I’ve been looking forward to an album by The 1900s for a couple of years now, ever since they released their delightful EP Plume Delivery on the Parasol label. It’s tuneful ’60s-influenced rock with co-ed vocals and some orchestral pop flourishes. They’re also great fun as a live band. Parasol, a fine label based in good, old Champaign, Illinois, has just announced it will be releasing The 1900s’ first full-length album, Cold & Kind, this fall. Three tracks (one in mp3 format, two in wma format) are posted at the Parasol web page.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2006
After lots of listening, these are my choices.
1. NEKO CASE: FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD. Each song is an epic in miniature, with little musical touches that stand out the more you listen. Instead of the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern, some of the songs follow their own strange logic. The stellar cast of musicians (Sadies, Calexico, Rauhouse, Hudson, et al) creates a variety of sounds, and yet it all feels unified. The lyrics seem like memories, evocative hints at personal history that never spell out the exact story. “Hold On, Hold On” is notable as one of those songs that seems to be about another song, referring to that other song’s echo chorus of “hold on, hold on.” And, of course, there’s that magnificent voice at the center of it all, lovingly bathed in reverb. Neko has made many fine records. The twangier sound of “Furnace Room Lullaby” was what hooked me on her music in the first place, followed by the revelation of witnessing her amazing voice in live performance. “Blacklisted” was a good record with some excellent songs, but it felt like a tentative step toward finding her own songwriting voice. “The Tigers Have Spoken” was a great live record, capturing the more upbeat side of her performance. But this is the one that brings her artistry to full fruition. www.nekocase.com / download “Hold On, Hold On” / download “Star Witness” / watch “Maybe Sparrow”
2. MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND: BRING ME THE WORKHORSE. Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond, is the most impressive all-around musical artist I discovered in 2006. Her biggest claim to fame until now was playing keyboards and guitar in Sufjan Stevens’ band and serving as the “lead cheerleader” during his “Illinois” tour. She shares Stevens’ interest in orchestral arrangements, but she takes the art in a much different direction. I was hooked from the first time I heard the opening track of this album, “Something of an End.” It starts out moody and dramatic, erupts into a strong chorus and then in the middle, Worden trills her voice like a bird (or maybe Björk?). And then she closes the song with a quiet, soaring passage that is breathtakingly beautiful. Not surprisingly, Worden is a classically trained singer who has also studied string arrangement. I had the privilege of interviewing her, and she said she’s striving to find a balance between the worlds of rock and classical music, and I believe she has succeeded. At times, her music reminds me of P.J. Harvey’s, with tense guitar riffs accented by violins. The lyrics are intimate and mysterious, including several scenes from childhood, often involving animals and insects in peril. I’ve been disappointed that this album isn’t showing up on more best-of-2006 lists. If the album doesn’t hook you right away, make sure to see My Brightest Diamond in concert. Her set opening for Sufjan at the Riveria was good, but too short. Her later show at Schubas lacked a string section, but more than made up for it with a full rock-band sound. It was dynamite. www.mybrightestdiamond.com / download “Something of an End” / stream album
3. MIDLAKE: THE TRIALS OF VAN OCCUPANTHER. I was a fan of Midlake’s 2004 album, “Bamnan & Silvercork,” a somewhat lo-fi indie-prog-rock song cycle with odd lyrics that seemed like menacing fairy tales. My first reaction to “Van Occupanther” was actually one of disappointment, because I was hoping the band would have made a record that sounded bigger and more epic. That disappointment quickly disappeared as I listened more closely and realized what a stunning accomplishment “Van Occupanther” is. The balance of instruments creates a beautiful tapestry throughout the album. It’s rare that you hear piano and acoustic guitar working so well together, for example. And then add some flourishes of synth and electric guitar to the mix, and some fabulous drum fills. And somehow, all of these elements never get in the way of one another. It blends together perfectly, creating a sound that seems understated at first but actually rocks if you turn it up and pay attention. The album has been