Heartache With Hard Work

High – Feeder

This article from Slate (I know, easy target, but still) is almost a perfect example of how the form in which you pose a question reveals far more than the answer you try to provide.

It asks why marijuana legalization remains a political non-starter despite increasingly strong support for it from an increasingly large portion of the country. One theory:

That may be partly a function of congressional demographics and partly a matter of incentives. Even if 50 percent of the public supports legalization, a pro-pot bill will never pass the Senate if those people are concentrated on the coasts. There’s also the fact that potheads tend to be less likely to vote than senior citizens, who came of age in the pre-hippie era and have never inhaled. If legalization opponents are willing to back up their conviction at the ballot box, there’s a lot of risk and little reward for a congressman to assume the marijuana mantle.

Right. The only people who support marijuana legalization are ‘potheads’ who, of course, can’t possibly remember to get up and vote. The context for the article is Obama’s recent Google+ townhall:

Potheads had high hopes for President Obama’s Google+ hangout on Monday. The Web superpower had invited citizens to submit questions for the president via YouTube, and it encouraged people to vote on the questions they’d like Obama to answer in a live video chat. The results: 18 of the 20 most popular questions were about marijuana policy.

Look, the underlying point is obviously correct. Legalization is the sort of thing where the strong advocates are smaller in number than the strong opponents – and, as a general matter, the middle of the country is going to tend to want to support the SORT of people who oppose more than the other side.

But that’s also tautological. If you think about marijuana legalization as a basically fringe policy supported by a small group of fervent advocates who basically just want to get high, then of course it’s going to have an image problem.

Really the point I want to make here is that political commentary is far too concerned with treating voters as embodiments of pure self-interest. Who wants drug legalization? People who do drugs. Who think Medicare should be supported? Old people. Who supports low taxes for the wealthy? The wealthy. Who supports affirmative action? Minorities.

Of course all of those things are mostly true. Those blocks are far more likely to support the policy than others. But there is a lot of room for people to actually consider what they think is good policy for the nation as a whole. And there ought to be more of it. Our political conversations would be improved if we consistently reminded ourselves of this, and didn’t denigrate (even implicitly or through tone) the idea that people might think beyond their personal interests.

The article in question clearly understands this. One of the concluding paragraphs says:

And for all the efforts of groups like LEAP, there’s still the Cheech and Chong factor. One of the RAND paper’s authors, psychologist and U.C.–Berkeley law professor Robert MacCoun, argued that pot’s place in pop culture makes it hard for even generally supportive people to take the issue seriously. (As a marijuana policy researcher, MacCoun says, he can’t grab a snack at a party without someone joking about the munchies.) That sets marijuana legalization apart from other socially liberal causes, such as gay marriage, with which an impassioned moral appeal can resonate deeply even with those inclined to oppose it.

All of which makes it frustrating that the hook needs to be ‘lol, potheads are obsessed with legalization.’

Thunder Road (acoustic) – Bruce Springsteen

Some odds and ends:

– My home state is just about to legalize gay marriage. The crucial vote was in the Senate, where the 25th vote necessary to ensure passage eventually came from my the senator from my hometown, Mary Haugen. Good for her and good for Washington! Remember when people used to say that the only support for marriage equality came from ‘unelected judges’? I’m glad that trope is on the way out.

– Hey look, Romney’s going to be the nominee. Who could have guessed it? Newt Gingrich was never going to win in a million years, nor was Rick Santorum. Once Pawlenty dropped out and Perry revealed himself to be dumber than a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, this was pretty much inevitable.

– The Planned Parenthood/Komen Foundation hullabaloo was depressing and then tremendously encouraging. The orchestrated campaign over the last few years to systematically discredit Planned Parenthood is terrible. They provide a wide range of very important health services for people who would not otherwise have access to them. In terms of return-for-investment, there are few better places to donate than them. The outcry which erupted this week – forcing Komen to very quickly walk back their new policy, and resulting in a mass of donations to PP – is a very good demonstration of people power at work. It’s easy to overstate the importance of stuff like this (and the SOPA protests), so some caution is warranted, but it’s still awesome.

– I won the 2011 online Dominion tournament. That’s pretty cool.

– Just got my tickets to go see Bruce Springsteen in April. Super excited. And, I’m seeing Jeff Mangum in April, too. It’s going to be a great month.

Today, in incredibly frustrating false equivalencies:

Here’s an uninhibited insult that the professional “life” and “choice” agitators can listen to for free: If these groups cared as much about the issue as they claim, and didn’t have such strong financial incentives to avoid consensus and compromise, they’d cancel the carnivals and get to work on the one thing everybody agrees would be worthwhile — reducing unwanted pregnancies.

If the “life” marchers really wanted fewer abortions, they would stop throwing obstacles in the way of birth control and make sure it’s cheaply provided as part of preventive care and not blocked by “conscience clauses.” By resisting easy birth control, and by opposing comprehensive sex education, they’re essentially increasing abortion rates.

