Mini Review of The Hold Steady's Heaven is Whenever

Heaven is Whenever by The Hold Steady- Continually perfecting their Bukowski soaked, Springsteen influenced fractured hymns for lapsed Catholics, the quintessential bar band is now offering a reprieve from the 1^st person narratives of alcohol drenched sin and heartbreak longing for unattained salvation by growing up just a bit… as they make the kids sing along. “Hurricane J” is a revelation. On the downside; No songs about Ybor City.

mini review of Titus Andronicus' the Monitor

The Monitor by Titus Andronicus- The year’s best album is what sneering punk rock sounds like when marching through the Civil War as metaphor for the desolation of modern America as seen through the eyes of disaffected youth in the Aughts. These young men sound like Conor Oberst fronting The Replacements with J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr on guitar as they sneak through New Jersey backyards (of Mr. Springsteen, of course) with an American Idiot (if you get even a fraction of the references, you will love this).

Best appropriation of a classic song lyric in quite a while, "tramps like us, baby we were born to die."

mini review of Hadestown by Anais Mitchell

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell- A high minded retelling of the Orpheus myth in Appalachia, the talented folk singer, a sometime Julie Miller soundalike, Mitchell uses friends Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Ani Difranco as characters in her chamber pop, Americana-based folk opera. Hauntingly beautiful and refreshingly original in today’s over-produced musical landscape.

listen here. More info here.

mini review of Nneka's Concrete Jungle

Concrete Jungle by Nneka- I picked this up a few months ago and want to make you aware of the album. Although not attaining the same level of pop perfection, Nigerian singer, Nneka could be the long lost sister of Lauren Hill. Steeped in her traditional African musical tradition, but infusing it with American soul and hip-hop, Nneka is hopefully the sound of tomorrow in a genre destroyed by Auto-tune and canned beats (Erykah Badu is her closest comparison). Profoundly spiritual, this is a great addition to the growing African hip-hop catalog, beside K’naan.

Listen here.

Drive By Truckers: The CNN of the Working Class (Music School with DJ Word)

The kind folks at Generate Magazine allowed a friend to write 2 article for their wonderful new magazine. The first, a review of Derek Webb's latest, is below. The second article was a reworking of something printed on this blog months ago, a critical assessment of why Drive-By Truckers should be listened to by all. It follows my thinking that we must listen to the artistic expressions and voices of those easily dismissed by those in power, or by those we respect. My thoughts are that in this brave new world of bad economy, the voices of the poor rural white underclass need to be listened to and taken seriously, especially by progressives and progressives Christians.

We need to listen to first person stories, not just stories about a group of people. According to Nigerian Novelist Chimamanda Adichie, these stories mitigate the dangers of a single story and stereotyping of a people group, whether they are African or Rural South. As she eloquently puts it, the problem with stereotypes are not that they are wrong, but that they are incomplete.

Anyway, here is that article from Generate. Please take the chance to head over to their website and say kind things (and subscribe).

Drive By Truckers: The CNN of the Working Class

What does a band that expresses the moralist therapeutic deism of disenfranchised Southern white poor people through loud country-influenced Southern Rock have to teach a group of so-called, ‘well-educated followers of God in the way of Jesus’ about life? Everything.

As I have thought of emerging churches and the recession, I have noticed one of the weaknesses of this movement. In some ways I would agree with those claiming that Emergent is a group of elitists (I being one). It is Elitists ministering to other elitists and the poor. However, we are not presently part of the middle ground, with answers for the working poor, the working class, or the blue collar—the people of my heritage from whom I ran when I got educated. Ironically, this is a place the modern church, especially the fundamentalist church, is speaking to.

I think this is incredibly important because those who may have considered themselves elites, or at least educated white collars, are recently beginning to experience parts of life from a working class/blue collar/working poor perspective. As our churches, neighborhoods, and families continue in this direction, how do we respond? When the problems of the inner city, rural America, and "trailer park" become the problems of the suburbs, new-urbanites, and upwardly mobile members of society, does the Emerging church hold any hope beyond our theological discussions, told-you-so attitude, and artistic expressions?

