We're over half way through the year... I figured I'd rank all the new albums I've heard so far.
1. Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs
Emotional. Rich. Textured. Atmospheric. It's hard to find enough words to describe how beautiful this album is. It's a perfect tribute to Ari Picker's late mother. It's simultaneously sad and uplifting. Rarely do you find an album with such a coherent bond between the lyrics and the music. Here, Picker proves he's an expert in tone.
2. Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now?
I initially met this album with trepidation, since their previous album is one of my favorites, and I wasn't too keen on the first track, which was released online a few weeks before the full album. But here they've proven that they can make music that is more accessible, but just as interesting... While staying true to their acoustic instruments.
3. Anathema - Weather Systems
This is excellent prog rock. It takes you through a range of emotions, it is intricately constructed (listen to the layered vocals on "The Gathering of the Clouds" in surround sound, and prepare to be blown away), and it just gets better with each listen.
4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Here
I'm probably in the minority, but I like this better than their previous record. It doesn't have a hit song, but it does a great job capturing a traditional revival feel.
5. Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere
Nice sincere folk rock. All of the songs are pretty good, and there are some nice, catchy melodies here.
6. Of Monsters And Men - My Head Is An Animal
This is a fun listen. Lots of bombast; probably closer to the first Edward Sharpe album than the new Edward Sharpe album is.
7. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home
Darrell is one of my favorite songwriters, and here we see him making back porch country music. Simple, honest, and genuine.
8. The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Here
I was never the biggest fan of this guy, but he does have an interesting Dylan-esque quality, and I like the acoustic guitar.
9. Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio - Across The Imaginary Divide
Saw these guys at Telluride Bluegrass, and was impressed. It's like a very tight jazz ensemble with a banjo.
10. Leftover Salmon - Aquatic Hitchhiker
I haven't been able to fully digest this one yet, but there are some quality cuts here.
Other albums I like that didn't make my top 10 yet:
Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back
Farrar, Johnson, Parker, Yames - New Multitudes
Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden
Trampled By Turtles - Stars And Satellites
Rhett Miller - The Dreamer
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
I've been listening to a lot of 70s music lately. What a great decade, when many timeless musicians wrote their most timeless music. Anyways, I have all kinds of 70s records sitting on my shelf that I haven't listened to more than once or twice... And I didn't grow up in the 70s, so there are obviously all kinds of musicians from that time that I haven't even heard. So I'm not going to have any pretense that these are the 75 best songs from the 70s; they're just 75 great songs, roughly sorted in order of how much I like them.
75. Neil Young - Hold Back The Tears American Stars 'N' Bars - 1977 American Stars 'N' Bars kicked off a sort-of country/folk era for Neil Young. This album is one of the least awesome in the strongest stretched of albums produced by any artist, but it's still solid. This is probably my favorite track from the album, though "Like A Hurricane" is probably the most well-known.
74. Gentle Giant - Mobile Free Hand - 1975
Gentle Giant weren't quite as successful as other such prog acts as Yes, King Crimson, ELP, etc., but they certainly didn't lack in originality. I don't know what to say about "Mobile," other than it's an excellent prog track.
73. King Crimson - Ladies of the Road Islands - 1971 "Ladies of the Road" is interesting for both its funky bass line, and the accusations of misogyny that resulted from this track. It is most definitely naughty. Ranks high in both humor and crudeness.
72. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Helpless Deja Vu - 1970 Truth be told, I like this one better when Neil does it solo, but I'll reference the CSNY version, anyways. Nice, mellow, melodic pop song.
71. Elton John - I've Seen That Movie Too Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973 I may be criticized for choosing this over more popular songs from the same album, "Bennie and the Jets," and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." But this one simply has a better melody, and a nice feel.
70. Yes - Turn of the Century Going For The One - 1977 I really like the sound of this one... Little, if any, percussion; just atmosphere. It actually builds up nicely, despite its relative sparseness.
69. Gentle Giant - On Reflection Free Hand - 1975 This song is a clinic on vocal harmony. It sounds like there are at least 30 vocal parts playing off of each other. Also, the band member switch instruments during the song, even when playing live. Cool.
68. Jackson Browne - Under The Falling Sky Jackson Browne - 1972 An excellent track from Browne's debut album, "Under The Falling Sky" really works because of its interesting traditional/minimalist percussion.