If the “choice” rally participants really wanted to preserve legal abortion, they’d be wise to drop the sky-is-falling warnings about Roe and to acknowledge that the other side, and most Americans, have legitimate concerns. Not every compromise means a slippery slope to the back alley.

So, both sides are to blame. On the ‘life’ side, you have people actively working against the reduction of unwanted pregnancies and increasing the number of abortions in the US. On the ‘choice’ side, you have people who do not always say nice things.

That is seriously the point being made in a major national newspaper.

Let’s cover this one more time. On one side you have people who are irrationally committed to an absolute agenda, with zero good-faith interest in actually taking steps to reduce the number of abortions. On the other side, we have people who ought to stop treating their opposition as if they were irrationally committed to an absolute agenda, with zero good-faith interest in actually taking steps to reduce the number of abortions.

Look, I get it, you like the muddy compromise in the middle. And it’s absolutely true that a plurality of Americans probably agree. Which is why the pro-choice position has already committed to that middle ground. Where are the reproductive rights activists taking to the streets in favor repealing the Hyde Amendment? Where are the people pushing Freedom of Choice Amendments? They are (unfortunately, in my opinion) on the periphery.

The ‘debate’ we’ve currently got is among extreme anti-abortion people, moderate anti-abortion people, and moderate pro-choice people. And standing amidst them is the pundit class who loves nothing more than to complain about all the yelling.

No Children – The Mountain Goats

I’m puzzled by the ‘new’ Gingrich allegations. Okay, I tell a small lie. I’m not really puzzled—more irritated.

We already knew that Gingrich had a long-running affair with a staffer, who he eventually married after divorcing his second wife. This has been known for a long time. The new information we’re getting is this: after his wife found out about the affair, Gingrich told her he wasn’t going to stop the affair, but would continue the marriage if it could be open.

Why exactly is this a stunning new problem exactly? The premise here seems to be that affairs are just a garden-variety kind of moral defect while the desire for an open marriage reveals some glaring character flaw. But that is just insane. Open marriages are not intrinsically bad; plenty of people make them work, and very happily, too. The problem with Gingrich is the ultimatum—let me sleep with this woman or we’re getting divorced—because it demonstrates a coercive relationship. But we already KNEW that.

The only thing I can see in this story is a reaffirmation of a cultural stereotype that anyone who doesn’t want to be monogamous is by definition a moral monster. Seriously, the only new information is the words ‘open marriage.’ Who cares?

I don’t like to defend Gingrich, but this is a non-story. And to the extent that it is a story, it’s a story about the strange value system of the general electorate. Not surprisingly, Dan Savage has a pretty good take on this:

So… Newt Swingrich got a huge round of applause from a GOP debate audience packed with God-fearin’, traditional-marriage-lovin’, gay-marriage-hatin’ social conservatives… for insisting that he cheated on his second ex-wife for six years like a good Christian. He did not ask his second ex-wife for an open marriage. An honest open relationship was never on the table. Newt and Callista’s adulterous relationship was grounded in lies and deceit and betrayal from the start and Newt never wavered from that path. Newt never tried to negotiate an agreement—not even a retroactive one—that would have allowed him to sleep around and remain married. Newt did not ask his most recent ex-wife for an open marriage and he won’t ask any of his future ex-wives for an open marriage.

Because that would be wrong.

Nothing Happens; Twice – Celestial

I don’t always predict well (as Senator Coakley of Massachusetts and Nominee Pawlenty can confirm), but I do a pretty good job predicting Republican primaries. I insisted in 2007 that John McCain (even when he looked dead and buried) was going to win. I spent most of the last year (as soon as Pawlenty dropped out) insisting that it pretty much had to be Romney. And actually, I never bought into the idea that McCain stood a chance against Bush in 2000, either.

In reading reports about the raee right now, there is this problem where reporters need to keep insisting that it’s still really a race. And over the past few months, as each of the flavors-of-the-month have popped out of the GOP clown car, reporters have felt obliged to take it seriously. ‘Yes’ they would say, ‘each of the previous candidates who rose to the top fell off quickly, but here’s the reason to think this guy might be different.’

The case for Santorum amounted to: ‘he peaked at just the right time’ or ‘his ground game in Iowa was the key.’ This is just silly, though. No one can plausibly argue that Santorum’s campaign ARRANGED to gain 18 points in the polls in the week prior to the caucuses. Are we to believe that Iowa’s voters are so stupid that they always secretly wanted Santorum because he did some nice retail politics but just forgot to mention him when being polled?

Santorum is not going to win the nomination because he’s a terrible candidate. This was true 12 months ago, 6 months ago, 1 month ago, and last week. And it will remain true in the future.

His peak happened to coincide with an election, but it faded just like all the others. And it really had nothing to do with Iowa in particular.

Sunny Day (Sesame Street theme) – Reid Jamieson

It’s a strange thing: when I’m walking around, the tune that’s most likely to be playing in my head (out of all the tens of thousands of songs I listen to) is the Sesame Street theme. I haven’t watched the show in probably 20 years, apart from the occasional youtube clip and yet there it is. I can’t tell if this is a product of a childhood spent watching the show, which has engrained it deeply in my subconscious, or if it’s simply a function of being a nice little tune.