What does the recession have to do with music and the emerging church? While I am intentionally generalizing, I think the emerging church has a blind spot regarding the working-class and blue-collar crowd that we must address for this movement to participate in the future of the church. Our participation must move beyond “strategies for elites helping the poor” into joining and learning from those experiencing poverty. To do this, we must first listen to the stories of the lower middle class. It is my contention that the stories, issues, and problems of those in rural America, trailer parks, and ghettos will become the problems of the middle class, suburbanites, and leveraged upwardly mobile very soon (especially in the South and places where the line of demarcation between the classes is tenuous at best and the recession is causing severe strain). I’m not saying here that “we’re all poor in our own special way” but that poverty, has long been a reality as opposed to a cause, and this reality is blending into the lives of more and more people, so we need to learn from the stories of the poor and not just “combat” poverty.

Drive-By Truckers (DBT) is telling the stories of those middle American trying to survive when life has not worked out as well as it should have, mixed with a bit of religion (good and bad). While folk and country have the ability to tell such stories, I do not think the present-day manifestations are doing a good enough job. Too much folk music is cerebral and whiny, while much of today's country music revels in an unhealthy lifestyle and glorifies it (the same complaint some have with rap) without maintaining the journalistic distance or self-examination of previous incarnations. I believe this is due to marketing forces. Self-reflection is seen as weak, and people may not want to buy it—so we give fake nostalgia instead, the longing for a life we never experienced (see Tim McGraw, son of a professional ball player). This is fine on Saturday night but not helpful as a work of art to illuminate.

DBT is a prime example of a band that illuminates and tells the story of a people. Like Chuck D calling hip-hop the "CNN of the ghetto," DBT mine the depths of the southern experience, in a sometimes crass but always compelling manner. In fact, they understand this, giving themselves a name that conjures up the Inner City and South at once, naming an album The Dirty South, a term for a specific rap subgenre from Atlanta, and using the same subject matter as rap, albeit from a distinctly white southern point of view, in songs like "Wife Beater," "Aftermath USA," and "Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus)."

A cursory examination of their lyrics reveals that this is not typical country music (if you have not heard them, imagine a combination of Lynyrd Skynyrd and REM, or The Replacements and Waylon Jennings). This is a CNN of the poor rural south, and I think it is becoming more relevant to the rest of the country and to those ministered to by churches throughout America (I would also say that inner city, mostly African American churches need to listen to rap—but many of their ministers understand this). It is hidden by those in our communities, but it is the heritage of many who are recovering fundamentalists in emerging churches, who are angry at the church (some of whom still attend), who are burdened with serious guilt, and who are trying to survive along the righteous path of good living (as DBT eloquently state in a song).

Get started with DBT’s latest album, Brighter than Creation’s Dark, with highlights including “The Righteous Path,” in which singer Patterson Hood takes on the persona of the everyday suburbanite with too much baggage keeping him down as he tries to live an ordinary life of righteousness with a God he does not understand ("I don't know God, but I fear his wrath") and bills he can’t pay (“more bills than money, I can do the math/I’m trying to keep focused on the righteous path”). On the breathtaking “2 Daughters and a Beautiful Wife,” he gives us a glimpse of heaven rooted in love for his family and a desire to spend eternity with them, more than any “orthodox” understanding of life after death. In doing so, he accomplishes a more honest confession of the actual beliefs of people and what brings them comfort without theological niceties.

Next up, head over to The Dirty South with “Putting People on the Moon,” which expresses the anger and frustration of working hard and having no money as others succeed and life continues on a downward spiral. It is written about the Reagan era but holds a message for today.

By no means their best album, Southern Rock Opera is the best distillation of the “duality of the Southern Thing” ever expressed artistically. DBT does not glorify the experience as much as it desires to walk a mile in the shoes of others and tell their side of the story, even if is hard to hear.

Can those of us who consider ourselves enlightened, nuanced, and progressive see the nuance of the struggling protagonists of the songs of these bands, those trying to live a righteous but entangled life amid the bad decisions and poor role models of their present situations? For all of our rhetoric about “missional” and “emerging” if we cannot walk in the shoes of such folk, we will be of little good to anyone beyond ourselves.

Derek Webb's latest is the opposite of the adage "show, don't tell"

Generate is a great new magazine a number of my friends have been involved in getting off the ground. It is a beautifully designed and well written tome, aside from my reviews of music. Troy Bronsink, my editor for music stuff at the magazine has graciously allowed me to share my review of Derek Webb's latest album, Stockholm Syndrome on my blog. If you want to see it in all its glory, along with actual great writing, take this chance to head over to their website and subscribe today.