67. Yes - Release, Release Tormato - 1978 Tormato was not well-received in the Yes community due to the perception that they were shunning prog in order to write pop music. But it's hard for me to denounce this album, because it has some great music, even if they are slightly poppy. "Release, Release" is certainly better than that completely unlistenable "Owner of a Lonely Heart" that somehow became their biggest hit in the 80s.
66. Crazy Horse - Dance, Dance, Dance Crazy Horse - 1971
Crazy Horse has actually been Neil Young's backing band on many an occasion, but they did release an album or two on their own. I believe "Dance, Dance, Dance" was actually penned by Neil, but it sounds great here.
65. Neil Young - Campaigner Decade - 1979; Chrome Dreams - 1975 (unreleased) "Campaigner" is the best Neil Young song never to make it onto a Neil Young studio album, besides maybe "Ohio." I like the feel of this song, from the acoustic guitar, to the vocal dynamics.
64. The Rolling Stones - Far Away Eyes Some Girls - 1978 I like the Rolling Stones when they get weird, and this is a weird song. It features a spoken word verse with Mick Jagger talking like a country bumpkin, which makes the chorus that much more catchy.
63. Led Zeppelin - The Battle of Evermore Led Zeppelin IV - 1971 At some point in time, John Paul Jones fell in love with the mandolin, and this was one of the first songs to really showcase the instrument. Pair a few mandolins up with a renaissance-sounding vocal melody, and you get one of the more interesting songs Zeppelin conjured up.
62. Billy Joel - You're My Home Piano Man - 1973 This is one of those songs that doesn't really stick out when you're listening to the record, but when you hear it in a mix, it shines. I think it largely has to do with the guitar sound.
61. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Ohio Decade - 1979; So Far - 1974 "Ohio" was one of the most well-known protest songs in the 70s, but it never appeared on a record until CSNY's So Far collection. Penned in response to the Kent State shootings, Ohio sometimes resurfaces when the issue of police violence enters into the public consciousness.
60. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Travelin' Band Cosmo's Factory - 1970 John Fogerty was never accused of making his songs too complex, and this song is a perfect example of how great a really simple song can be. It almost sounds like a late 50s rockabilly tune, except with Fogerty's distinctive vocal style.
59. The Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) Goats Head Soup - 1973 This track is the perfect marriage of the British Invasion sound better characterized by early Stones work, and the 70s rock they were fully immersed in by Beggar's Banquet or Exile.
58. Led Zeppelin - Tangerine III - 1970 Led Zeppelin's III has some great work, but this song best epitomizes Zep's folky side, which is my favorite side of Led Zeppelin.
57. Yes - Clap The Yes Album - 1971 Possibly an unconventional choice, since it's really just a guitar solo, but it is one of my favorite guitar solos. I'd consider my guitar playing ability sufficient if I could just learn this song.
56. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama Second Helping - 1974 Who doesn't like this song? It has one of the most popular guitar riffs ever. The history of this song makes it even better; it was written in response to one or two Neil Young songs about racism in the South (hence the reference to Neil Young in one of the verses), one of which is
55. Neil Young - Southern Man After The Gold Rush - 1971 Neil Young is great when he stirs up controversy, and this one made quite the dig at the South. Besides its being a scathing critique of racism in the South, it is just a great song.
54. King Crimson - Cat Food In The Wake Of Poseidon - 1970 Poseidon was one of Crimson's weaker albums in the 70s, but it still produced some gems... One of which is the weird little track "Cat Food." This one may need to be heard in surround sound, due to its many instrumental and vocal tracks.
53. King Crimson - Fallen Angel Red - 1974 By the time Red came around, King Crimson was a trio, creating a much different feel than classical- and jazz-influenced work from Poseidon, Lizard, and Islands. "Fallen Angel" has a nice melody and great dynamics, and is possibly the song that best utilizes the trio format.
52. Billy Joel - Why Judy Why Cold Spring Harbor - 1971 Cold Spring Harbor, Joel's debut record, never achieved the fame his later records did, but it is, in my opinion, one of his best. "Why Judy Why" was one of his first great ballads, and served as a great starting point for one of the best songwriters of the 70s.