I like this cover for it’s dreaminess. It makes me think sun-dappled window-sills and lazy afternoons reminiscing about a happy childhood.

So Haley Barbour issued some pardons, and it’s about the absolute worst news possible for people (like me) who think the pardon power should be used substantially more.

Who did Barbour pardon?  Well “a number of the recipients were part of a program where certain good-behaving and long-serving convicts served as servants in the governor’s mansion and thus got to know Barbour or his staff.”  Which is to say: they earned their pardons by happening to get to know the governor personally, not because of anything particular about their case.  Which isn’t to say it’s correct to hold them in jail forever; it’s just a sad comment that even on matters like this it’s all about who you know more than it’s about the validity of your case.

Further, what was Barbour’s stated justification for some of these pardons: that he wanted to restore to felons who had already served their time the rights to hunt, vote, etc.  Which, again, is great.  I strongly believe that people should not be denied the right (responsibility) to vote because they have committed a felony.  But selectively choosing a tiny number of them does nothing to fix the larger inequity.

It makes me sad how rarely the power of the pardon is used in the US.  But it also makes me sad how poorly it is used when it finally is employed.

Seventeen – Youth Lagoon

Jonathan Bernstein writes a very good post on the reasons to not completely write off Santorum.  As well as the reasons TO write him off.

But the single item which is missing from that post is this: Santorum lost his seat in the Senate in 2006 by seventeen points.  In Pennsylvania, which is still a pretty purple state.

I mean, come on.

I’ve been writing posts about most of the people to emerge from the GOP clown car during this race, with the basic point consistently being: let’s not take these people too seriously.  I get that people have not yet embraced Romney, but are they really going to go with their sixth choice (after Trump, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich) as an alternative to him?  No, they will not.

Tim Pawlenty has to be kicking himself right now.  I know he didn’t set the world on fire when he was running, but is there any doubt that he was a more sustainable alternative to Romney than any of these other jokers?

Finally, a message to the medium: please stop referring to Santorum surging.  It’s gross.

2011 was a bit of a bummer musically. In past lists, I’ve gone to 25 or 30 albums and usually had plenty of others just barely on the outside looking in. This year I struggled to come even close to that number. So rather than lower my standards, I’ve just shortened the list a bit, and included a few honorable mentions at the end.

I liked all these records, of course, but the top 5 are definitely a cut above – those are the real cream of the crop.

As always, this is a subjective project. I do think that everything on here is good, but I’m not going to pretend that my tastes correlate perfectly with some objective standard for the best. This is a list of the records I liked this year. Nothing more. Hope you enjoy some of them as much as I do.

15. The Raveonettes – Raven in the Grave

The big hooks are a little bit more sparse this time around, with only really two tracks that jump out of the speakers at you (‘Recharge & Revolt’ and ‘Ignite’). On the other hand, the excessive faux-grittiness that plagued the last record has also mostly been expunged. What remains is some very nice harmonies, and the washed out reverb of guitars turned up way too loud. There’s the slow burner (‘War in Heaven’) and the girl-group harmonies (‘Forget That You’re Young’) and the gorgeous encore (‘My Time’s Up’).

The only real downside here is an occasional drift toward the soporific. ‘War in Heaven,’ for example, is a nice enough song but it drags quite a bit and doesn’t have the energy to sustain itself. It takes over 3 minutes to really hit its stride by which time you’ve already drifted away. Same goes for ‘Apparitions’ which never quite gets going.

By far the choice track is ‘Ignite,’ which exemplifies the very best elements of their sound. It starts with a real kick of a bass beat, which leads right into a nice big guitar riff, and an opening verse that offers their best Jesus and Mary Chain impressions. And then there’s a surprisingly beautiful and tender chorus. It’s a great song, the closest this album comes to ‘Suicide,’ their high-water mark as a group in my opinion.

Highlights: Ignite, Recharge & Revolt, My Time’s Up

14. Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Key

I know this might come off as faint praise, but I really mean it: this is a perfect middle of the road, mid-tempo, indie pop record.

Death Cab have always been kind of the standard bearers for a certain brand of indie. They were low-fi, heart-on-the-sleeve kids from the Pacific Northwest, singing in complete sentences and producing perfectly crafted songs. They took a step up in the world, got featured on The OC, signed for a major label. Made the big time.

It’s a strange feature of the musical world, where maturity and the capacity to see much further actually constrains your musical horizons. They are just too self-aware, too constrained by actually knowing things; they no longer possess the artless innocence that allows for true piercing insight. This has been obvious for a while, but I think it’s finally settled for good on this record, driving the final nail into the coffin of the band that came out with ‘Photobooth’ and ‘Title Track’ and ‘President of What.’