Here is the review... Sorry I am such a hater.

The Opposite of “Show, Don’t Tell”

I am not sure why Derek Webb named his latest album Stockholm Syndrome, a condition in which the kidnapped begins to associate himself or herself with the kidnapper. However, to truly enjoy this album I would need Webb to kidnap me. Maybe at that point I could understand what is causing him to lose nuance and to embody everything he is railing against. This has been happening to Webb ever since leaving Caedmon’s Call. But Christian music’s dirty little secret is that we turn a deaf ear to the pedantic lyrics and pedestrian music of our best musicians. In fact, we expect too little of our artists and their art, as long as they get the “message” right.

SS is supposed to be an edgy album, one so controversial that the “Christian” industry won’t touch it. Why? Because he uses bad words and talks nicely about homosexuals. However, if slight swearing and surface-level inclusivism is as insurgent as "Christian Music" gets, our musicians have misplaced their prophetic voice. Larry Norman, Keith Green, Steve Taylor, and even Steve Camp were stirring the drink and exposing our wounds more effectively decades ago. Where Webb’s hero, Rich Mullins, would rather observe, entice, and question, Webb bludgeons us in the head by telling us what to believe (even if we agree with the sentiment). Like Mockingbird, this is a bunch of sermons with clunky rhymes set to bland music, delving into the pseudo-electronica of Bright Eye’s least successful album, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, on some cuts for no seeming purpose beyond attempting to be “different.” If you like that sort of thing, then buy this album. However, you could just read God’s Politics while listening to Moby for the same effect.

Listen to This Now: Hospice by The Antlers

Robin Hilton of NPR's All Songs Considered mentioned on their blog that 2009 was already a much better music year than 2008. Considering the lack of great albums in 2008, this is not hard. He spoke of the obvious contenders, including U2, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird (overrated), M Ward and The Decemberists, along with some surprises, including what he considered the best album so far, Hospice by The Antlers.

Intrigued by the album name, I decided to pick it up. It is nothing less than stunning. An amalgamation of Sigur Ros and Bon Iver (hence, Robin's love) with pieces of Elbow, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Neutral Milk Hotel and Arcade Fire in there also, this 23 year old creator of an orchestra in his basement is a wonder to behold. Dealing directly with death, grief and pain, this is a surprisingly easy album to listen to. Ignore the lyrics and be transported another world, simple and dense. Listen closely to the lyrics and be torn apart, yet still transfixed on the beauty of the music created.

I have been listening to this album nonstop for a few days and find myself repeating it 3-4 times in a row before moving on. It is quiet, but heavy. It is worth your time and listening pleasure. Let me know what you think. Make sure you listen these songs.

and (warning: explicit lyrics you may not understand)

Listen to the whole album here.

The Antlers myspace.

So far Pitchfork has ignored them, which is not surprising. I am sure they will hate it.

Best U2 Albums

Over the last few months I have steered you towards the best Radiohead (or affiliated) albums, the best Bob Dylan songs and the best Bill Mallonee/ Vigilantes of Love albums. As U2's latest opus has been birthed and the reviews have been given, starting with Rolling Stone's 5 star review and tweeted by all of my Emergent friends (me too), I have thought about their entire catalog.

I do think the latest has the potential to be in the top 5, but no higher than 4 under any circumstances. Of course, "I was putting in the numbers in the ATM machine" on Moment of Surrender is not their lyrical highpoint as a band.

However, today I will give you my list of the best albums U2 has provided, pre-NLOTH. Since the album is new, It cannot be properly judged yet. Achtung Baby took some potshots upon release and is now seen as their APEX while the last 2 albums are moving down many people's lists upon further review. So, I will not be a dreaded Immediaista (my own word for people that must be the first to review something and thereby miss nuance).

Before giving my top U2 albums, I will give some credentials. My first U2 experience was in 1983 at the age of 15 at a friend's house watching the video for New Year's Day on Mtv. I was hooked and bought War the next day (I discovered U2 after REM). Since that day, I have bought each U2 album on its day of release. I own most U2 albums on CD and vinyl.

I have seen U2 in 3 states over the course of 3 decades beginning with the Joshua Tree tour in Tampa Stadium and ending with the Elevation Tour (Boston stop) documented on DVD. I own many U2 books and consider them the second best band ever (below The Beatles and above the Rolling Stones, Zeppelin, the Who and The Clash). They are my all-time favorite band, even though I would rather listen to Radiohead on a daily basis. I have even contemplated writing a book with the band as the major subject (before realizing it had been overdone and I have no discipline- even if no one has written my book yet).

