think of when I think of R&B (he uses a lot of interesting textures), so that certainly helps (some songs have a touch more Reznor than your typical R&B album track). There are times when some of the songs kind of bleed together, but, for the most part, I really like it. He’s no Frank Ocean (who is?), but, if you’re looking for a good R&B album, you could do a lot worse than The Weeknd. (The same review pretty much applies for his second album, Thursday.)

Favorite track: “The Knowing”

Rating: 3.5/5

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Duke Spirit, Veronica Falls, Lisa Hannigan

The Duke Spirit – Bruiser

Where their previous albums had a fairly abrasive rock edge, this one seems a little different. That edge is still there, but it’s been softened a bit. They seem more concerned with the textures of their songs. Liela Moss (lead singer) seems to be finding a new way to use her voice, as she slinks it around these new arrangements. It’s a different direction for The Duke Spirit, and I really like it.

Favorite track: “Homecoming”

Rating: 4/5

Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls

Most of this album feels like a 50s doo-wop album, drenched in reverb. Pretty melodies and harmonies are everywhere. The songs are driven by a nice little guitar line, and drums that don’t do much beyond keeping the beat. It reminds me of Loveless Unbeliever by The School, but with more reverb. It’s a nice little album. There’s not much to it, but it’s fun. The sun is shining outside, and this seems like a good album to be listening to right now.

Favorite track: “Come On Over”

Rating: 4/5

Lisa Hannigan – Passenger

Damien Rice’s favorite back-up singer releases her second album. It’s good. Not altogether different from what she has already done, but it’s nice. Folksy, with some pretty interesting arrangements. Somewhere along the line, though, all of the songs kind of bleed together. It’s a pleasant enough album, but nothing really jumped out at me.

Favorite track: “Passenger”

Rating: 3/5

Friday, September 02, 2011

Fall Music

The last couple of days notwithstanding, the weather has begun to cool down. The first Saturday of college football is tomorrow. Almost without warning, Fall is in the air.
That got me to thinking about the music I like to listen to during this time of year. Everyone has those albums that just seem to sound better depending on the season. Or the mood. Or the precipitation.
I decided to look through my music and pick out the albums I usually turn to around this time of year. This is not a complete list, but it does include some of my favorite albums for this time of year.
Since there are so many, I've decided not to write reviews for them. Or give them ratings. Suffice it to say, I love all of these albums, and they would all get somewhere between a 4 or a 5. The only order they're in is alphabetical.
Feel free to share your own albums in the comments. Hopefully I'll write some more of these in the future, but I make no promises.