compared to Fleetwood Mac, but I also hear “Trick of the Tail”-era Genesis. I still haven’t figured out exactly what the lyrics are about — I’m not sure if anyone ever will — but they seem like a fascinating literary tale. The cover art showing band members wearing costumes out in the words reinforces the sense of myth. Certain lines stand out. In the opening song, “Roscoe,” Midlake’s singer and songwriter, Tim Smith, sings: “I wonder what if my name had changed into something more productive like Roscoe been born in 1891 waiting with my Aunt Roslein.” Productive? What an odd choice of words, but it resonates in a peculiar way. This is a record filled with special moments like that. www.midlake.net / download “It Covers the Hillsides” / stream songs
4. TOM WAITS: ORPHANS: BRAWLERS, BAWLERS & BASTARDS. This one gets an asterisk. Half of it is songs that have already been released, so it doesn’t seem entirely fair to proclaim it as one of the year’s best albums. But half of it is new songs, and they all hold together in a way that’s surprisingly coherent. In terms of sheer quantity of excellent songs, “Orphans” would likely be my No. 1 album of the year. I like Waits best when he’s eclectic, and he is certainly that on “Orphans,” which shows the full range of what he’s capable of. So many great ballads, so many great rockers, so many weird monologues. I love it. www.anti.com / download “You Can Never Hold Back Spring” / download “Bottom of the World” / download “Road to Peace” / watch “Lie to Me”
5. GNARLS BARKLEY: ST. ELSEWHERE. I don’t know what Danger Mouse’s secret is, but he has a Midas touch. His arrangements and production always have something special about them. His cool sounds are matched with some great songs in the Gnarls Barkley project, including the year’s best radio hit, “Crazy,” and a fine mix of other soulful numbers. This isn’t hip-hop. It isn’t exactly old-school soul, either, but it’s a lot closer to the sort of soul I’d like to hear than most contemporary R&B. www.gnarlsbarkley.com / watch “Crazy” / watch “Smiley Faces” / watch “Gone Daddy Gone”
6. M. WARD: POST-WAR. Ward is simply one of the best guitarists, songwriters and singers working today. I still think “Transfiguration of Vincent” is his best album, but “Post-War” is damn fine, too. Its only flaw may be that it peters out at the end, but I actually like the ramshackle feeling of those closing tracks. The cover of Daniel Johnston’s “To Go Home” is glorious. “Right in the Head” is downright haunting. The album sounds simultaneously ancient and up-to-the-minute. Now, if Dylan’s new record sounded more like this, I might have ranked it higher. www.mwardmusic.com / watch “Chinese Translation”
7. BAT FOR LASHES: FUR AND GOLD. This debut record by Natasha Khan, a Pakistani-Brit, is not officially out in the U.S., but it’s fairly easily obtainable as an import, so I am including it on my 2006 list anyway. Performing under the name Bat For Lashes, Khan is a singer-songwriter who reminds me at various times of Kate Bush, P.J. Harvey, Cat Power and ’60s girl groups. She has some beautiful songs on this record, often featuring keyboards that sound like harpsichords. It’s quasi-orchestral and arty, but it’s also melodic enough to connect with a big audience. www.batforlashes.co.uk / sample “Trophy” / sample “Sarah” / sample “Tahiti” / sample “What’s a Girl to Do?”
8. BAND OF HORSES: EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. I love the way these songs build and then fade into quiet, minor-key bridges and then re-emerging with new intensity. Band of Horses is not doing anything all that groundbreaking (the sonic similarity to My Morning Jacket is undeniable), but these are memorable songs, well played, and the record stands up well on repeat listens. www.bandofhorses.com / download “The Funeral” / download “The Great Salt Lake” / watch “The Funeral” / watch “The Great Salt Lake”
9. SONIC YOUTH: RATHER RIPPED. Sonic Youth channels it power into some of the most concise (and tuneful) songs the band has ever recorded. I liked “Murray Street” quite a bit, “Sonic Nurse” not as much, but this one might be my favorite Sonic Youth album in many years. www.sonicyouth.com / watch “Reena”
10. BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY: THE LETTING GO. Will Oldham fans may charge me with blasphemy for saying this, but, of the half-dozen Oldham albums I have, this one’s my favorite. His melodies and lyrics are as good as ever, and the sound of this record — the subtle violins, the muted drums and, especially, the angelic vocals of Dawn McCarthy ghostly echoing Oldham’s singing — elevate it to a higher level. www.dragcity.com / watch “Cursed Sleep” / watch “Cold and Wet”
To see my 100 runners-up, click here.
