So, I decided I'm going to totally rip off what Tyson is doing, and make a list of my 50 favorite albums. His list got me thinking about what I would put in my top 50, so I went ahead and compiled a list. And it was tough... I had to eliminate at least 25 outstanding albums that I really, really like. But the 50 I chose are all albums I would rate five stars.
So, here's the first one:
Release Year: 1996
First heard it in: 1997?
If you haven't at least heard the hits from Fashion Nugget ("I Will Survive" and "Going The Distance"), you probably weren't alive in 1996. "I Will Survive" is one of the best covers of an R&B songs ever made. "Going The Distance" was a staple at the time, and a song that is hard not to like.
Despite its excellent singles, I never bought this album until last year. I had heard it as a teenager, and I actually enjoyed it... But for some reason, I never bought it. I think what sold me on it the second time around is the wide array of influences contained herein (that sort of thing just would not have appealed to me as much 15 years ago). You have a Willie Nelson cover, a folksy toe-tapper in "Stickshifts and Safetybelts", the completely off-kilter and discordant "Open Book", and clever lyrics and horns strewn all about.
I don't like Cake's subsequent albums as much, but they hit it out of the ballpark on this one.
Release Date: January 26, 1987 Label: Def Jam/Columbia
Well, I got bored tonight, and decided to listen to the next album on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (if you're keeping track, this is the fourth one I've listened to since starting this monumental task). That would be Public Enemy's debut Yo! Bum Rush The Show.
I'm not the biggest hip hop fan in the world, but I can appreciate a good rap now and then. I'm a big Beasties fan, I've listened to Straight Outta Compton a handful of times, and I've even heard Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet and It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. When I listen to rap, I typically like it to be clever, not about sex and drugs, and socially conscious. That rules out almost all rap you hear on the radio.
I especially appreciate 80s rap. In the 80s, rap was all about rhymes and samples, and rappers were just average kids from a rough neighborhood freestyling about the system holding them down. And it worked, because they weren't multimillionaires rolling around in nice cars and big mansions. They really did live in a society where the black kids lived in a dangerous Brooklyn ghetto, and the white people all worked in offices in the Financial District. This is 1980s New York, and, having lived in black neighborhoods in The Bronx, I find rap about race issues in 1980s New York to be culturally interesting. Just watch Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing." It even prominently features Public Enemy's own "Fight The Power."
Now back to Yo! Bum Rush. This is very 1980s. The lyrics actually rhyme, and the rhythms are very straightforward. And of course, they're all about fighting the power:
And those who lack, the odds are stacked The one who makes the money is white, not black You might not believe it, but it's like that
Group leader Chuck D has one of the best voices in rap, and he is an expert at vocal inflection and tone. Check out the track "Rightstarter (Message to a Black Man)." It's Chuck D at his finest, and an example that every boring, monotone modern rapper should perhaps take a look at.
Don't worry, it's not all serious. They can boast with the best of them:
Oh yes, I presume it's the tunes - that make us groom To make all the ladies swoon But it's also the words from our direction - a goldboy session Kickin' like Bruce Lee's chinese connection
This is definitely not for everybody. If you don't like the socially conscious lyrics, you might get bored of this quickly. If you hate rap, you'll probably want to shut this off before the first song is over. But if you have any appreciation for hip-hop whatsoever, or just find black culture in any way fascinating, this is definitely one you should at least listen to once. It's been called one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time. I'd say if you liked "Do The Right Thing," you'd like this. It is, after all, the soundtrack to the slice of society that the movie depicts.
Standout tracks: Sophisticated Bitch, Rightstarter, Yo! Bum Rush The Show
Earlier this year (or maybe late last year), Abigail Washburn was announced as part of the lineup of the 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I hadn't heard of her, so this didn't really mean much to me. Later, Hoodlums announced she would be doing an in-store performance in March (which I was unable to attend), so I figured I'd further investigate this Abigail Washburn situation. Over the course of my research, I found that (a) she is married to banjo master Béla Fleck, and (b) she released a new album in January called City of Refuge.
I decided to give this a listen. My first impression was that it was that it was a nice, textured, well-written, and well-sung album, but not one that I could listen to often. I found it slightly boring, but, nevertheless, said if I ever saw a copy of it on vinyl, I'd pick it up.
At the TBF merch tent, I saw a copy of City of Refuge on vinyl, and I'm a man of my word.
It turns out I saw, in addition to her riveting main stage performance on Sunday, her sit-ins in Fleck's Saturday Elks Park performance, and I became a fan of hers that weekend. Not only is she excellent on the clawhammer banjo, but she has the warmest voice in all of female vocaldom, and no matter how many people are in attendance, all of her performances feel like they're taking place around the fire place in your living room.
Needless to say, I've listened to City of Refuge several more times since June, and this is now my favorite album of the year, almost eight months in.
What I like about this album (much of which is co-written with Kai Welch) are Abigail's warm voice, the brilliantly textured music, and the catchy melodies. From the soaring chorus in "City of Refuge," to the backing chorale in "Burn Thru," and especially the gospel-influenced "Divine Bell," once some of these songs get stuck in your head, the only way you can get it out is to listen to a different song on this album.
Musically, it is hard to categorize this. It has elements of bluegrass and folk. It can probably be fairly safely categorized as traditional, but unlike most bluegrass and folk, she strays from the typical American traditions which those genres typically carry on. Her view is more global; she learned Mandarin while living in China in 1996, and at times this record sounds almost like world music.