So, you get it. I like U2. I don't genuflect before the image of Bono. He can get on my nerves and I think what makes him the great singer and world influencer also makes him a pompous ass. So, I love them like a family member loves their brother thinking the world of him/ them while wanting to punch them every once in a while. That said, here is my list.

16. Original Soundtracks 1 (Passengers) with Brian Eno (fans only got it because we were desperate for something in the dry years between Zooropa and Pop. There is one good song on it).

15. U218 Singles (only here because it has 2 new songs, both of which are quite solid. The other compilations- not included on this list, are much better.)

14. Wide Awake in America (too short and not as great as their other live albums, this is on the list for 12 minutes of absolute splendor, the live version of Bad along with A Sort of Homecoming. The version is Bad is among the best live recordings ever put to tape.)

13. Pop (cool people like to cite it as underrated and misunderstood. I will go with misunderestimated, like our previous president. I appreciate the effort and some of the execution, but this is their weakest album, even if it is better in retrospect.)

12. October (suffers because it sits between the promise of Boy and the realization of War, it is a nice album with a couple of lofty moments.)

11. The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack (how could this uneven soundtrack to a mediocre film with only a few U2 songs get so high on the list? It was a return to form after Pop and contained some excellent tunes, highlighted by what competes with One for the mantle of best U2 song ever,the rapturous The Ground Beneath Her Feet.)

10. Under a Blood Red Sky (If I had fallen for U2 on War, this live effort sealed the deal. I was hooked after seeing and hearing this. It was my first concert VHS and album. It is among the best live albums ever made. The version of Sunday, Bloody Sunday from this album is better than the original.)

9. Boy (discovering it after War and Under a Blood Red Sky, it suffers from hearing where they now were. I have had to return to this album as an adult to fully appreciate the potential for greatness exhibited in a such rawness.)

8. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (why is this album so low? Because the other albums are even better. This is a great album that would be the highlight of a normal great band. It includes a top 5 single, Crumbs From Your Table and is more fun musically than previous albums, even though it is not as good as I initially though it was.)

7. Rattle and Hum (people like to take potshots at this album due to the grandiose, portentous, inflated, bombastic self importance of this effort. All of which is true, but misses the point. Leave behind the ridiculousness of some of the live recordings- Bullet the Blue Sky is the worst offender- U2 has elevated the game to new heights on songs of such breathtaking beauty as Hawkmoon 269 and the transcendent All I Want is You, #3 the U2 song of all time.)

6. Zooropa (this high for 1 reason. They brought Johnny Cash back from the dead before Rick Rubin did on The Wanderer, the coolest thing Cash ever recorded. Oh yeah, this album gets better with each listen. BTW, I did not like it when it was released. If it had included Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me as it was supposed to, it would be #4.)

5. War (I have a hard time placing this album. It is my first love and the epitome of my 3rd album theory- great bands give us great albums on #3. Should it be higher than ATYCLB? I don't know. It brings back great memories of driving fast with stereo blasting and discussing with friends why U2 is "Christian" based upon a single lyric in Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Those were the days. I am placing it lower because I have feeling it is not as good as I think it is.) Bono had just turned 22 when they started this album

4. All That You Can't Leave Behind (talk about returning from the wilderness. I believe this album moved U2 from merely great, all time top 10 or 20 band to Top 3 band. This album is the completion of their catalog and everything else is gravy. While not in the league of AB or JT, it is a truly great album of such spiritual depth, one that "Christian artists" will never reach while tethered to the church machine. Yes, the events of 9/11 changed the game for this album, just as 1968 did for a few albums of that generation.)

3. The Unforgettable Fire (I actually like this album better than Acthung Baby. But, I realize it is not as good. I will admit that I use this album as a plumb line to decide what kind of U2 fan a person is. It is my rock snob U2 album. I can argue it as their best, but know it is not. However, it is the most consistent album of the catalog, not a weak moment. But it does not reach the heights of #1 and #2. I remember the moment I picked up the preorded cassette at our local K-Mart. I had just gotten my first car and it was the soundtrack of my junior year of high school, but only mine in my high school.) BTW- Bono was 23 when they started this album.

