Songs of the Week

It’s been busy here in South Boston the last week or so, and I apologize for not putting out any posts (the three people that read the blog regularly must truly have been shattered by that). Every week there are a couple of tunes that I burn through repeatedly on my computer or iPod, and here are this weeks:

“Twice a Year,” Jay Bennett – From Bennett’s posthumous release Kicking at the Perfumed Air, the track plays like a recording that was never made it onto Wilco’s Summerteeth. The gentle, dueling melodies on guitar and piano do well to illuminate Bennett’s past as a major influence on the sound of Wilco’s earlier albums, before he split with the band due to difference of opinion while recording Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. “Twice a Year” is steeped in isolation and impossible longing, as Bennett bemoans his attachment to a woman he cannot come to terms with letting go of: “I saw her yesterday, but she’s not here to stay / She’ll be gone sometime next week / I see her twice a year, and it breaks my heart.” The track sharply exposes what very well could have been the mindset of Bennett during his last months, a tortured nostalgia of what if’s which is vulnerably laid bare in the repetitive chorus (“I see her twice a year, and it breaks my heart”). The whole album can be downloaded at the Jay Bennett Foundation website (http://rockproper.com/JayBennettFoundation), where you can also make a donation.

“White Table,” Delta Spirit – Admittedly, I could have probably included the entire list of tracks from Delta Spirit’s History From Below, and it has been hard to narrow it down to just one. “White Table” encapsulates many of the qualities of Delta Spirit’s sophomore effort, which is marked by a high degree of musical maturity and depth. The layered, multiplicity of the percussion dominates the track, and building with repetitive a guitar riff as lead singer Matthew Vazquez’s vocals become more stirring. Lyrically, “White Table” appears obtuse and conflicting, and several times Vazquez promises to await, in solitude, the arrival of an unnamed woman, “Someday, darling maybe / You could, be my baby / Until then, I’ll be waiting / At my lonesome, white table.” On the other hand, the lyrics of other verses portray the vocalist as broken, worn, scarred by love and so perhaps incapable of loving this woman, who perhaps he has idealized during his period of vigil for. This dichotomy between the willing and inability to truly love is further annunciated by Vazquez’ elongation of the word 'true,' which comes at the end of the verse: “Tattered and worn / Battered and bruised / I’ll give you my love but it won’t be true.” Coincidental or not, it is this elongated tone that is constant through the rise and fall of musical layers and the depth of sound during “White Table,” as the track cyclically ends with the same bare instruments as it begins.

“White Blank Page,” Mumford & Sons – “Little Lion Man,” is all over the radio here in Boston, but the key single from Mumford & Sons breakout album Sigh No More proves to be only the top layer of an album packed with a wealth of tremendous tracks. “White Blank Page” embodies the dual aspects that characterize this London group, the track intertwines a rising, emotional chorus that is thickly layered with sound, together with a noticeable folk music influence. The track asks a great deal of questions, namely those centered on the intimacy of love, and the possibility of a rejection of that intimacy once emotions have been bared: “Can you lie next to her / And you give her your heart, your heart / As well as your body / And can you lie next to her / And confess your love, your love / As well as your folly.” From the beginning, lead singer Marcus Mumford and his soulful tone annunciated these fears backed on by a delicately picked guitar. After moving through the chorus which is very a much a defense of this intimacy (“But tell me now, where was my fault / In loving you with all my heart”), the track is thickened by rising, surging juxtaposition of strings, piano, percussion, and the banjo work that is a staple of most Mumford and Sons songs. With the tonal emotion of the track building, the most biting lyrical is uttered as an indictment: “You desired my attention, but denied my affections, my affections.” Yet, in spite of this hostility, “White Blank Page” offers some hope for explanation and mending this relationship. For the track closes, with Mumford erupting from amidst the driving, layered sound that dominates the song’s second half, calling out, “Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life,” as if challenging this woman to prove him wrong, that she harbors a genuine affection for him.