MORE OF THE YEAR’S BEST ALBUMS
AND NOW, FOR THE REST… 100 RUNNERS-UP IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Even this long list is hardly exhaustive and, yes, I know I’ve left off many worthy records. Is your favorite record missing? Well, maybe I just didn’t like it as much, or maybe I didn’t get a chance to hear it, or hear it enough. But before I truly drive myself insane, here is a list of another hundred albums from 2006 that I enjoyed. Some of them just barely missed making my top 10 (Cat Power, Oneida, the Raconteurs, TV on the Radio, to name a few). Please note that the links I’ve included to mp3 files, videos and audio-streaming sites may not work forever. Most of these are on the Web sites of the musical artists or their record labels.
Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno: Starless and Bible Black Sabbath / stream album
Tony Allen: Lagos No Shaking / www.astralwerks.com
Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not / www.arcticmonkeys.com / watch “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”
Joseph Arthur: Nuclear Daydream / www.josepharthur.com / stream album
Badly Drawn Boy: Born in the UK / www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk / watch “Nothing’s Gonna Change Your Mind” and “Born in the UK”
Beck: The Information / www.beck.com
Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit / www.belleandsebastian.co.uk / download “Another Sunny Day”
The Black Angels: Passover / www.theblackangels.com / download “The First Vietnamese War”
The Black Keys: Magic Potion / www.theblackkeys.com / stream album
The Broken Family Band: Balls / www.thebrokenfamilyband.com / download “I’m Thirsty”
Bound Stems: Appreciation Night / www.boundstems.com / stream album / download “Andover” / download “Western Biographic”
Brazilian Girls: Talk to La Bomb / www.braziliangirls.info / stream album
Richard Buckner: Meadow / www.richardbuckner.com
Built to Spill: You In Reverse / www.builttospill.com / stream album
Calexico: Garden Ruin / www.casadecalexico.com
stream album
Camera Obscura: Let’s Get Out Of This Country / www.camera-obscura.net / stream “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken” / watch “Let’s Get Out of This Country”
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Ballad Of The Broken Seas / www.isobelcampbell.com
Johnny Cash: American V: A Hundred Highways / www.johnnycash.com / stream album
Cat Power: The Greatest / www.catpowerthegreatest.com / download “The Greatest” / watch “Where Is My Love,” “Lived in Bars” and “Living Proof” / stream album
Centro-Matic: Fort Recovery / www.centromatic.com / download “Calling Thermatico” / download “Triggers and Trash Heaps”
Clearlake: Amber / www.clearlake.uk.com / stream songs at myspace
Jason Collett: Idols of Exile / www.arts-crafts.ca/jasoncollett/index2.html / stream album
Comets on Fire: Avatar / www.cometsonfire.com / download “Dogwood Rust”
Graham Coxon: Love Travels at Illegal Speeds / www.grahamcoxon.co.uk / watch videos
The Concretes: In Colour / www.theconcretes.com / stream album
Crooked Still: Shaken by a Low Sound / www.crookedstill.com /
sample “Little Sadie” / SAMPLE “Ain’t No Grave” / SAMPLE “Wind and Rain”
The Dagons: Reverse / www.dagons.net / stream album
Deadstring Brothers: Starving Winter Report / www.deadstringbrothers.com / download “Sacred Heart” / download “Get Up Jake”
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife / www.decemberists.com / stream “Summersong” and “O Valencia!”
Miguel “Anga” Diaz: Echu Mingua / samples
Drive-By Truckers: A Blessing And A Curse / www.drivebytruckers.com /watch “Aftermath USA” / And even though it’s not on the album, make sure to check out this video of the DBTs’ Jason Isbell singing a song about a friend who died in Iraq, “Dress Blues.”