2. Achtung Baby (I would not argue with anyone putting this at #1. Actually I would, but just to see how strong they are in their justification. There is a reason it is considered a classic. It just is. It changed everything. Never has a bigger band not called The Beatles so radically changed from one album to the next. Never has a band taken such a risk with so much to lose. It threw everyone for a loop. We fought and debated and realized the greatness, even though I HATE a couple of songs on this album. One is their greatest triumph and Until the End of the World is a top 10er. This has more great songs than any other U2 album, besides...).

1. The Joshua Tree (nothing will compare to my emotion when I first heard With or Without You on the radio in Melbourne, FL or bought the LP at Hyde & Zekes across the street from UF. It is the best album of my musical lifetime. I consider this album life and faith altering. For the first time I heard someone from a Christian point of view voice my struggles and desires. CCM was not allowed to do this. My year was consumed by this album and the 77s self titled release, the other album of breathtaking honesty and emotion of my early Christian life. This album and the concert at Tampa stadium in December are among the most spiritually significant moments of my life.) Bono was 25 when they began recording this.

ENMC's pick of the day. Buy this album for $1.99

When my friend Laci sent me the news of one of Amazon's best mp3 deals, I knew I must share with you. Gillian Welch's masterful 1996 debut, Revival is only $1.99 at Amazon. This T-Bone Burnett produced effort is a stunning album that will transport you from wherever you are sitting to a porch in Appalachia through her heavenly voice and hymn like renderings of songs you will think you know by heart, even if it is your first listen. The production is sparse and the lyrics are achingly beautiful, just like the area of the country and the bygone era Welch wishes to conjure. Calling her neo-traditionalist misses the mark. I see no "neo" in her music on this album (that does come later).

While it is not her best album, it is the first from a solid artist that chooses to release albums at a frustratingly leisurely pace. If you have only heard her as one of the sirens from the O' Brother soundtrack, expand your musical palette with this appetizer before moving on to Hell Among the Yearlings and Time (the Revelator). The song Orphan Girl is one of the best first exposures I have heard from an artist, right behind debut singles from Pearl Jam and select others.

By the way, our daughter Gillian is not necessarily named after Gillian Welch, but she was a consideration when choosing the name.

New Music you need to hear

Your EV National Music Coordinator has some music selections to share

there are some great releases out there since the end of last year. I will mention them here and hope to give full reviews of 1 or 2 in the next few days. Some of my favorites I am recommending include:

AC Newman's Get Guilty. AC is the leader of The New Pornographers and a pop music songwriting genius. While not the absolute perfection of the last TNP release, this has some of the best Cars/ Cheap Trick/ ELO influenced music around. He is smart, funny, poignant and as sweet as Orange Blossom Honey. His solo albums are not as lushly arranged as his TNP stuff and are not as consistent, but who cares. This is still better than 90% of the stuff out there and will be in my year-end Top 10.

Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion. I have never gotten into these guys, but they finally realize their potential on this album. They are becoming one of the more interesting semi-experimental bands around, finally creating the synergy fans of the individual parts have been expecting (guys like Panda Bear). This is smart, dense and danceable music.

Blind Pilot's 3 Rounds and a Sound. Another group of bearded Northwesterners making pretty melodies with acoustic guitars, but less precious and more interesting than Fleet Foxes. This falls square into the sensitive guy rock of Iron and Wine, but a bit poppier and more accessible. I dare you to not like the song One Red Thread. 

The Airborne Toxic Event's The Airborne Toxic Event. Smart lyrics and music straddling the fence between Ted Leo  and The National or Interpol. If you can imagine 80's era Washington, D.C. punk bands channeling a John Hughes teen flick soundtrack (preferably Pretty in Pink) with modern production, you can imagine what this album sounds like. It is fresh.

One album getting lots of press that is not doing it for me is:

Anthony and the Johnsons' The Crying Light. I have nothing against operatic transgendered musicians, but the hype is as over-the-top as Anthony's persona. It is quite solid and usually interesting, but not transcendent. He reminds me of bandwagon albums in the past that left me a little flat (e.g. Joanna Newsom and Joan as Police Woman).

Welcome to Sufjan Steven's Welcome Wagon

The above picture tells you all you need to know about the album. Also, if you came straight here, please read my caveat (here). That is Sufjan Stevens lording silently over the background while The Welcome Wagon play "their" songs... 