Where some songs are soaring, others are slow and soothing ("Bring Me My Queen," "Corner Girl," "Dreams Of Nectar," etc.). The instruments are sometimes sparse, and sometimes unite to form an auric river of music. Sometimes banjo pulls all the weight, as is the case with the delicate reverse arpeggios in "Corner Girl;" and sometimes it sits on the sidelines and lets the other instruments do the work. Whichever is the case, the atmosphere is always rich. Aside from the texture, the pacing of this record is excellent, with an excellent and well-timed mix of slow, atmospheric tunes, and the more upbeat toe-tappers.
This record is not for everybody, but if you like to mellow out every now and then, I'd highly recommend it.
It's been a few weeks since this was released, and I've given it a solid three or four listens. As such, I feel like I have had ample time to digest it. Seeing as it is one of the most hyped albums of the year so far (at least in certain circles), I figured I'd give it the business.
A decade or so ago, a musical movement started gaining steam. It wasn't as much a genre, as it was an idea. This movement was known as post-rock, and was described as music that is not rock music, but uses rock instruments. A few of these bands were Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kayo Dot (more post-metal), Explosions in the Sky, et al. To me, this type of music is characterized by a general lack of any coherent structure, atmospheric sounds, and the most unappealing melodies imaginable. I have been known to enjoy some pretty challenging music (even the most brazen King Crimson, Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, etc.), but I have never been able to find post-rock enjoyable.
Bon Iver is, to my knowledge, not considered post-rock, but the reason I bring this up is that Bon Iver seems to have some of the above qualities. It is heavy on ambience, the songs are atypically structured, and the melodies are completely forgettable.
This is an album that has me torn between passive respect and brooding disdain. On the one hand, I admire bands that try to push boundaries, and do things that aren't typically done. I generally enjoy music that takes a lot of work to become acclimated to. But at the same time, I find this album a chore to listen to. It's not just, "Whatever, at least it's good background music." It's actually difficult for me to listen to this. I hate the way the keyboards sound. I hate the flagrant overuse of the falsetto voice. Even more, I hate the cringe-worthy passages with two falsettos harmonizing. And after four listens, there is not a single melody that I remember.
In short, this album may be admirable in some respects, but it is not good.
That's not to say there aren't great songs. "Towers," for example, shines. More often, though–and this is another one of those post-rock qualities–there are simply good passages strewn about a field of tedium.
Inevitably this album will be considered by indie music journals and, by extension, hipsters everywhere to be one of the best of the year. And it will certainly be more deserving than that new Fleet Foxes album. But there are already at least a dozen other albums this year that I'd rather listen to.
If you're Facebook Friends™ with me, you'd know that yesterday morning I declared this week to be Billy Joel week. That means that the only thing playing in my car this week will be Billy Joel.
I like themed weeks. Back in the days when I used physical CDs in my car, I did these all the time. Now that I use an external hard drive, I pretty much always have my whole music collection on shuffle. Until I decided I can just load a flash drive with just one artist, and put that artist on shuffle... Hence, the re-inaugural artist week.
It has started off with a bang. I've already heard some of my favorite Joel tunes, including "The Entertainer," "C'Etait Toi," "Leave A Tender Moment Alone," "The Stranger," and more. On my way to work this morning, I was even treated to "Root Beer Rag!"
It should be noted that I only have eight Joel albums in my collection. So I'll only be hearing tunes from Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, and The Bridge (oh, how I'd like to add Turnstiles to my record collection!).
Just one day in, and I've already heard all of the following:
You're My Home
The Great Suburban Showdown
Root Beer Rag
Roberta
The Entertainer
Last of the Big Time Spenders
The Stranger
She's Always A Woman
Honesty
My Life
Half A Mile Away
Sometimes A Fantasy
All For Leyna
I Don't Want To Be Alone
C'Etait Toi
Where's The Orchestra?
Easy Money
The Longest Time
This Night
Uptown Girl
Careless Talk
Leave A Tender Moment Alone
Getting Closer
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.
So far this year, there haven't been any albums I consider to be spectacular. There has been a whole slew of good albums, but nothing I'd consider an instant classic. This is unusual, considering we are half way into the year... By this time last year, we had three.
Not to worry, though; there are a few slated for release later this year that I'm pretty hopeful about.
The first one that comes to mind is Pain of Salvation's Road Salt Two. This is a sort of sequel to last year's Road Salt One, which was one of my favorite albums last year. Hopefully this builds on the new style and techniques Gildenlow utilized for RS1.
Next, there is Steven Wilson's second solo album, Grace for Drowning. His first solo album, Insurgentes, was absolutely superb. I love pretty much anything Wilson gets his hands on, so I have no doubt this will be good, too. It's actually two separate albums packaged together; they are allegedly called Deform To Form A Star and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye.
Finally is Opeth's Heritage. Many consider Opeth to have peaked around Blackwater Park, and there are certainly some good reasons for that view. I thought their last album, 2008's Watershed, was actually a positive step. Heritage apparently has no death metal vocals at all, which invites both intrigue and trepidation. Intrigue because it sounds like they're trying something they haven't done before, but trepidation because you would hate to see them lose what distinguishes them from boring, run-of-the-mill American metal. I am optimistic, however, if only because Steven Wilson is mixing it, and his involvement has never been a bad thing.
Interestingly, all three of these albums are slated for September. Now some of the artists I like who don't play progressive metal need to announce some new albums.