Bob Dylan: Modern Times / www.bobdylan.com / watch “Thunder on the Mountain” and “When the Deal Goes Down”
The Elected: Sun, Sun, Sun / www.theelected.com / download “Not Going Home” / watch “Not Going Home”
Eleventh Dream Day: Zeroes And Ones / stream album
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: The River in Reverse / www.elviscostello.com / stream album
Espers: II / www.espers.org / stream an appearance by Espers on WNYC
The Essex Green: Cannibal Sea / www.essexgreen.com / stream “Rue De Lis” / download “You Don’t Know Why (You Stay)”
Evangelicals: So Gone / myspace.com/evangelicals
Benjy Ferree: Leaving the Nest / www.benjyferree.com / stream album
Field Music: Write Your Own History / www.field-music.co.uk / download “I’m Tired” / watch “You’re Not Supposed to”
Howe Gelb: ‘Sno Angel Like You / www.howegelb.com / stream album
Glossary: For What I Don’t Become / www.glossary.us / download “Headstones and Dead Leaves”
Grizzly Bear: Yellow House / www.grizzly-bear.net / stream album / download “On a Neck, On a Spit”
Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebro: Ethiopiques, Vol. 21: Ethiopia Song / www.budamusique.com
The Handsome Family: Last Days Of Wonder / www.handsomefamily.com / stream songs at myspace
Ed Harcourt: The Beautiful Lie / www.edharcourt.com / watch videos
Heartless Bastards: All This Time / www.theheartlessbastards.com / stream album / stream songs at myspace
High Hawk: Amor Fati (unreleased) / www.highhawkmusic.com
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3: Ole! Tarantula / www.robynhitchcock / watch “Adventure Rocket Ship”
The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America / www.theholdsteady.com / download “Stuck Between Stations” live on the Current / download “Killer Parties” remix
Frida Hyvonen: Until Death Comes / www.fridahyvonen.com / sample “I Drive My Friend” / watch “I Drive My Friend” / watch “The Modern”
Richard James: The Seven Sleepers Den / www.richardjames.uk.net / stream songs at myspace
Bert Jansch: The Black Swan / www.bertjansch.com / stream samples
Ladyhawk: Ladyhawk / www.ladyhawkladyhawk.com /
download “The Dugout”
Las Rubias Del Norte: Panamericana / http://lasrubiasdelnorte.com / stream album
Magnolia Electric Co.: Fading Trails / www.magnoliaelectricco.com / download “Lonesome Valley”
Malajube: Trompe-L’oeil / www.malajube.com / download “Montreal 40c”
The Memory Band: Apron Strings / www.thememoryband.com
The Minders: It’s A Bright Guilty World / www.theminders.com / download “Don’t Stop”
The Minus 5: The Minus 5 (The Gun Album) / www.minus5.com / stream “Twilight Distillery”
Mission of Burma: The Obliterati / www.missionofburma.com/home.html / download “Donna Sumeria” / download “2wice”
The M’s: Future Women / www.the-ms.com / download “Plan of the Man”
Mojave 3: Puzzles Like You / www.mojave3online.com / stream songs
Juana Molina: Son / www.juanamolina.com / stream songs
My Morning Jacket: Okonokos / www.mymorningjacket.com / stream songs & videos
Joanna Newsom: Ys / www.dragcity.com
The Nice Boys: The Nice Boys / stream songs at myspace / download “Johnny Guitar”
The 1900s: Plume Delivery / the-1900s.com / \samples
Norfolk & Western: The Unsung Colony / www.norfolkandwestern.org / stream songs
Oakley Hall: Gypsum Strings / www.oakleyhall.net / download “Lazy Susan” / download “Living in Sin in the U.S.A.”
Oneida: Happy New Year / www.enemyhogs.com / download “Up With People”
Palliard: Won’t Heal Alone / www.palliardmusic.com / download “Mockingbird” / download “Won’t Heal Alone”
Patty Hurst Shifter: Too Crowded on the Losing End / www.pattyhurstshifter.com / stream songs
Pernice Brothers: Live a Little / www.pernicebrothers.com / stream album
Pink Mountaintops: Axis Of Evol / www.jagjaguwar.com/pinkmountaintops / download “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” / download “Can You Do That Dance?”