51. Kris Kristofferson - Don't Cuss The Fiddle Waylon & Willie - 1978 This song was recorded by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, but it was written by Kristofferson, generally considered one of the best country songwriters ever. I'm not hugely familiar with Kristofferson's work, but this is probably one of my top five country songs ever.
Sometimes when getting to know people, the question comes up: "Do you listen to country music?" To that I am often tempted to respond, with a silent jab at what passes for country nowadays, "I listen to country music. Do you?"
I hate that new crap that passes for country music, and so does the Rolling Stone editor whose comments are pasted on the back of the vinyl edition which I possess: "Some of the stuff that's passing for country these days...is nothing but a disgrace. The world needs a lot more Waylon & Willie right now and a whole lot less of that other crap." Yes, I hate what I typically refer to as country pop, which is what most modern country is.
That's not to say "Waylon & Willie" wasn't popular. It was. In fact, this came at the height of the outlaw country movement, and it topped the country charts for several months. But this was legitimate country.
The music here is solid, with the highlights being two songs written by another outlaw country stalwart, Kris Kristofferson: "Don't Cuss The Fiddle" and "The Year 2003 Minus 25." I first fell in love with these tunes when I heard them performed by the lighthearted bluegrass cover trio Keller and the Keels. This is probably not the greatest country album ever, but it is the one that introduced me to both Jennings and Nelson, and the outlaw country movement in general. More importantly, it showed me that country music can be enjoyed, if done correctly.
Well, it's over. Got back an hour and a half ago from my new favorite yearly event, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. In case you haven't been to this particular festival, or heard much about it, it is hardly bluegrass music at all, in the traditional Bill Monroe way. For the most part, it is more bluegrass-y music, in various styles and genres. To my knowledge, none of the following 2011 TBF artists have ever played anything resembling bluegrass:
The Head and The Heart (indie folk)
Sarah McLachlan (folk/rock)
Joe Pug (folk)
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (jazz)
The Decemberists (indie folk/rock)
Darrell Scott (country-folk)
Abigail Washburn (folk?)
Mumford & Sons (folk rock)
Robert Plant (folk rock)
That's probably like half the lineup. And most of the remaining artists either have only played limited amounts of bluegrass but are known for other things (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Edgar Meyer) or play progressive bluegrass. So there you have it... A bluegrass festival that would offend bluegrass traditionalists.
Wednesday
I drove up early Wednesday, played a round of golf, and got settled into my condo, after which I turned my attention to the festival.
The festival officially started with a free show in Mountain Village on Wednesday, opened by Sarah Jarosz, and Cornmeal following. I didn't watch Sarah (I have respect for her talent, especially at such a young age, but don't care for her music), but Cornmeal didn't disappoint. After Cornmeal was the 10th annual kickoff party with Yonder Mountain String Band, which I attended. In typical Yonder fashion, it featured a few bluegrass songs, a few of their bluegrassy-but-not-bluegrass tunes, some very extended jams (which is why we watch this band)... and an audience hot boxing an indoor conference center where I highly doubt smoking of any kind is allowed.
Thursday
Thursday started off slow. Tim O'Brien and Kevin Burke opened. I listened, but one can only take so much of two fiddles playing Irish music. The Head and The Heart followed... I like their record, but their show was basically just hearing their record played on stage. I know they're young, so they have time to work on building more of a stage presence.
Cornmeal, again, did not disappoint. This band is somewhat mysterious; it's hard to even find someone who could name a single Cornmeal studio album. There has to be one, right?
I skipped Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper to take a short hike up Bear Creek behind the stage. Very scenic, though a little exhausting at that elevation.
Bear Creek Falls
I returned for Steve Earle's set, which I enjoyed. We skipped Sarah McLachlan in favor of dinner in Telluride, and returned for the House Band.
The highlight of the day turned out to be the following event: the Trampled by Turtles nightgrass show at the high school auditorium (aka "Palm Theater"). I knew this band would be intense, but I still left amazed at the raw energy this band has (interestingly, the program blurb about TbT alleges that they used to play all their shows sitting down).
Friday I was expecting Friday to be superb. The lineup was solid on paper, and there was at least one new band I was interested in checking out (Stringdusters). It started with Joe Pug, who is very talented to be sure, but gets a little dull after a few songs. Chris Thile and Michael Daves then took the stage, and amazed everybody with their technical chops. I have no clue who Michael Daves is, but that man is an amazing guitar player.