But that’s fine. It really is. Those songs were the product of a moment which has passed and isn’t coming back. The young kids are now the elder statesmen, and that means not playing the futile game of stacking this up against the work of a decade ago. Of course you will find it lacking, a weak-flavored imitation. So don’t play that game. Just accept it for what it is: a very nice record from a very nice band. It needn’t be anything more.

Highlights: Some Boys, You Are a Tourist, St. Peter’s Cathedral

13. Moby – Destroyed

There are plenty of somewhat unnecessary indulgences (as you might expect on a 70 minute record from the guy), but more than enough jewels to make it worthwhile.

“Rockets” is a perfect example of what Moby does best. There’s an absolutely beautiful singing sample–so wispy that it feel likes it’s being heard at a distance of 100 years–held up and sustained by a network of electronic cables. It’s a wonderful balance of old and new, past and future. And the line being sung “it’s gone…that’s alright” feels eerily prescient. See “The Right Thing” for another great example of this aging effect. “The Broken Places” is spacey, but in the best of ways: delicate and measured. “The Day” is a far more straightforward song, with a relatively simple verse-chorus-verse form. The result is something that lacks a bit of sophistication, but provides a rousing upbeat element.

Elsewhere, “The Violent Bear It Away” is a bit overlong (almost seven minutes) but packs a tremendous punch in its slow build. By the end, when the strings are swelling and beat marches on, there is a powerful urgency to its movement that remains completely self-contained. And “Victoria Lucas” offers a similar them, but this time building off of a low-key but rousing electro-dance beat.

Highlights: Rockets, The Day, The Violent Bear It Away, Victoria Lucas

12. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Okay, let’s dispose of the big issue first. I just do not like his voice. I don’t like the falsetto. I don’t like the trembles and the wavers. I realize that’s like, the whole selling point of Bon Iver, but it just does nothing for me. However, the introduction of a rock band in the background has turned Justin Vernon into someone I actively want to listen to.

The drums on ‘Perth’ roll in like thunder and the guitar chimes like a bell. The guitar line on ‘Holocene’ seems like a very-close knockoff of ‘Dear Prudence,’ which is very high praise from me. And while that song treads a bit lightly on my problem with Vernon’s voice, the little drum fills keep it from getting too extreme. ‘Calgary’ just grows and grows, like the first shoots of the spring coming out into the sun. And ‘Beth/Rest’ sounds like an 80s synth-ballad, in the very best way.

Highlights: Perth, Calgary, Holocene

11. M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming

I really don’t get the adulation this album has received from some quarters (Pitchfork, looking at you), while simultaneously thinking that it’s a very nice little record. There are plenty of good bits, interspersed with a lot of okay bits. But there isn’t anything that really grabs me. It seems to lack just a little bit of the atmospheric lightning that characterizes the best previous M83 tracks.

Most of these tracks run together in my mind. I certainly couldn’t hum a single melody and remember it accompanying a particular song (except for the frog one). Which isn’t necessarily a problem. An undifferentiated mass of quickly shifting synth lines makes this a very pleasant listen.

I went through and listened intently to the whole thing, in an effort to identify a few tracks to single out as my favorites. Here’s a few: the Zola Jesus-featured ‘Intro’ has a nice buildup and movement. ‘This Bright Flash’ has that crackling lightning thing I was saying that is missing in general. Same with ‘Echoes of Mine.’ ‘Year One, One UFO’ is wonderfully childlike. And the last half of ‘Outro’ is just glorious and loud and shiny and pure.

Highlights: Outro, Echoes of Mine, Intro

10. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

The simplest and most straightforward Decemberists album yet (even more than Castaways and Cutouts), which is a very nice change. They were rapidly turning into a caricature of themselves, and it’s nice to see them acknowledge that girl that brought ‘em. The misty beauty of ‘January Hymn’ is right up there with their best work. And there a few very nice rousing pieces of indie-folk – ‘Don’t Carry It All’ and ‘Calamity Song’ have tons of energy, and I particularly love the jangly guitar in the latter. Elsewhere, the slide guitar in ‘Rise to Me’ recalls the wonder and quiet solitude of their early songs.

It’s the sort of album that tends to be listened to as a single entity. Not because of some mystical gestalt quality, but just because none of the individual songs (‘January Hymn’ being the one exception) really jump out at you.  Basically, it’s not an album that will blow you away, but there’s something to be said for gentle comfort.

Highlights: January Hymn, Calamity Song, Don’t Carry It All, Rise to Me

9. Okkervil River – I Am Very Far

In my mind, this is a worse record than The Stand Ins, which was worse than The Stage Names, which was worse than Black Sheep Boy. And while your mileage may vary, I think you go back even further to Down the River of Golden Dreams to find their high-water mark.  The thing is: it’s a testament to just how ridiculously good this band is that they can decline significantly and still put out one of the best records of the year.

They’ve always had a little bit of Springsteen in their sound, but on “Rider” it’s in full force. It’s vibrant and energetic, with the sort of spitfire delivery that Sheff is so good at. It’s right up there with their very best songs. The following track “Lay of the Last Survivor” is also stupendous. More low-key in tone, extremely pretty. It’s a paean to inevitable ends, the mortality of all things beautiful. We fight against it but deep down we know that there is no victory, only delays.

