#10: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

Release Year: 2008

Steven Wilson is probably my favorite musician, and his work in 2007-2008 is probably why.  In this general time period, he was involved in Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet, Blackfield's II, and this, his first solo album.

Insurgentes was named after the main drag in Mexico City where this was recorded, and it is more textured, abstract, and electronic than his Porcupine Tree work.  You'll find more variety here than in any of his countless other projects, from straightforward rock ("Harmony Korine"), to loud and discordant ("Salvaging"), to ambient ("Veneno Para Las Hadas," "Twilight Coda"), to killer bass groove ("No Twilight Within The Courts Of The Sun"), to wall-of-sound (the end of "Get All You Deserve").

This is one of those albums I can listen to nonstop.  It was Wilson's most ambitious work to date, and easily his most beautiful.  At the time, it was also one of the finest sounding albums I had heard, and has only since been matched by some of the other albums he has mixed.

PS: I should note that I think his new solo album, Grace For Drowning, is even better, but since it was released only a month ago, I'm not going to include it.  Just know that it's probably going to be in my top ten when the dust settles.

Standout tracks:

• Harmony Korine
• No Twilight In The Courts Of The Sun
• Significant Other

#31: Punch Brothers - Punch

Release Year: 2008

Punch Brothers are one of my favorite bands.  The musical talent and creativity these guys have is paramount.  They were formed by Chris Thile (of Nickel Creek fame) as a vehicle to record the 40 minute long suite he composed called "The Blind Leaving The Blind."  They went ahead and recorded an album of covers and original songs called How to Grow a Woman From the Ground, and then, a couple years later, finally went into the studio to record the suite.  Punch is the result.

The one thing I value most in music is originality.  An album can have great songs, but if it doesn't bring anything new to the table, its ceiling is a lot lower.  Punch is about as unique as it gets...how many albums are there with bluegrass instrumentation, while being centered around a jazz and classical music influenced four-movement suite?  This is certainly the only one I've heard.

Besides their phenomenal aptitude, and musical creativity, these guys just keep it interesting.  I've seen them three times now, and each show was completely different.  They might play their early material; they might play newer material; they might play some Beck, Radiohead, or Strokes; and they might even play some Bach.

Definitely check this one out if you like to be challenged.

Note: "The Blind Leaving the Blind" is the subject of an excellent new documentary called How to Grow a Band. I'm not sure if it's going to ever have a wide release, but it was a thoroughly engaging watch, and an interesting window into the trade-offs in trying to write the music you want vs. pleasing your audiences. I was fortunate enough to watch this documentary, and get a limited edition poster signed by the band.

Note 2: Check out the cover.  I just noticed that they're sorted from shortest to tallest, and also from least dressed to most dressed.  Awesome. 

 Standout tracks:

• The Blind Leaving the Blind
• Punch Bowl 

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum

Release Date: July 29, 2008
Label: Lost Highway

 There's nothing like a thick British accent.  And nobody has a thicker British accent than Johnny Flynn.

Johnny Flynn (who is credited in acting roles as "Joe Flynn"... I don't know which, if either, is his real name) is relatively new on the scene, arising from the same English folk scene as Noah and the Whale and Mumford & Sons. His first album, A Larum, is title after the Middle English word for "Alarm."  I'm not sure if there is any significance to using a Middle English word for the title, but this album does have a sound that seems to hearken back to times past.  Certain passages have a bit of a Renaissance feel to them.

The album says "Johnny Flynn" on it, but the band is actually "Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit."  I don't know why they don't put the full band name; perhaps the label thought it would sell better if it's a "solo" record?  Personally, I think The Sussex Wit sounds cool.

Here is the track list:

1	The Box	3:36
2	The Wrote & The Writ	4:07
3	Tickle Me Pink	3:11
4	Brown Trout Blues	5:02
5	Eyeless in Holloway	4:05
6	Shore to Shore	4:23
7	Cold Bread	3:29
8	Wayne Rooney	4:18
9	Leftovers	4:16
10	Sally	3:35
11	Hong Kong Cemetery	4:51
12	Tunnels	3:08
13	All the Dogs are Lying Down	4:13
14	Shore to Shore (Reprise)	1:27

This is catchy, straightforward English folk rock with catchy tunes and excellent harmonies.  I especially like the use of the banjo in songs like "Eyeless in Holloway."  The lyrics do have a bit of a dark tone, which contrasts nicely with the upbeat melodies:

There's a man at hand, there's a way between
The sinking sand and a crooked dream
And collared off at the modern age of nine
Summoned off for walking down the line.

They lost eyes in old city streets
Where the funeral pyres burned the last of the meek. 

Or:

Monsters in the valley, and shootings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn.
There is no straight and narrow, offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn. 

I can honestly say the only dud here is "Brown Trout Blues."  It drags a little bit.  But the rest of the songs are great.  Definitely check out this one if you like English folk rock.



★★★☆