By the time The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage, it had begun drizzling. Their music was OK (the only things I remember are the only songs I recognized: Danny Barnes' "Get It While You Can" and U2's "In God's Country." Because of the rain, I ditched out to have lunch with the gang.
We all returned to watch Jerry Douglas' trio perform, which was pretty good. I left early to hit up Elks Park, where the Punch Brothers were supposed to perform. Unfortunately, the Troubadour contest ran late, so I was only able to hear two Punch Brothers songs before I had to make my way back for Trampled.
And again, Trampled by Turtles won the day:
Emmylou Harris followed, and then Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. A few of us left Flecktones early to return the condo. I took care of some business, and then returned for Railroad Earth. Unfortunately, my back wasn't feeling it, so I left Railroad Earth halfway through.
Saturday On Saturday morning, there was the second ever public screening of a new documentary about Punch Brothers entitled "How To Grow A Band." Since it was free, and because I love Punch Brothers, I decided to attend (even though it meant missing out on Nora Jane Struthers or Sara Watkins with Chris Thile (who schedules a movie that is basically about Chris Thile at the same time as a Watkins/Thile performance? seriously?)). I watched the movie with my buddies Myke and Futureman (just kidding, I didn't watch the movie with Futureman, although he was in the 186-seat theater). The movie began with Thile's history (notably with Nickel Creek), and then focused on the creation and evolution of his current band, Punch Brothers. It used his 40-minute, four movement suite about his divorce as the backdrop; the movie itself was divided up into four "movements," each of which features music from the corresponding movement of the song; and significant attention is given to how the piece is presented, and how that all fits into what the band is trying to accomplish.
After the movie, I visited Elks Park (it being a block away from the theater), and noticed that "Bela & Friends" were next. In what is very likely the most unfortunate decision in his life so far, Myke decided to head back to the main stage, whereas I decided to check out the set. The set went like this: a banjo duet with Noam Pickelny (of Punch Brothers fame); a duet with Casey Driesson (fiddlist); a banjo duet with his wife Abigail Washburn; an improvised quintet with Victor Wooten, Futureman, Chris Thile, and Driesson (more on this); a bluegrassy sextet with the former group plus Pickelny; a sextet with the former group, sans Pickelny and with Washburn; and a song with everybody. The highlight was the quintet, which was basically an improvised jazz number (Bela gave the other musicians directions before the song), which had an incredible duel between Victor and Bela. I really hope this shows up on Youtube.
I then headed back to the main stage, and caught Tim O'Brien's set. After that, Yonder put on a very solid show.
And then...The Decemberists. This show had what was easily the most memorable moment of the festival. Throughout the show, Colin Meloy frequently referenced a pick-off challenge he made in 2005 to Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglass, and claimed victory by forfeit. During the last song of the main set, The Decemberists went into a jam, and Meloy once again referenced the pick-off. Bela appeared on stage, and...well, I'll let you watch the rest:
Afterwards, Sam Bush took the stage, and was excellent as usual.
Needless to say, The Decemberists win the day.
Sunday Sunday began with the Darrell Scott & Friends Father's Day Gospel Hour. I like Darrell Scott, and this set was actually quite inspirational. I think I was actually more inspired by it than I would have been at church. Edgar Meyer followed...he was very respectable, but it was a little bit like listening to classical music. Which isn't a good idea when you tired. Chris Thile did join him at the end, which was quite enjoyable.
Next up was Abigail Washburn. I have to say, I was very impressed with her set. She gets the "Surprise Performance of the Weekend" award.
It had been a few years since I had seen Bridal Veil Falls, so I took a short jaunt up the road after Abigail's set. I returned about halfway through Pete Rowan's set, which was hard to focus on due to the very ominous-looking clouds to the west. And ominous was probably an appropriate way for them to come across, as they started leaking on us a little before Punch Brothers took the stage.
I like to think there are few things better than when one of your favorite artists covers another one of your favorite artists. That's what Punch Brothers did when they played Josh Ritter's "Another New World." Also, they did Beck's "Sexx Laws," which was also cool, in its own little way. They say Punch Brothers are unpredictable...