Some other songs have a lot to recommend. “The Valley” is a bit too ostentatious, but is a tremendous rocking start. “Hanging from a Hit” is tender and jagged. “We Need a Myth” is slightly rote but more than makes up for it with pure energy.

Flawed album? Sure. Minor disappointment? Yes, again. But it’s still really good.

Highlights: Rider, Hanging from a Hit, Lay of the Last Survivor, We Need a Myth

8. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

Electro-folk, roots rock with Dylan or Petty-esque nasal twinge, a series of songs that turn putting-one-foot-down-after-the-other into a sort of apocalyptic elegy. Psychedelia mixed with synths mixed with saxophones mixed with whiskey.

In some ways it’s problematic that they open with the two best songs on the record. In normal cases that’s the sign of an album draped awkwardly on a couple hits. Here, though, that’s not at all the case. What you get on the first two tracks is a compact narrative full of urgency and passion. Then, the next 10 songs retrace those same steps, but do so more slowly and languidly. You get an opportunity to dwell on themes that burst past you the first time around. It gives Slave Ambient an almost orchestral feel. You can’t help but wish there was a bit more resolution, but the more you listen the more you come to understand that the endless movement is itself sufficient.

Highlights: Best Night, Baby Missiles, Brothers

7. Miracle Fortress – Was I the Wave?

The first Miracle Fortress record was a revelation, a masterpiece of swirling organic energy and achingly beautiful melodies. It’s one of very few records that I enjoy more every single time I hear it. The second effort, the recently released Was I the Wave? is clearly derived from the same basic outline. But this time, the themes are far more electronic. If the first was the condensation of all things lovely in the music of the late 60s, this one draws far more heavily from the 80s.

There is something profound lost in the translation. Gone is the sense gentle intimacy; this is a far more impersonal sound. However, there are advantages as well. The lushness is replaced with a silvery metallic tone, one which blends in wonderfully uncanny ways with his voice. Was I the Wave? is a very good record, but one that feels just a bit too one-note. Van Pelt is a master of building soundscapes, but you can’t help but wish he’d given himself a little more variety to play with.

When you really get down to it, there are maybe a dozen absolutely wonderful moments on this record. If you can devote yourself to listening to it as a whole, they gain a lot of power from their placement within the scheme of the whole record. However, if you aren’t in the mood, or if you are trying to digest it in doses the overall structure gets dislodged and you can’t help but think that these songs drag a bit.

Some examples of the perfect moments: the percussion on “Raw Spectacle” after it gets going; the final moments of “Awe” after the throbbing synths dissipate; about 3 minutes into “Miscalculations” when the wave crests; the vocal performance on “Spectre” which accentuates and develops the melody of the song into something stunning.

Highlights: Spectre, Miscalculations, Raw Spectacle, Immanent Domain

6. The Submarines – Love Notes/Letter Bombs

When faced with the slogan ‘change vs. more of the same’ The Submarines are clearly a ‘more of the same’ sort of band. And that’s just fine!

They’ve got a style and a key, and they stick to it. And you know what, in many ways, I really respect that. I think bands are far too often committed to switching things for no reason other than a desire to prove that they’ve got something deeper going on. I don’t think there’s any shame in playing to your strengths, which in this case means dealing out ten more delicious slices of indie pop. To the extent that there are changes, they mostly involve tapping into the New New Wave movement. But really, with a few exceptions, adding some synths doesn’t change the essentially acoustic charm.

“A Satellite, Stars and an Ocean Behind You” is right up there with their best tracks, as pretty as anything they’ve done, and with the same sort of energy that made “You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie” such a blast. The final track “Anymore” takes some time to find its feet, but about a minute and a half in it all starts to click. Then, when they reprise the tone of the opening minute it all makes so much more sense – like a magic eye clicking into place. And “Fire” is probably the most straightforward pop they’ve produced so far, but with the delicate touch you’d expect from them.

It’s quite possible that these two will never produce an album to match Declare a New State, but if they can churn out a fun record like this every couple years I won’t be doing any lamenting.

Highlights: A Satellite, Stars and an Ocean Behind You, Fire, Anymore, Tigers

5. Radical Face – The Family Tree: The Roots

An album that has grown with me quite a bit. My initial review was a bit hesitant, but repeated listens have mostly quelled those doubts. It’s an album of highs and lows, with a few out-of-this-world good songs, mixed with a bunch that mostly just tread water. But the highs are so good that you can forgive the somewhat clipped wings.

Listen to the bit around 2:10 on ‘A Pound of Flesh’ – the wordless chorus that rises like a jet taking flight. It’s a glorious moment of awakening and joy.

And then there is the exquisite ‘Always Gold,’ a song almost too beautiful for words. It contains a complete narrative, with a slow buildup leading into an opening verse that I already described in my songs post as the best musical moment of the year. The plaintiveness of his voice is pitch-perfect here, communicating a sort of triumphant resignation.