Robert Pollard: From A Compound Eye / www.robertpollard.net / stream “Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft” / stream “Dancing Girls and Dancing Men”
Portastatic: Be Still Please / www.portastatic.com / watch “Song for a Clock”
The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers / www.theraconteurs.com / stream songs
Josh Ritter: The Animal Years / www.joshritter.com / download “Girl in the War” / download “Thin Blue Flame”
The Rogers Sisters: Never Learn To Cry / www.therogerssisters.com / download “Never Learn to Cry” / watch “Why Won’t You”
The Sadies: In Concert Volume One / www.thesadies.net / download “Tailspin” / download “American Pageant”
Serena-Maneesh: Serena-Maneesh / www.serena-maneesh.com / watch “Drain Cosmetics”
Shearwater: Palo Santo / www.shearwatermusic.com / download “Red Sea, Black Sea” (demo version) / download “White Waves” / download “Seventy-four, Seventy-five”
The Singleman Affair: Let’s Kill the Summer / www.cardboardsangria.com/singleman.html / download “is Madras Morning is” / download “Dragonflies to Find” / download “Eyelids in Light” / stream songs on myspace
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Broom / www.morawk.com/boris / samples
Sparklehorse: Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain / www.sparklehorse.com / stream songs
Kelley Stoltz: Below The Branches / www.electriccity.org / download “Memory Collector” / download “The Sun Comes Through”
The Streets: The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living / www.the-streets.co.uk / stream songs at myspace
Teddy Thompson: Separate Ways / www.teddythompson.com / stream songs
Ali Farka Toure: Savane / stream songs
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain / www.tvontheradio.com
Two Gallants: What the Bell Tolls / www.twogallants.com / stream “La Cruces Jail” / stream “Waves of Grain”
Various Artists: Classic Railroad Songs / samples
Various Artists: Rogue’s Gallery / download a medley / download “Mingulay Boat Song” by Richard Thompson
Viva Voce: Get Yr Blood Sucked / www.vivavoce.com / download “When Planets Collide” / download “We Do Not Fuck Around”
The Walkmen: A Hundred Miles Off / www.marcata.net/walkmen / stream songs at myspace
Steve Wynn: tick … tick … tick / www.stevewynn.net / download songs
Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass / www.yolatengo.com / download “Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind” / download “Beanbag Chair”
Neil Young: Living With War / www.neilyoung.com /stream songs & videos
Thom Yorke: The Eraser / www.theeraser.net
To see my top 10, click here.
New Randy Newman songs
I tracked down an audience recording of the two new Randy Newman songs I mentioned in my last post. These are from his Oct. 14, 2006, concert at Convocation Centre in Toronto. Some audience noise (nearby people laughing and breathing) is audible, but the sound quality’s decent enough to hear the songs.
The political song is essentially one of Newman’s monologues, with just hints of melody and piano noodling underneath. This isn’t a classic in the same league as “Political Science,” but it’s still vintage Newman and a timely song. At least a few of the words were different in the Chicago performance, when he mentioned the color coding of terror alerts. When he introduces the song to the Toronto crowd, he notes that it isn’t finished, so we may hear some other lyrics when this finally surfaces on a studio album.
mp3 files:
LOSING YOU
A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF MY COUNTRY
Here’s my transcription of the lyrics from the Toronto performance.
A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF MY COUNTRY
By Randy Newman
I’d like to say a few words in defense of my country
Whose people aren’t bad nor are they mean
Now, the leaders we have, while they’re the worst that we’ve had,
Are hardly the worst this poor world has ever seen.
Let’s turn history’s pages, shall we?
Think of Caesars, for example.
Well, the first few of them, they were sleeping with their sisters,
Stashing little boys in swimming pools, burning down the city.
One of them, he appointed his own horse to be counselor of the empire.
That’s like vice president — well, wait, that’s not a very good example.
But here’s a good one, the Spanish Inquisition,
Putting people in terrible position.
I don’t even like to think about it.
Well, sometimes I like to think about it.
Just a few words in defense of my country
Whose time at the top may be coming to an end.
Oh, we don’t want your love
And I guess respect is out of the question at this point.
At times like these, we could sure use a friend.
Hitler, Stalin — men who need no introduction. Much worse.
King Leopold of Belgium. That’s right, everyone thinks he’s so great.
Well, he owned the Congo, you know, and he tore it up, too.
It was the Switzerland of Africa.
He took the diamond, he took the gold, he took the silver.
You know what he left it with? Malaria.
You know, a president once said,
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
Now it seems like we’re supposed to be afraid. It’s patriotic, in fact.
Afraid of what? Why, afraid of being afraid.
That’s what terror means, isn’t it?
You know, “House of Wax,” stuff like that.
Not anymore it doesn’t.
You know, it pisses me off a little when I think that this Supreme Court’s going to outlive me.
A couple of young Italian fellas and a brother on the court now, too.
But I defy you, anywhere in the world, to found two Italians like the two Italians we got.
And as for the brother, well, Pluto’s not a planet anymore, either.
The end of an empire is messy at best
And this here empire’s ending just like all the rest.
Like the Spanish Armada, adrift on the sea,
We’re adrift in the land of the brave and the home of the free.
Good-bye, Good-bye, Good-bye.