Mumford & Sons followed Punch Brothers. They put on a good show, and played several new tunes, but alas, I still left a little underwhelmed... but that's only because it's really hard to top what they did last year. After M&S, the rain finally stopped, and a clearing sky and setting sun revealed fresh snow only about 1,000 feet above Telluride. I have to say, the only reason I was able to endure that freezing cold rain, and even effectively ignore it, was because Punch Brothers and Mumford & Sons were the two bands playing right then.
The rest of the gang left after M&S, leaving me to enjoy Robert Plant by myself. And that I did. He played several of the tracks from his album Band of Joy, gave the spotlight to band members Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Buddy Miller to sing a song each (Darrell did "Satisfied Mind," one of the highlights of the set), and played several Led Zeppelin songs (Ramble On, What Is And What Should Never Be, Gallows Pole, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Black Country Woman (whose lyrics he admitted are "not exactly Shakespeare"), Houses of the Holy). I left around eleven, so he could've even done more after I left (as long as he didn't do Stairway, I'm OK missing it).
Robert Plant wins Sunday.
Monday Woke up Monday to... snow? Yes, it was white all over, and snow was still falling from the sky. Unbelievable. After loading up my car, I headed down to Telluride for one last walk through town (and two last Baked In Telluride doughnuts). The streets were dead, and most of the people out and about appeared to be locals. This scene captured the "festival is over" feeling of the morning:
Disassembling the Elks Park stage
It was a great trip. The music was superior to last year, and I think I'll have more memories come out of it. Plus, I got to share it with some friends this time.
T minus 366 days till Telluride 2012!
Addendum: I had a couple of philosophical thoughts about the festival since posting this:
If you want to know how steeped in tradition this crowd is... Or, in other words, whether this is really a "bluegrass" crowd... Consider that a lot of people in the crowd knew the lyrics to "Sexx Laws."
I think the thing that sets TBF apart from other popular festivals, in my mind, is the location. I love the San Juan Mountains. I don't love Indio, CA. TBF is in a village of a couple thousand people, which gets completely overwhelmed by the 10,000+ people who are there for the festival. You can walk across town in 15 minutes. You can leave your festival chair, go on a scenic four hour hike, and sit down again, without having to get in your car and drive somewhere. It's not about the music; it's about how the music interacts with the surrounding environs.
This is one I hadn't heard of until it was on sale at Amazon as a $2.99 MP3 download. I previewed a few tracks, and thought it sounded promising.
Justin Townes Earle is the son of country/rock singer Steve Earle, and like his father, who was often on the road, he became addicted to drugs at an early age. He spent most of the 90s letting drugs wreck his life, but eventually sobered up, after what was evidently his fifth major drug overdose. After sobering up, he began his music career. [1]
Harlem River Blues is Justin's fourth album in as many years, and can best be described as country folk. I would place this more on the mellow end of the spectrum, with only one or two upbeat tracks to be found.
Track list:
1
Harlem River Blues
2:48
2
One More Night in Brooklyn
3:04
3
Move Over Mama
2:00
4
Workin' for the MTA
3:48
5
Wanderin'
2:38
6
Slippin' and Slidin'
2:58
7
Christchurch Woman
4:11
8
Learning to Cry
2:41
9
Ain't Waitin'
2:16
10
Rogers Park
4:27
11
Harlem River Blues Reprise
:31
This album starts out very promising. Earle doesn't have a bad style; it's not country pop, it's country folk. Earle has a relatively twang-free baritone voice, and really, his singing is not too bad, although his range seems limited.
The lyrics give this album an interesting touch, with several of the songs alluding to New York City. My favorite is Workin' For The MTA:
I run the six line train, Clear from Brooklyn Bridge to Pelham Bay
About half way through the album, he starts to slip. It's not that the quality goes down, per se. It's more that he seems to run out of ideas, and the music starts getting repetitive. Most of the punches are pulled during the first half of the album, and it just kind of coasts to the end.
Which brings up my final complaint: the end comes just 31 minutes from the start. Half the tracks are under three minutes, leaving you with the feeling that he really left lots of territory unexplored. I felt like some of the tracks (Move Over Mama, for one) were great ideas that were cut short; there was more they could have offered had Earle taken them to their logical conclusions.
The whole album gives me the feeling that Earle could be a much better artist if, instead of cranking out a new album every year, he would spend more time developing the material he comes up with. Harlem River Blues is perhaps the foundation of a great album, but falls way short.