Finally, the tightly wound, almost fierce, passion of ‘Ghost Towns.’ If my central concern is that the album feels contrived, manufactured by a self-aware author, this is the one song that completely breaks the mold. The impulse for restraint gives way and he simply lets thing be precisely what they demand. It’s just a wonderful piece of writing and comes to life in a way very few songs can.

Highlights: Always Gold, Ghost Towns, A Pound of Flesh, Black Eyes

4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Here We Rest

Full of energy and passion and pierced through with the sort of raw emotion that defines the very best of country, rock, and everything in between.

The general theme of the album is loss. Each song offers a vignette on the subject. Sometimes the loss is positive, and often it is complicated. The loss of childhood, giving up on a broken dream, the abandonment of fear. There’s “Tour of Duty” which tells the story of a soldier returning home, and the awkwardness of coming back into the normal world of everyday life. “We’ve Met” is about meeting a long-forgotten love, and the self-reflection it demands. “Stopping By” gives us a peek into the heart of a long-absent father trying to make amends. He doesn’t ask us to fully sympathize with the father, simply wants us to see the pain of someone who knows they’ve done wrong. And “Codeine” is a tour de force, an ambling country-tinged ballad about getting dumped because someone else can get access to better drugs.

Isbell says very little that we haven’t already heard. Which isn’t the worst thing. There’s something to be said for doing something well and not worrying about trying to guss it up. In particular, Isbell’s voice is pretty limited. And the album’s best songs are the ones which work with that fact, rather than trying to step beyond his range. His weary chorus in “Alabama Pines” (‘somebody take me home, through these Alabama pines’) is glorious in its evocation of a disenchanted southern spirit. The limitation in his voice betrays a larger limitation in worldviews and possibility. And it’s perfectly counterpointed by some achingly sad guitar work. It’s my favorite song of the year and a fitting cornerstone for a great, great record.

Highlights: Alabama Pines, Codeine, We’ve Met, Tour of Duty, Save It For Sunday

3. I Break Horses – Hearts

I’ve had this one for less than a week, so there’s every chance I’m actually ranking it too low. It’s just a wonderful piece of shoegazy-bliss. This is everything that the M83 record was supposed to be and much much more. Electronic textures, dreamy vocals, and absolutely perfect melodies.

‘Horses’ spatters and stutters with the texture of white noise – providing the perfect background for the slow movements of her silky smooth voice. ‘I Kill Your Love, Baby!’ sounds like it’s coming from the bottom of a deep, secret well. It sound distant, untouched, pure. ‘Load Your Eyes’ is probably the most straightforward song, but even here there’s a high premium on exploring what can be done with sound.

The real treat of the record, though, is the final two tracks. ‘Empty Bottles’ actually provides a bit of a rhythm track. If most of the record is about the slow unfolding of experience, this track is a reminder that sometimes you must bring the world to you and not the other way around. It’s counterpoint, though, is the final track ‘No Way Outro’ which suggests an entirely different concept of experience. To listen to this song is to recognize experience not as a series of independent events but instead as the sum total of a universe far beyond our individual comprehension. There is something cosmic, almost spiritual to it.

Highlights: No Way Outro, Empty Bottles, Horses, Load Your Eyes

2. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong

Belong is one of the very best records this year – in addition to being one of the best records of the 90s, fifteen years too late.

The opening title track announces their presence with a bang. Within the first few seconds the guitars take off and spectral images of the old video for “Today” (you know, the one with the ice cream truck) start to form in your mind. Then, you get the soft half of the soft/loud dynamic, which has the sort of bouncy melodies you’d expect from the band. All of which only makes the return of the guitars with the chorus all the more forceful.

However, even with the new gauzy textures, the heart of the band remains in great indie pop music. The twee spirit remains strong in a series of songs about feelings and love and the like (‘Anne With an E’ is a reference to Anne of Green Gables, for example). It is not a record for analyzing the lyrics book in search of some deep meaning. Divorced from the context of the performance, it’s all pretty trite. But, in a way, that’s precisely what makes the record so good. The sheer naïveté, the excitement and energy, the willingness to sound foolish. You have to give yourself up to it, accept the internal logic, and you’ll find the deeper truth: the incredible thing about love is the way it can make the banal feel like magic.

Easily one of the best records of 2011, and almost certainly the most joyful.

Highlights: Belong, Even in Dreams, My Terrible Friend, Heavens Gonna Happen Now, The Body

1. Beirut – The Rip Tide

There has never been any doubt about Zach Congdon’s immense talents. But somehow the previous Beirut albums never struck me. Folk music with horns, what’s not to like? But the songs seemed too posed, too expectant, too rigid in the memories they evoked. This time, the perfect note is struck over and over. From the very first moments it is clear that something special is taking place.