Phosphorescent: Willie Nelson Superfan

In February of 2009, Phosphorescent released To Willie, an eleven track album of Willie Nelson covers. Personally, the album came as a surprise, a spectacular surprise. Previously, Phosphorescent was most recognizable to me as the artist delivering eerily, woeful songs such as "Cocaine Lights" and "Wolves," both from 2007's Pride. On To Willie, Matthew Houck, who prefers to record under his pseudonym, teamed up with a terrific cast of musicians to deliver his rendition of classic Nelson tales of heartache and carousing with a melodic vocals and genuine spirit. The album serves both as an enthusiastic tribute to Nelson and as a showcase for Houck's talents.

Here's To Taking It Easy, released earlier this year, again illustrates the profound impact that artists such as Nelson had upon Phosphorescent and his backing band. It is the perfect sequel in that Phosphorescent exhibits, fortified by lasting these influences, tremendous adeptness at crafting tracks that drip with the tradition of artists like Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings. "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're From Alabama)" demonstrates a laid back, boastful appreciation for southern life, while tempestuous trials of love are detailed in "Tell Me Baby (Have You Had Enough)" and the tragic "Mermaid Parade."

The album as a whole is endowed with a mellow atmosphere, through guitar licks that are neither sloppy nor pretentious, but sing out smoothly, almost casually. Phosphorescent's backing band reinforces these tones, and it is testament to this group of musicians who perform so tightly, yet manage such a laid-back style. I may have left Here's To Taking It Easy off my top albums of the year, part one. However, that is because I felt I had not listened to enough, until the past week or so. I regret that I let so much time pass before I gave this album the listening attention it deserves.

Track of the Day

Cee-Lo continues to amaze me, and usually gives me a great big smile when I listen to him. It's no different than with his rendition of Band of Horses "No One's Gonna Love You."

Video: Cee-Lo Covers Band of Horses' "No One's Gonna Love You" (NSFW)

How Dare You: The Younger Brother Responds

So, I was talking with my brother Tony about the albums each of us had enjoyed most so far this year. I would say that our taste is fairly similar, but with so much music out there, it's only natural that our top picks through the end of June differ a tad bit. He's wasn't particularly indignant or confused by my picks, but being the verbal combatant that he is, he quickly explained to me over the phone why his were truly justified...

Vampire Weekend, Contra; Key tracks - "Horchata," "Giving up the Gun," "I Think Ur a Contra"

Yeasayer, Odd Blood; Key Tracks - "Mondegreen," "Rome," "Madder Red"

Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks; Key Tracks - "The Wrestle," "Living in Colour," "Nothing Like You"

The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt; Key Tracks - "The Wild Hunt," "Kids on the Run," "Kids on the Run"

Tokyo Police Club, Champion; Key Tracks - "Favourite Food," "Bambi," "Not Sick"

The National, High Violet; Key Tracks - "Terrible Love," "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,"

Honorable Mentions - The Hold Steady, Heaven is Whenever; Against Me!, White Crosses; The Black Keys, Brothers

This Year So Far...

With the year being a little more than halfway through, I wanted to take this as an opportunity to throw out the albums that I consider to be the best thus far. These albums, with each song flowing and meshing together with the next, strip you of all sense of time, and you can easily sit down and listen to the entire piece from start to finish. It's something that I have done time and again with these six albums whether running, on the bus home from work, or simply relaxing in my room or on the porch. So, as not to keep you waiting, and in no particular order:

Trampled by Turtles, Palomino – Banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitars, all the classic ingredients of country blended over heavy-hearted lyrics that would make Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson proud. Throughout the album, Trampled by Turtles prove incredibly adept at switching up the tempo throughout the album, vacillating between rapid fire strumming and picking, and plodding chord progressions, though in those shifts the power of the vocals does not suffer a bit. The breakneck pace and earnest tone of "Wait So Long," demonstrating incredibly musical prowess and some damn-fine banjo playing, easily make this track on of the year's best.