If Welcome to the Welcome Wagon were to be murdered, the police would not arrest the Welcome Wagon, they would arrest Sufjan Stevens whose fingerprints and DNA are all over this album, leaving the husband and wife team that are The Welcome Wagon relegated to supporting cast members in this Sufjan Stevens proxy project which will tide his followers over until he decides to release his latest state themed Epic (probably New York).

While this is a nice little album, with solid vocals and lyrics, in the tradition of the softer side of Waterdeep without all the needless artistry and depth, it would be nice if Sufjan had allowed the band to have its own identity, unless the band does not. Now, don’t get me wrong, if I were a pastor in Brooklyn singing handcrafted folk gospel songs with my spouse in my apartment and Sufjan offered to produce the effort, I would jump at it. I would let him take his artistic vision and force it on mine, all because I wanted others to hear my songs and I had a primary calling as pastor of a church. I get it.

Plus, I love Sufjan. I really do. However, he is the Neptunes of Christian Indie Rock. When you hear something he produces, you think of him, not the band. This is one of the marks of artist produced albums that I do not like. Too often a musician forces his musical vision and desires on the artist he is producing, often to the detriment of the artist coming to him for help. This was common with a man Sufjan reminds me of. Back in the 80s, Christians had another immensely talented and supremely original musician that happened to grace the Christian ghetto because of his faith. Charlie Peacock, who would have been as popular and praised by Pitchfork and Stereogum had the Internet existed, made truly wonderful albums and decided to start producing. Everything he produced for a long while sounded like a Charlie Peacock album with other singers as opposed to an album by the artist with Peacock flourishes.

This is what separates the great producers from the merely good ones. Many are talented musicians and have a gift on the boards behind the glass. But many make Sufjan’s mistake and make the artist sound like they want them to sound, instead of letting the artist sound like they want or need to sound. Maybe this is why many of the greatest producers are not solo artists (see Rick Rubin, the greatest of this era).

Anyhoo, back to the album. It is a decent folk pop album I will listen to for a while. I like the Mamas and Papas approach to Half a Person and appreciate the guts to reinterpret the Velvet Underground’s Jesus, one of the greatest songs ever written. The lyrics are simple, but not simplistic- the marks of good gospel and folk. Sufjan’s production, while overwhelming does allow the songwriting to shine and there are some great (although derivative) songs, such as Sold! To The Nice Rich Man (which sounds like a Sufjan song title) and American Legion, along with the Jesus cover.

So, if you are a Sufjan Stevens fan and need something to hold until til his next album, buy Welcome Wagon. If you like this type of music and don’t know Sufjan from Adam, buy this album. If Sufjan gets on your nerves, run away fast. And, if you wish this was a Welcome Wagon album and not a Sufjan proxy, then listen and make up your own mind.

listen here 

Top Albums of 2008 (20-5)

20. At War With Walls and Mazes- Son Lux

(almost indescribable.  For fans of Max Richter and M83. Post classical 1 man band with shifts and turns and surprises befitting an M Night Shyamalam film)

19. Evil Urges- My Morning Jacket

(yeah, I did like it. So what? Was it any where near as good as Z? Nope. But, they are stretching themselves and moving into some interesting territory. This albums suffers from poor song order, not bad songs)

18. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today- Brian Eno and David Byrne

(this does not sound like music by a couple of guys pushing 60. There are flourishes of every genre on this album, even Gospel. More than just ambient or white-guy world music)

17. Canopy Glow- Anathallo

(for those of you that like their Sufjan a bit more emo, or their emo a bit more Sufjanesque. However you state it, this is a wonderful little album)

16. Distortion- The Magnetic Fields

(not the chamber pop they are known for, but a strange combination of Jesus and Mary Chain-like distortion- hence, the name- and sweet harmonies on top of the typically cynical lyrics)

15. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend

(very good album by guys with immense songwriting skill and lots of talent. However, it still strikes me as cold, as I have stated. Still, the songs are ridiculously catchy)

14. The Rhumb Line- Ra Ra Riot

(a lot of people think they have heard it before and a lot like Vampire Weekend, but the passionate delivery separates them from VW and the like. They did not get the same press as VW and suffered from comparisons to Arcade Fire, but this is solid album)

13. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust- Sigur Ros

(not more of the same, but very different. It is like they discovered song structure and decided to write catchy songs, but it is still Sigur Ros doing it. There are vocals you can understand and some general happiness and warmth)

12. Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

(as I have stated, I am a huge fan of the Dark Lord and Master of Music. If you can imagine a gothic Dexter that loves the Bible, you can get a flavor of the wonders of Cave. This is his best album in a long time)

11. A Mad and Faithful Telling- Devotchka

(I am learning that most people do not like these guys as much as I do. This is more of the same, but even more consistent than past efforts. They have added strings to the Eastern European Gypsy Pop by way of flamenco)

10. The Golden Hour- Firewater

(very similar to bands like Devotchka and Gogol Bordello, combining the gypsy punk with less obvious world music influences. What separates this guy from the rest is the lyrical content, which is that of a frustrated Expat)

9. The Stand Ins- Okkervil River

(while it is no the The Stage Hands, this "minor" effort by OR is still head and shoulders above the competition. While Ryan Adams and Conor Oberst get all the press and praise, Sheff writes and sings circles around them)

8. Santogold- Santogold
(I love the 80s and I love very well done pop music. This is sugary pop perfection mining the same area as M.I.A. and Lilly Allen and just as good. If you want to dance and feel good, this is the best album of the year for you)

7. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes

(It is on everyone's list. While they are a bit too precious for my sensibilities, the harmonies are on a Brian Wilson/ CS&N level. As I have said before, I am not a huge CS&N fan, but love Brian Wilson. I do wish church choirs sounded like this)

6. Stay Positive- The Hold Steady

("Their Sing-along songs will be our Scriptures." That sums these guys up. They extol the virtues of rock 'n roll with simple eloquence, turning a drinking song into a rumination on God and death and telling stories of heartbreak that sound straight out of a classic American short story. Man, I love these guys)

Best Albums of 2008 (40-21)

It begins. The caveats have been stated. Here we have 40-21 :

 

         40. The Dodos- Visiter

         (young band with lots of energy and great potential)

   

39. Los Campesinos- Hold on Now, Youngster

(fresh, playful. It is like Arcade Fire channeled through Green Day)

  

38. The War on Drugs-

  Wagonwheel Blues

 (Americana/ Alt Country template but

 expansive)

 

 

37. Oracular Spectular- MGMT

 (lots of fluff, but 

the good songs are very good. It mixes 

a number of genres in a mind b

lowing fashion at times)

 

 36. Heretic Pride- The Mountain Goats

 (an aquired taste. I have aquired enough to put it here, but not enough to make it higher. Great lyrics)

  

35. Ten Stones- Woven Hand

 (one of the only relevant "Gospel" musicians out there. If you like fire and brimstone mixed with acoustic goth, check it out)

34. In Ear Park- Department of Eagles

(if you liked Panda bear, you will like this)

33. Rockferry- Duffy

(it started higher and has slowly dropped, but there are some good songs on this and she has tons of potential)

32. The Way I See It- Raphael Saadiq (Good to hear him after creating neo soul for other artists. If you like traditional R&B with modern flourishes, this is good stuff)

31. Rook- Shearwater

 (great voice, good songs. Not as good as some say)

30. Third- Porstishead

(its about time. I am not sure the album is that good, but it sounds like a long lost friend)

 

29. Do You Like Rock Music?- British Sea Power

(the band with the best name. Will remind you of Elbow with a bit of Mogwai)

28. Lay It Down- Al Green

(the greatest voice in the world. This album makes me smile and sounds like songs from his classic era I never heard before)

27. Microcastle- Deerhunter

(still warming to it, but much better than the first album)

26. Don't Do Anything- Sam Phillips

(sorry about the divorce, but glad you are putting the pain to good use. One of the best singer/ songwriters in existence, she is aging gracefully)

25. The Renaissance- Q-Tip

(finally! not as good as the best of a Tribe Called Quest, but the way hip hop should sound. Much better and less trendy than his previous work)

24. Parc Avenue- Plants & Animals

(the first 2 songs made me think this would be a Top 10 album. Not quite, but very good. As I said, Queen meets Phish)

23. Remind Me In 3 Days- The Knux

(hard edged, smart rap mixing rock with great lyrical content)

22. Saturdays = Youth- M83

(a bit different than previous albums, More song oriented, with more vocals, but great ambiance)

21. Dear Science,- TV on the Radio

(like I said, a slight disappointment. But, it is fresher than most anything out there. Plus, I do like David Bowie)