In the previous cases, it seemed to me that song itself was the object of devotion. Intense work went into its manufacture, and their energies were devoted to careful cultivation of the landscape. On The Rip Tide, all that energy is now devoted outward to the world itself. The songs are still delicately made, but it appears almost completely effortless. There is no hint of pretense or artifice; instead you get the simple joy of a spirit unleashed and free. The subject is solitude, of camaraderie, of loss, and the things we eventually find to replace the irreplaceable. It is the remembrances of past loves.

Each song is perfectly balanced, from the quiet and reflective ‘Goshen’ to the enthusiastic gait of ‘Vagabond’ to the silky smooth waves of ‘The Rip Tide.’ However, ‘A Candle’s Fire’ is the tour de force. It is the sound of the rising sun burning the horizon red and gold. The horns are warm, full of vitality and care. And they receive a perfect counterpoint in Congdon’s voice, which is rich and smoky.

At just 33 minutes, this record comes and goes before you know it. The only recourse is to return to the beginning and let it play again, and again.

Highlights: A Candle’s Fire, The Rip Tide, Goshen, Vagabond, Payne’s Bay, East Harlem

Honorable Mentions:

Asobi Seksu – Fluorescence.  A perfectly nice record from a band who ought to be trying to fry your brains in shoegazy noise.

Mates of State – Mountaintops. A perfectly nice record from a band who ought to be a bit less bland!

Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die. Pretty indistinguishable from the last couple Mogwai records, which isn’t a bad thing.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! – Hysterical. When it’s good, it’s pure indie rock bliss circa 2005. When it’s mediocre, it’s mediocre indie rock circa 2005.

Tica Douglas – I Love Mahself, Yup Yup. Clever, tuneful singer-songwriter fare. From a friend of mine, who is working on a new record.

Delay Trees – Delay Trees. A combination of many things great and Scandinavian: gentle acoustic pop, big waves of guitars, nice melodies.

Bombadil – All That the Rain Promises. Their previous record was one of the best of the last decade, so this was never going to quite live up for me. It’s still charming, like everything from them, but just lacks the oomph I was hoping for.

As always, it’s limited to one song per artist. And I’m continuing my tradition of not really talking about the whole song, but instead focusing in and highlighting the single best moment.

40. Someone Like You (youtube link) – Adele
0:42 – Sometimes the general public is right, and Adele is one of those instances. She’s got crossover appeal up the wazoo, and it’s not hard to understand why, with singing like this.

39. Oh Holy Night – Vanessa Peters
2:47 – One of my favorite Christmas songs, done with passion and care.

38. Mary, Don’t You Weep – Bodies of Water
0:36 – It’s just two seconds, and there’s really nothing happening, but it makes the whole song for me. Just that brief respite, when the galloping beat is running on its own. Somehow it enlivens everything else.

37. Queen Of Hearts – Fucked Up
1:55 – The best transition in music this year. I have a hard time dealing with hardcore vocal styles in large doses – but as a set-up for this moment, it’s absolutely perfect.

36. Hip Hop – Tica Douglas
2:04 – Not exactly a new song for 2011, since I was listening to this four years ago, but finally released as an actual record. “It’s not that I’m not happy; life just feels too planned” is just a great lyric.

35. Against The Grain – Hudson
3:22 – This sounds like the combination of about 50 bands I loved back around 2001 – Hefner, Beulah, Sebadoh, Mazarin – just a very nice little bit of indie folk.

34. Countdown (youtube link) – Beyonce
1:18 – Approximately a dozen people have songwriting credits for this song – my theory is that each wrote a complete song, and then they took 15 seconds of each and turned them into one mega-Beyonce-mashup. And it works! This bit is my favorite, with Beyonce at her most flagrantly joyous.

33. Plant White Roses (Buffalo Rome) – Stephin Merritt
0:33 – I just cannot get over how much I love Shirley Simms’ voice.

32. One Whole Year – Bombadil
0:48 – Climing, climbing, climbing…and then taking a leap, spreading your wings and soaring down over the valley.

31. Old Man – Dark Mean
3:12 – ‘Happy Banjo’ is actually my favorite track from this album, but that one actually went on my 2009 list, and I don’t love the new recording. So I’m going to go with this bit of guitar-washed noise. Mogwai’s record this year was pretty good, but this song is better than anything on that album.

30. Trance Out – Asobi Seksu
0:58 – The first time I heard Asobi Seksu, it just bewildered my senses and left me stunned. They haven’t really delivered on that promise with the past couple albums, but this song is a wonderful exception.

29. Shine (feat. Cate Ferris) – Nordic Giants
4:21 – The instrumentation is sparse, like the very lightest sort of rain. And the vocal performance from Cate Ferris moves with an suppleness that seems impossible to picture in solid form. The first four minutes are beautiful; the final minute is epic

28. One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend) – Wilco
5:13 – It’s basically impossible to pick one single moment from this song. The whole point is that it’s a 12 minute rumination on an incredibly simple musical theme. Which is to say: it all sounds the same. So I’ll just go with the lyric that bites the deepest for me.

27. Tether – Dreamers of the Ghetto
4:18 – I’m always on the lookout for the best Springsteen-esque song of the year. This one was the clear winner for 2011. Those big ringing guitars, the circular push ever forward, the backing vocals – it all screams Boss.