Key tracks – “Wait so Long,” “Help You”

Dr.Dog, Shame Shame – Filled with so many stories, an incredibly reflective album that brings out the wandering eye, and superb storytelling abilities of Dr. Dog’s co-vocalists Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman. Whether live or in the studio, there are so many elements blending, layered together on Dr. Dog's tracks which is why it was really a treat to see them live recently, it really brought things to life, to see how the music would translate from the album to the stage. One key element is almost always the bass, giving each track a sense of direction and flow. I’ve always thought one of the best measures of a band is to what degree the members can gel, and Dr. Dog is one of the tightest groups I have ever seen.

Key tracks - '”Jackie Wants a Black Eye,” “Station,” “Shadow People”

The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt – On his second album, Kristian Matsson displays his prowess as a lyricist, and the emotional words drip with a thickness and urgency. With guitar-work that is more than capable, but never overly flamboyant, Matsson beautifully paints a sweeping, untamed landscape on "Burden of Tomorrow." The musical range of the album has greatly broadened as well, no longer relying solely on Matsson's guitar. As Stephen Deusner of Pitchfork aptly put it in his album review, “Matsson interprets Dylan, just as Dylan himself interpreted Guthrie."

Key tracks – “Burden of Tomorrow,” “King of Spain,” “The Wild Hunt”

Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks - The Scottish kings of sadness triumphantly return, well sort of. In what is a follow up to their gripping album Midnight Organ Fight in all but name, the songs display a resolve to move past the emotional distress and fracture of the break-up depicted previously. With the pounding drums and roughly strummed guitars back as well, Frightened Rabbit have lost little of the weary emotions. The scars of past relationships shine through and dictate the sentiments in many of the tracks, especially the callous gloat of “Nothing Like You.” The album is significantly more determined, with the narrator carrying a weight of resoluteness and new beginnings in the anthematic “Living in Colour.” The crushing misery of the break-up is transformed into a realization of the split’s permanence, and gathering the courage to pick yourself up.

Key tracks – “Living in Colour,” “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” “The Lonliness”

The Black Keys, Brothers - Make no mistake, The Black Keys have lost none of their unkempt, rough-around-the-edges rock sound. On Brothers, the duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have expanded their range by the slightest of alternations and adding new musical permutations to the jagged guitar and thumping drums of their previous albums. The albums most solid tracks are vintage Black Keys, but amongst the album's fifteen tracks there is evidence of a departure from the duo's obvious comfort zone and a willingness to develop broader horizons: a Motown cover that pushes Auerbach's crooning to the forefront on "Never Gonna Give You Up," swapping slick guitar riffs for a sweetly shrill organ on "Too Afraid to Love You," and "These Days," a beautifully broken and bitter emotional exposure into the wounds of relationships.

Key tracks - "Next Girl," "Tighten Up," "She's Long Gone,"

Local Natives, Gorilla Manor - Absolutely fantastic debut album from this LA group. Gorilla Manor has a strikingly atmospheric sound throughout, driven by delicately constructed harmonies (see "Cards & Quarters), which reinforce the deft song-writing that is at times straightforward but at others is oblique. The expansive and tremendous use of percussion, that only seemed to add to the drifting qualities of the album, is what set album apart. "Warning Sign" proves a great example as a chugging drum line is complimented by cymbal crashes and an emphatic bass drum seems to launch the serene harmonies that bridge the verses.

Key tracks - "Airplanes," "Wide Eyes," "Warning Sign"

Second tier albums, nearly there: The National, High Violet; Vampire Weekend, Contra; The Morning Benders, Big Echo; Josh Ritter, So Runs the World Away; Blitzen Trapper, Destroyer of the Void

Albums I am embarrassed to say I haven't listened to nearly enough, so I will reserve my comments: LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening; Delta Spirit, History from Below; Yeasayer, Odd Blood; Drive-By Truckers, The Big To-Do; Phosphorescent, Here's To Taking it Easy

Apologies for not including links to all the tracks, navigate your way over to youtube on the interweb if you please. As always, I would absolutely love to know what other people have been listening to that has been tops so far this year.