26. Colours (Captain Cuts Remix) – Grouplove
0:46 – Just a big, fun electro-pop song, remixed to give it a slightly stuttering tilt.

25. We Found Love (youtube link) – Rihanna
1:53 – It wasn’t a year for big, boisterous choruses, but you can always count on Rihanna to bring one. This song is so aggressively simple and catchy that it’s pure hipster post-ironic gold.

24. Spectre – Miracle Fortress
2:33 – I just can’t get enough of his voice. It somehow sounds metallic and deeply organic, like some kind of android electro-psych troubadour from the 28th century.

23. Perth – Bon Iver
2:32 – The unbelievable instrumental second half of this song is about as good as anything made this year. Those drums are the sound of Ragnorak raining down on us.

22. Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) – Wombats
1:08 – A big stupid, synth-pop song from the Wombats. Are we supposed to take the metaphor seriously, or is it a joke? Who cares? It sounds great.

21. Abducted – Cults
1:30 – All the bright, cheery sound of 60s girl-group pop – and all the pain and suffering of Law and Order SVU. It’s like the Twilight Zone version of “Elevator Love Letter.”

20. Super Bass (youtube link) – Nicki Minaj
0:31 – Nicki Minaj is a bit hit-or-miss but when it all comes together she’s as good as anyone in the business. It took me awhile to acknowledge how good this song is, but I finally came around.

19. Young Blood – The Naked and Famous
3:23 – Like cotton candy: a delicious reminder of simpler times.

18. Same Mistake – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
0:53 – Just a great piece of indie rock, circa 2005. Why change what works?

17. Bubble – King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
1:51 – “I leave you to grieve, tear over my letters.” Oh my god, it’s so good.

16. All Die Young – Smith Westerns
2:34 – Sure, this totally rips off the coda of “Oh Yoko” but does it with such assuredness and passion that you just can’t help but love it.

15. Ignite – Raveonettes
0:35 – You can always count on The Raveonettes to supply one of the big, blow-out-your-speakers choruses of the year.

14. Best Night – War on Drugs
1:30 – Just the right sort of woozy, when the whole world comes at you in waves.

13. A Satellite, Stars and an Ocean Behind You – Submarines
0:35 – Something unexpected, a little electronic giddy-up that breathes a new sort of spirit into an already very pretty song.

12. Gold – Delay Trees
0:40 – The whole song is about the buildup to that big climax, but for me the best bit is here toward the beginning. The spacey guitars and then the delicate acoustic pluck suggest something amazing is about to happen. But the anticipation itself is the most essential component.

11. January Hymn – Decemberists
1:50 – Colin Meloy is at his best in this sort of dreamy landscape. Strip away all the prog-stylings they’ve dabbled in recently and we get something pure and perfect.

10. Ivory Coast – Pure Bathing Culture
1:30 – Like stepping into a warm bath of ringing guitars and gentle melody. It’s a song that aches for summer love and wistful smiles. And it’s easily one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard this year.

9. Rider – Okkervil River
3:15 – This band is the king of buildup and release. And this is the finest example from them in quite a while.

8. No Way Outro – I Break Horses
2:18 – The whole last two minutes of this song are absolutely epic, but this is when that stage is ushered in. Those two little bass notes somehow manage to signal the shifting of an entire world.

7. Fuck This Place – Frightened Rabbit
2:37 – Frightened Rabbit + Tracyanne Campbell? Yes, yes, one million times yes!

6. Always Gold – Radical Face
1:36 – The opening verse to this song is probably my favorite musical moment of the whole year. It is simple, beautiful, and aches all the way down to the marrow. It’s more evocative than most novels.

5. A Candle’s Fire – Beirut
2:24 – Just beautiful. I’m a sucker for horns, and they’re deployed here with devastating effect.

4. Belong – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
1:14 – Basically everything awesome about the 90s condensed into two seconds.

3. Meredith & Iris – Carissa’s Wierd
1:55 – The first new music from Carissa’s Wierd in almost a decade. And as beautiful as ever. Be still my heart. Carissa’s Wierd are, in my mind, the Van Gogh of the 21st century. Some day the rest of the world will hear what I hear.

2. World Tour (Weezy, Wale, Dre) – Brenton Duvall
1:37 – Picks out the chorus of Wale’s “World Tour,” and supplements it with raps from Lil’ Wayne and Dre’s “Forget About Dre,” placing each of them against a shimmering, beautiful, insistent background of electronic The resulting creation sounds totally distinct and organic – it’s almost impossible to picture these pieces in their original form. The Dre part, in particular, is utterly different. What came off as aggressive and petulant when backed by Eminem now sounds strangely humble, even hopeful.

1. Alabama Pines – Jason Isbell
0:45 – It’s achingly sad: a perfect encapsulation of a disenchanted Southern spirit, of dead-end dreams and a weariness with the world. His voice on the chorus just brings me to my knees every time I hear it.